Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones

Elwyn Jones was born in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. He was educated at Llanelli County School, before going on to read history for a year at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and then at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.^[2] He spent time in Germany in the 1930s.

An acting bombardier in the Royal Artillery (Territorial Army), he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 23 December 1939.^[3] He ended his service as a major.

Jones became a barrister and Recorder of Merthyr Tydfil. He was also a broadcaster and journalist. He served as junior British Counsel during the Nuremberg Trials,^[4] and led for the prosecution (Leading Prosecutor) at the Hamburg trial of Marshal Erich von Manstein in 1948. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1953.^[5]

In 1966, he led the prosecution of the Moors murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

At the 1945 general election, he was elected as Labour Member of Parliament for Plaistow, east London. In 1950, he became MP for West Ham South, serving until 1974. In 1964, Elwyn Jones was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Attorney General (receiving the customary knighthood^[6]) by Harold Wilson, a post he held until 1970.

In February 1974, he was once again elected to Parliament, now for Newham South, but left the House of Commons soon afterwards when he was made a life peer. On 11 March, he was created Baron Elwyn-Jones, of Llanelli in the County of Carmarthen and of Newham in Greater London, with a change of his surname to Elwyn-Jones.^[1] The resulting by-election allowed Nigel Spearing to re-enter Parliament as he had lost the Acton seat in the February election. He served as Lord Chancellor from 1974 to 1979, under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. In 1976 he was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.^[7]

In 1937, Jones married Pearl "Polly" Binder, an artist from Manchester. The couple had three children: Josephine, Lou and Dan. Josephine became a researcher on Jacob Bronowski's TV series The Ascent of Man and married Francis Gladstone (a great-grandson of Prime Minister William Gladstone).^[8] Dan Jones is an artist, collector of children's playground songs and human rights campaigner.

Elwyn-Jones's brother Idris (1900–1971) was captain of the Wales rugby union team in 1925, and was an industrial chemist who became Director General of Research Development for the National Coal Board.^[9][10]

Elwyn-Jones died in December 1989, aged 80.^[11]

Coat of arms of Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones

Notes Displayed at the House of Lords.[12] Crest Out of a mural crown Or between two dragon's wings Gules from a panache an (eagle's?) claw holding two hammers in saltire Or. Torse Or and Gules. Escutcheon Per saltire Gules and barry wavy Argent and Azure two crane arms in saltire the hooks pendant between in chief a portcullis chained and in base a balance Or. Supporters Dexter: a man proper vested Azure the trousers Brunatre wearing an apron and a scarf Argent holding in the dexter hand blacksmiths' pliers Proper; sinister a woman Proper vested Azure and Argent holding on the sinister arm a basket of potatoes and leeks Proper. Motto GWNA DY ORAU