1956 in Wales
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| See also: | List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents[edit]
- Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff[1]
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt
Events[edit]
- April – One of the last Welsh-built naval vessels afloat, former iron screw frigate HMS Inconstant (1868), built at Pembroke Dock, arrives in Belgium to be broken up.[2]
- 2 April – Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
- 24 April – A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
- 9 May – The Gower Peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[3]
- 9 July – Mettoy introduce Corgi Toys model cars, manufactured at Fforestfach in South Wales.
- September – Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen, introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
- 4 September – Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales – Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.[4][5]
- 22 November – In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.[6]
- exact date unknown – Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished as unsafe.[7]
Arts and literature[edit]
- Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.[8]
- Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
- 22 November – The New Scientist is launched[9] by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.
Awards[edit]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Mathonwy Hughes, "Gwraig"[10]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – withheld[11]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – W. T. Gruffydd, "Y Pwrpas Mawr"[12]
New books[edit]
English language[edit]
- Margiad Evans – A Candle Ahead
- Bertrand Russell – Portraits from Memory and Other Essays
Welsh language[edit]
- Huw T. Edwards – Tros y Tresi[13]
- Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Yn Ôl i Leifior[14]
- David Rees Griffiths – Caneuon Amanwy
- Kate Roberts – Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
- Waldo Williams – Dail Pren
Music[edit]
- February – Release of Shirley Bassey's first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends)
- William Mathias – Suite for Trumpet and Piano, Op.4
- Grace Williams – Symphony No. 2
Film[edit]
- Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great; William Squire also appears.
- Glynis Johns stars in The Court Jester.
- Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.
- Moby Dick partly filmed at Lower Fishguard.
Broadcasting[edit]
- The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.
Welsh-language television[edit]
- Granada Television begins producing up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.
English-language television[edit]
- June – First televised English-language play produced in Wales, Wind of Heaven.
Sport[edit]
- Boxing
- 27 August – Joe Erskine defeats Johnny Williams in Cardiff to win the vacant British heavyweight title.
- Rugby Union
- Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
- 24 March – Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Joe Erskine[15]
Births[edit]
- 7 January – Johnny Owen, boxer (died 1980)
- 7 April – Christine Chapman AM, politician
- May – Iwan Bala, artist
- 14 June – Keith Pontin, international footballer (died 2020)
- 22 July – Richard Gwyn writer
- 7 September – Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
- 3 November – Carl Harris, international footballer
- 4 December – Nia Griffith MP, politician, born in Ireland
- 19 December – John Griffiths, politician
- 23 December – Robert Gwilym, actor
- date unknown – David Nott, surgeon
Deaths[edit]
- 4 January – Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71[16]
- 10 January – Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
- 14 January – Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
- 23 January – William Harris, academic and translator, 71[17]
- 1 February – John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70[18]
- 22 February – Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
- 27 February – Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75[19]
- 19 May – Peter Freeman, politician, 67[20]
- 8 June – Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82[21]
- 5 July – Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
- 11 June – Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89[22]
- 17 August – William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
- 31 August – Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81[23]
- 13 September – David Davies, footballer, 77
- 20 September – Arthur Tysilio Johnson, farmer and author, 83
- 1 October – J. O. Francis, dramatist, 74[24]
- 11 October – David James Davies, economist and politician, 63[25]
- 16 October – Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
- 18 October – Harry Parry, jazz musician, 44[26]
- 22 November – Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68[27]
- 16 December – Nina Hamnett, artist, 66[28]
- 28 December – John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83[29]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Mary Gwendoline Ellis. "Morgan, John (1886-1957), Archbishop of Wales". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-7509-5214-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jones, Gareth E. (1987). The Conservation of Ecosystems and Species. Croom Helm. ISBN 978-0-7099-1463-1.
- ^ "Teaching through Welsh". Western Mail. Cardiff. 1956-09-04. p. 5.
- ^ Nash, Roy (2011). Schooling in Rural Societies. Routledge. pp. 93–. ISBN 978-0-415-50490-4.
- ^ Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (1957). House of Commons Papers. H.M. Stationery Office.
- ^ "Town Clock". VADS. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Huw T. Edwards Papers". Archives Wales. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ^ Mick O'Hare (16 November 2016). "Old Scientist: Happily upholding ideals since issue number 1". New Scientist. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ^ "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ Dictionary of Labour Biography: Volume XI. Palgrave Macmillan UK. 2016. p. 65. ISBN 9780230500181.
- ^ Bibliotheca Celtica: A Register of Publications Relating to Wales and the Celtic Peoples & Languages. National Library of Wales. 1957. p. 17.
- ^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Bedwyr Lewis Jones (1 January 1972). Robert Williams Parry. University of Wales Press [for] the Welsh Arts Council. p. 73.
- ^ Ellis, Mary Gwendoline (2001). "Harris, William Henry (1884–1956), priest, Professor of Welsh, St David's College, Lampeter". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
- ^ Thomas Parry (2001). "Lloyd-Jones, John (1885–1956), scholar and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Obituary, The Times, 28 February 1956
- ^ "Mr. P. Freeman,M.P - An energetic reformer". The Times. No. 53536. London. 21 May 1956. p. 10.
- ^ Christopher Dignam (2001). "Rhys, Walter FitzUryan, 7th Baron Dynevor (1873-1956), nobleman and politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Frank Brangwyn (1958). The Water-colours of Sir Frank Brangwyn, R.A., 1867-1956. F. Lewis. p. 27.
- ^ Deirdre Beddoe. "Tennant, Winifred Margaret Coombe". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70091. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Mary Auronwy James (2001). "Francis, John Oswald (1882-1956), dramatist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Ceinwen Hannah Thomas (2001). "Davies, David James (1893-1956), economist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel; Menna, Baines; Lynch, Peredur I., eds. (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 651. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^ Peter Barberis (28 January 2005). Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond, A Political Life. I.B.Tauris. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-85043-627-0.
- ^ Denise Hooker (October 1986). Nina Hamnett, queen of Bohemia. Constable. p. 258.
- ^ "Owen, John Dyfnallt ('Dyfnallt'; 1873-1956), minister (Congl.), poet, writer, journalist and Archdruid of Wales". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 13 March 2019.