John Darwin Hinds
John Darwin Hinds (December 28, 1922 – March 15, 1981) was a Welsh politician and community activist. He was born in Maerdy, Wales, to Leonard Hinds and Gwenllian Hinds and grew up in Barry with five siblings. His older sister, Elvira Gwenllian Payne (Gwen), became Wales’ first Black female councillor. His father, who was from Barbados, had served in the Mercantile Marine War Medal in 1919 and later worked as a coal miner in Maerdy.
After leaving school, Hinds worked in the coal mines at Bargoed before getting a job in the Colonial Office in London. It was there that he developed an interest in politics. He later returned to Wales, converted to Islam after a near-death experience with tuberculosis, and joined the Labour Party to work on local social issues.
In 1958, Hinds was elected to Barry Town Council, becoming Wales’ first Black councillor and Wales’ first Muslim councillor. He was a fluent Welsh speaker, one of only three Welsh-speaking councillors at the time.
In 1975, he became Wales’ first Black mayor, serving as the mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan Council. His sister Gwen served as mayoress, and he supported her in founding the Buttrills Community Centre. He also pushed for a local branch of Guide Dogs for the Blind and worked to reduce housing insecurity.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:33 (CET).