Background
Griffiths was born in Betws, Carmarthenshire, where his father was a blacksmith. His father"s smithy remained a gathering point for local intellectuals and political activists.
Griffiths was born in Betws, Carmarthenshire, where his father was a blacksmith. His father"s smithy remained a gathering point for local intellectuals and political activists.
He was the fifth of ten children. He spent his working life as a coal miner, beginning work in 1894 at the age of eight, after a brief education at the local primary school. The profits from the edited volume O lwch y lofa: cyfrol o ganu gan chwech o lowyr Sir Gar (1924) went towards helping Review
Gomer Morgan Roberts supplement his scholarship to Fircroft Adult College near Birmingham.
Griffiths edited the volume of selected works from local minors it "easily sold a thousand copies" for a shilling each and gave the 24 year old Roberts £30 to help support him. He also wrote a weekly column in The Amman Valley Chronicle entitled Colofn Cymry"r Dyffryn (column for the Welsh speakers of the valley) using the pen name Cerddetwr (one who wanders aimlessly).
Griffiths also had a career as a journalist, writing for the Amman Valley Chronicle and also for British Broadcasting Corporation Radio. In 1928, Griffiths became caretaker at the local grammar school.
In 1951 a film of his life David, was made as part of the celebrations for the Festival of Britain.
The elder daughter was named Menna Ruth Griffiths. She later worked at the same Grammar school and died in 2013.