1984 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 1984 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales – Charles
- Princess of Wales – Diana
- Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards[1]
- Archbishop of Wales – Derrick Childs, Bishop of Monmouth[2]
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
- Jâms Nicholas (outgoing)[3]
- Elerydd (incoming)[4]
Events
- 2 March – Carmarthen MP Dr Roger Thomas announces his resignation, having been prosecuted for importuning.[5]
- 12 March – The miners' strike begins, with a solid turn out from all NUM mines in Wales.[6]
- 31 March - The Guildford Crescent Baths close in Cardiff after 122 years, despite a campaign to keep them open.[7]
- 3 May – At the Cynon Valley by-election brought about by the death of MP Ioan Lyonel Evans, Ann Clwyd retains the seat for Labour with an increased majority.[8]
- 19 July – The Lleyn Peninsula earthquake, which strikes the Llŷn Peninsula at 06:56 UTC (07:56 BST), measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, is the largest known onshore earthquake to occur in the UK since instrumental measurements began.[9]
- 4 October – Dafydd Wigley resigns as leader of Plaid Cymru for domestic reasons.[10]
- 30 November – Taxi driver David Wilkie is killed when a concrete block is dropped onto his car as he drives a strikebreaker to work on the M4 motorway. Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland of Rhymney are later convicted of murder.[11]
- 3 December – First McDonald's hamburger fast food restaurant in Wales opens in Cardiff.
- date unknown
- Sam Edwards becomes Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge.[12]
- Clive Sinclair's C5 electric vehicle is manufactured at the Hoover works in Merthyr Tydfil.[13]
- Border Breweries (Wrexham) ceases to brew in Wales.
- Creation of Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency.[14]
Arts and literature
Awards
- Griff Rhys Jones wins the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Comedy Performance for his role in Charley's Aunt.[15]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Lampeter)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Aled Rhys Wiliam[16]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – John Roderick Rees[17]
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – John Idris Owen[18]
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Richard Cyril Hughes, Castell Cyfaddawd
New books
English language
- Duncan Bush – Aquarium
- Sian James – Dragons and Roses
- Mike Jenkins – Empire of Smoke[19]
- Robert Minhinnick – Life Sentences
- Leslie Thomas – In My Wildest Dreams
Welsh language
- Donald Evans – Machlud Canrif
- Gwynn ap Gwilym – Gwales
- Geraint H. Jenkins – Hanes Cymru yn y Cyfnod Modern Cynnar: 1530–1760
- Alun Jones – Oed Rhyw Addewid
- Gerwyn Williams – Colli cyswllt
Music
- Ar Log IV
- The Alarm – Declaration (debut studio album)
- Icons of Filth – Onward Christian Soldiers
- Shakin' Stevens records "Teardrops" with Hank Marvin on guitar.
- Phil Campbell joins Motörhead.
- First Brecon Jazz Festival staged.
Film
- Ray Milland makes his last film appearance in The Sea Serpent.
- Sian Phillips stars in Dune.
- Kevin Allen makes his big screen debut in The Man Who Shot Christmas.
Welsh-language films
- None
Broadcasting
- Gareth Gwenlan becomes Head of Comedy at the BBC.
Welsh-language television
English-language television
- The District Nurse starring Nerys Hughes
Sport
- Football – Ian Rush becomes the first Welshman to win the European Golden Boot award.
- Horse racing – Neil Doughty wins the Grand National on Hallo Dandy.
Births
- 27 February – Rhys Williams, athlete
- 9 March – Owain Wyn Evans, television presenter
- 11 March – Tom James, Olympic gold-medal-winning rower
- 22 June – Arron Davies, footballer
- 23 June – Duffy, singer
- 31 July – Craig Stiens, footballer
- 14 August – Rob Davies, table tennis player
- 15 September – Prince Harry, English prince
- 20 September – Byron Anthony, footballer
- 15 October – Owain Tudur Jones, footballer
- 24 November – Matthew Mason, cricketer
- date unknown – Gwawr Edwards, soprano
Deaths
- 14 January – Ivan Lloyd-Phillips, colonial administrator, 73
- 26 January – Nathan Rocyn-Jones, doctor, international rugby player and President of the WRU, 81
- 10 February – Ioan Evans, politician, 56
- 11 April – John Roland Lloyd Thomas, clergyman and teacher, 76
- 15 April – Tommy Cooper, comedian, 63 (heart attack on stage)[20]
- 18 June – Idris Foster, academic, 72
- 22 June – Dill Jones, jazz pianist, 60
- 6 July – Denys Val Baker, British writer and promoter of Celtic culture, 66
- 5 August – Richard Burton, actor, 58 (brain haemorrhage)[21]
- 27 August – Amabel Williams-Ellis, writer, 90[22]
- 23 September – Daniel Granville West, politician, 80
- 12 October – Sir Anthony Berry, politician and son of Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, 59 (killed in Brighton hotel bombing)[23]
- 11 December (in Hendon) – Will Paynter, miners' leader, 81[24]
- date unknown – Arthur Fear, operatic bass-baritone
See also
References
- ^ Stephen Bates (19 March 2018). "Lord Crickhowell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Daily Mail Yearbook,1984. Harmsworth. 1983. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-85144-228-0.
- ^ Meic Stephens (17 October 2013). "James Nicholas: Poet, teacher and Archdruid of Wales". The Independent. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "WJ Gruffydd". The Independent. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Portrait of the week". The Spectator. F.C. Westley: 7. July 1984.
- ^ "Miners' Strike 1984-1985". Archives Hub. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ Deacon, Thomas (28 January 2019). "How campaigners first fought to save Cardiff's Guildford Crescent in the 1980s". Wales Online. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Dod's Parlimentary Communications (1992). Bedford, Michael J. (ed.). Dod's Guide to the General Election. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 57.
- ^ "BGS FAQ What are the largest two instrumental, onshore earthquakes?". BGS. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09.
- ^ Keesing's Contemporary Archives. Keesing's Limited. 1986. p. xii.
- ^ Winterton, Jonathan; Winterton, Ruth (1989). Coal, Crisis and Conflict: The 1984-85 Miners' Strike in Yorkshire. Manchester University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-7190-2830-4.
- ^ "The Cavendish Professorship of Physics". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ Neil Prior (13 July 2014). "Sinclair C5 built in Merthyr in 1984 'was ahead of its time'". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Mike Taylor (1995). World Travel Atlas. Columbus Travel Publishing. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-946393-48-0.
- ^ Plays. Ocean Publications. 1984. p. 4.
- ^ "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ Matthew Jarvis (2008). Welsh Environments in Contemporary Poetry: Writing Wales in English. University of Wales Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7083-2152-2.
- ^ Hugh Massingberd (2006). The Spectator. F.C. Westley. p. 72.
- ^ J. Randy Taraborrelli (25 March 2011). Elizabeth: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor. Pan Macmillan. p. 507. ISBN 978-1-4472-0226-4.
- ^ Roland Turner (1985). The Annual Obituary. St. Martin's. p. 456.
- ^ Crown, Hannah (12 October 2009). "Brighton bombing: 25th anniversary of Sir Anthony Berry's death remembered". Thisislocallondon. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
- ^ Ann Evory; Hal May (October 1985). Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers. Gale. p. 350. ISBN 978-0-8103-1915-8.