1955 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 1955 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents[edit]
- Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt
Events[edit]
- 17 March – In the Wrexham by-election, brought about by the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Richards, who had held the seat since 1935, James Idwal Jones holds the seat for Labour with a majority of nearly 11,000 votes.[1]
- 18 April–28 May – Charles Evans leads the mountaineering expedition that conquers Kanchenjunga.[2]
- 6 August – The Usk Reservoir is completed, contributing to Swansea's water supply.[3]
- 31 October – The A48 road bridges over the River Neath at Briton Ferry (six years in the building) are officially opened by the Minister of Transport.
- 3 December – The Farmers Union of Wales breaks away from the National Farmers Union.[4][5]
- 20 December – Cardiff becomes the official capital of Wales.[6]
Arts and literature[edit]
- The Gold Medal for Architecture is introduced to the National Eisteddfod.[7]
- Bertrand Russell retires to Plas Penrhyn, Penrhyndeudraeth.
- The Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music is founded.[8]
Awards[edit]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Pwllheli)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym Ceri Jones, "Gwrtheyrn"[9]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – W. J. Gruffydd, "Ffenestri"[10]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – M. Selyf Roberts, Deg o'r Diwedd[11]
- Emyr Humphreys wins the Somerset Maugham Award for Hear and Forgive.
New books[edit]
English language[edit]
- Kingsley Amis – That Uncertain Feeling[12]
- (Edwin) Stuart Evans – Elegy for the Death of a Clown (poem)
- Elisabeth Inglis-Jones – The Story of Wales
- T. E. Lawrence – The Mint (posthumously published)[13]
- Dylan Thomas – A Child's Christmas in Wales (posthumously published)[14]
- R. S. Thomas – Song at the Year's Turning (poems)[15]
- Richard Vaughan – Son of Justin
Welsh language[edit]
- Gwilym Thomas Hughes – Ei Seren tan Gwmwl
- Robert Lloyd – Y Pethe[16]
- Louie Myfanwy Thomas writing as Jane Ann Jones – Plant y Foty[17]
New drama[edit]
- Saunders Lewis – Siwan
Music[edit]
- Grace Williams – Penillion
Film[edit]
- Stanley Baker plays Richmond in Laurence Olivier's film of Richard III.
- The Constant Husband, starring Rex Harrison, with opening scenes filmed on location at New Quay and Aberaeron in 1954, includes some Welsh dialogue.
Broadcasting[edit]
- The Welsh Home Service becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe
Welsh-language television[edit]
- January – First televised Welsh-language play, Cap Wil Tomos
English-language television[edit]
Sport[edit]
- Cricket – Wilf Wooller becomes an England Test selector.
- Rugby Union
- 22 January – Ken Jones becomes Wales's most capped player (36) in a game against England.
- 12 March – Wales beat Ireland 21–3 at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
- 26 March – Wales win the Five Nations Championship for the fourth time this decade.
