Thomas Humphreys Reserve, Swansea
Thomas Humphreys, a boat builder by trade, worked with his uncle James L Boyd. In 1915 he established his own boatbuilding yard in Swansea. He built the first surf boat for the club now known as Swansea Belmont in 1929. His design for a surfboat built in the early 1940’s made a great impact on surf boat racing and was adopted by all surf clubs. During the war he increased his staff to fill government contracts to build ships’ lifeboats and launches for the services. He was active in local affairs and was honoured by the Belmont 16ft Sailing Club and both Swansea Belmont and Swansea Caves Beach Surf Lifesaving Clubs. In 1957 while on a fishing trip off Caves Beach he drowned. His boatyard continued to trade until the 1960’s. The Thomas Humphrey’s Reserve in Swansea was named after him.
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