He ran an intelligence service for the Russians in their campaigns against the Turks and was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir with the Swords by the Czar in 1916.

On his appointment as Recorder of Cardiff he was obliged to resign from Parliament and fight a by-election on 22 June but he was again returned unopposed.

[8] In 1923, Rhys-Williams was approached by the Aberavon Liberal Association to stand as their candidate in the forthcoming general election in opposition to Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald but he declined.

Rhys-Williams promised Crawshay that if he would make this pledge he would do his best to get the Conservatives to stand aside and support him in a straight fight against Labour.

After his death, the baronetcy was inherited by his son Brandon Rhys-Williams, who later served for over twenty years as a Conservative MP.

[14] Lady Williams was commandant of the Red Cross Hospital there and continued to occupy part of the building, giving the manor as her home address when writing to The Times in 1943.

[14] This arrangement later caused Sir Rhys some distress in old age and he lodged a formal protest at the actions of the Pontypridd and Rhondda Hospital Committee, claiming they had deprived him of the use of the house for six years and had paid only the sum £1 4s in rent during this period.

Sir Rhys alleged that the hospital committee were now refusing to buy the house, having previously agreed to do.