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – John Disley[18]
Births[edit]
- 22 January – Clive Griffiths, footballer (died 2022)
- 30 January – Ian Edwards, footballer
- 23 February – Howard Jones, English-born musician of Welsh parentage[19]
- 4 March – Joey Jones, footballer[20]
- 17 March – John David Lewis, political scientist and historian
- 2 May – Peter Sayer, footballer
- 17 May – Nicola Heywood-Thomas, broadcaster and journalist (died 2023)
- 22 May – Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, politician
- 9 June – Alun Pugh, politician[21]
- 21 June (in Sunderland) – Janet Ryder, politician[22]
- 22 June – Green Gartside (Paul Julian Strohmeyer), musician
- 2 August – Alun Davies, biologist
- 3 August – Gordon Davies, footballer
- 4 August – Steve Jones, marathon runner
- 3 September – Eirian Williams, snooker referee
- 29 September – Gareth Davies, rugby player
- 12 October – Brian Flynn, footballer and manager[23]
- 17 November – Amanda Levete, architect
- 7 December – Mihangel Morgan, author and academic[24]
- date unknown
- Aled Gruffydd Jones, social historian, Librarian of National Library of Wales
- Martyn Jones, painter[25]
Deaths[edit]
- 5 January – Douglas Marsden-Jones, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 61
- 25 January – Robert Dewi Williams, teacher, clergyman and author, 84
- 26 January – Gwilym Davies, Baptist minister, 75
- 29 January – Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, politician, 89
- 19 March – Tom Evans, Wales international rugby player, 72
- 2 April – Billy O'Neill, Welsh international rugby player, 76
- 27 April – Ambrose Bebb, author, 60[26]
- 19 May – Percy Bush, Wales international rugby union player, 75
- 21 June – Eric Evans, rugby union player and administrator, 61[27]
- 13 July – Ruth Ellis, murderer, 28 (hanged)[28]
- 28 August – Sir Lewis Lougher, businessman and politician, 83[29]
- 28 September – Lionel Rees, airman, Victoria Cross recipient, 71
- 14 October – Harry Parr Davies, songwriter, 41[30]
- 15 October – Thomas Jones (T. J.), founder of Coleg Harlech, 85[31]
- 30 October – Bert Dauncey, Wales international rugby player, 83
- 1 November – Ronw Moelwyn Hughes, politician, 58
- 15 December – V. E. Nash-Williams, archaeologist, 58[32]
- date unknown – Melbourne Johns, munitions worker and wartime secret agent, 55
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "British parliamentary by-elections: Wrexham 1955". Web Cite. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ^ American Alpine Club (31 October 1997). American Alpine Journal, 1979. The Mountaineers Books. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-930410-75-9.
- ^ Cragg, Roger, ed. (1986). Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales and West Central England. London: Thomas Telford Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 0-7277-2576-9.
- ^ "From humble beginnings... a history of the FUW". North Wales Daily Post. 17 November 2005. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Peter Self; Herbert J. Storing (1963). The State and the Farmer. University of California Press. pp. 57. GGKEY:Z0JQUCL5Z4C.
- ^ David Williams (2005). About Cardiff. Graffeg. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-9544334-2-0.
- ^ Time & Tide. Time and Tide Publishing Company. July 1955.
- ^ John Davies; Nigel Jenkins; Menna Baines (2008). The Welsh Academy encyclopaedia of Wales. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Nick Bentley (2007). Radical Fictions: The English Novel in the 1950s. Peter Lang. p. 303. ISBN 978-3-03910-934-0.
- ^ John Pateman (2012). T.E. Lawrence in Lincolnshire. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4717-6243-7.
- ^ "Dylan Thomas: A Child's Christmas in Wales". BBC Wales. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ W. Moelwyn Merchant (1979). R.S. Thomas. University of Arkansas Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-61075-333-3.
- ^ Geraldine Lublin (15 May 2017). Memoir and Identity in Welsh Patagonia: Voices from a Settler Community in Argentina. University of Wales Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-78316-968-9.
- ^ Meic Stephens (23 September 1998). The new companion to the literature of Wales. University of Wales Press. p. 719. ISBN 978-0-7083-1383-1.
- ^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ "Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ "Liverpool career stats for Joey Jones". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Pugh, Alun John". Who's Who. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "People in the Assembly". BBC News. 1 September 1999. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Brian Flynn". Port Talbot Magnet. Retrieved 18 March 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ International Who's who of Authors and Writers. Europa Publications, Taylor & Francis Group. 2008. p. 518.
- ^ Moore, David (2012). A Taste of the Avant-garde: 56 Group Wales. Brecon, Powys: Crooked Window. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-9563602-1-2.
- ^ Thomas Parry. "Bebb, William Ambrose". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Owen, O.L., ed. (1956). Playfair Rugby Football Annual 1955–56. London: Playfair Books Ltd.
- ^ "Autopsy Report of Ruth Ellis". Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "Obituary: Sir L. Lougher, Cardiff Shipowner". The Times. 30 August 1955. p. 11.
- ^ "The Final Curtain". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 22 October 1955. p. 48.
- ^ Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England) (1992). Trafodion Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas Y Cymmrodorion. The Society. p. 196.
- ^ George Counsell Boon. "NASH-WILLIAMS, VICTOR ERLE". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 17 March 2019.