1959 in Wales

1959 in Wales

Other years

1956 | 1957 | 1958 << All >> 1960 | 1961 | 1962

1959 in: The United Kingdom • Ireland

Other events of 1959

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

Events

• October – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
• 8 October – At the UK general election:
  • Newly-elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
  • Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
  • Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
• The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official Flag of Wales.
• The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry" is formed.
• Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
• The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
• Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers.
• Thomas Parry becomes Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
• Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.

Arts and literature

• Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.
• Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them.
• Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK pop charts, with "As I Love You".

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)

• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Tom Huws
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen

New books

• Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn
• Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
• Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
• Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug
• Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development

Music

• Grace Williams – All Seasons shall be Sweet

Film

• Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
• Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

Broadcasting

• Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
• The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Lili Lon (children's programme)
• Trysor O Gan (Treasury of Song)

English-language television

• Ivor the Engine (children's programme)

Sports

• Athletics – The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
• Boxing – Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Graham Moore

Births

• 25 February – Mike Peters, musician
• 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
• 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
• 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician
• 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, comedian
• 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
• 28 May – Steve Strange, singer
• 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
• 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
• 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician

Full date unknown

• Paul Henry, poet

Deaths

• 1 January – Dan Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient
• 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, Baronet, industrialist
• 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61
• 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
• 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator (b.1915)
• 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96
• 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84
• 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
• 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
• 6 September – Edmund Gwenn, actor, 83
• 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61
• 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
• 28 December – David Brazell, singer