1959 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 1959 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales – Charles
- Princess of Wales – vacant
- Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris
Events
- 1 January – The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry") is formed.
- February – The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.[1][2]
- 4 May – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
- 6 August – Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
- 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 Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
- Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
- Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain).
- Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.
- Gilbern Sports Cars begin production of their kit cars at Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.[3]
Arts and literature
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- 8 January – Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (last December) by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them, in London.
- 9 January – Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK pop charts, with "As I Love You".[4]
- December – Actress Siân Phillips marries Peter O'Toole in Dublin.[5]
- Literature Wales is established as The Academi.
- Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.
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
English language
- Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
- Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
- Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development
Welsh language
- Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn[6]
- D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
- Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug
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 Gân (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[7]
- 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
- 24 April – Paula Yates, television presenter (died 2000)[8]
- 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
- 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician[9]
- 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, comedian
- 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
- 28 May – Steve Strange, born Steven Harrington, pop singer/promoter (died 2015)[10]
- 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
- 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
- 7 November – Richard Barrett, composer
- 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician
- date unknown – Paul Henry, poet
Deaths
- 1 January – Dan Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
- 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient, 61
- 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet, industrialist, 87[11]
- 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61[12]
- 24 February – Sid Judd, international rugby player, 30
- 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
- 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator, 43[13]
- 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96[14]
- 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84[15]
- 2 July – Ivor Davies, rugby player, 67[16]
- 7 July – Frank Williams, Wales international rugby player, 49
- 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
- 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
- 9 August – John Hart Evans, rugby player, 78[17]
- 6 September – Edmund Gwenn, actor, 83
- 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61[18]
- 23 October – Anthony Windham Jones, rugby player, 80[19]
- 16 November – Fanny Winifred Edwards, teacher and writer, 83[20]
- 17 November – David Owen Morgan, zoologist, 66
- 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
- 10 December – W. R. Davies, US academic of Welsh descent, 66 (heart attack)[21]
- 28 December – David Brazell, singer, 84[22]
- 30 December – Dick Duckfield, cricketer, 52[23]
See also
References
- ^ Barraclough, E.M.C. (1965). Flags of the World.
- ^ "Welsh Flag (House of Commons Debates 600 cc121-2W – Written Answers)". Hansard. 1959-02-23. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- ^ Georgano, Nick (2000). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
- ^ "Shirley Bassey - As I Love You". BBC Wales Music. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. Pakistan Herald Publications. 1969. p. 67.
- ^ Russell Davies (15 June 2015). People, Places and Passions: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh 18701948. University of Wales Press. p. 637. ISBN 978-1-78316-239-0.
- ^ "The Alarm singer Mike Peters of Prestatyn". Daily Post. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Paula Yates". The Telegraph. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ "Jill Evans". European Parliament. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Pierre Perrone (13 February 2015). "Steve Strange: Lead singer with Visage and club owner who became the leading light of the 1980s New Romantic movement". The Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Graeme Holmes. "Williams, Evan (1871-1959), BARONET and colliery owner". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ Roland Glyn Mathias. "Freeman, Kathleen ('Mary Fitt'; 1897-1959), classical scholar and writer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ Thomas Parry. "Bell, Ernest David (1915-1959), artist and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ "Newport RFC player profiles". Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- ^ Gomer Morgan Roberts. "WILLIAMS, WILLIAM NANTLAIS (1874-1959), minister (Presb.), editor, poet and hymn writer". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "Ivor Davies: Wales". en.espn.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Jack Evans rugby union Scrum.com
- ^ David Glanville Rosser. "Rees, Thomas Wynford ('Dagger'; 1898-1959), major-general". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ Windham Jones player profile Scrum.com
- ^ Arwyn Lloyd Hughes, Llandaf. "Edwards, Fanny Winifred (1876–1959)". The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Davies Leaves Inspiration"; The Spectator, December 17, 1959
- ^ Huw Williams. "Brazell, David (1875-1959), singer". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
- ^ "Dick Duckfield". Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2019.