1938 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1938 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor^[1]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – J.J.^[2]

Events

• 14–19 January – A storm causes extensive damage in Aberystwyth; the promenade and pier are largely destroyed by 90 mph winds.^[3]
• 8 May – William Ormsby-Gore succeeds his father as Baron Harlech.
• October – The first scheduled night flight in the UK begins operating between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare.
• 23 November – Opening of the Temple of Peace and Health in Cathays Park, Cardiff.^[4]
• Mining comes to an end at Dolaucothi Gold Mines.^[5]
• The excavation of Llantwit Major Roman Villa by V. E. Nash-Williams, begins (continues to 1948).^[6]
• Opening of RNAD Trecwm.

Arts and literature

• April – Augustus John resigns from the Royal Academy.^[7]
• September – Ivor Novello appears in Henry V at Drury Lane Theatre, produced by Lewis Casson.^[8]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Cardiff)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym R. Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Edgar H. Thomas
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Elena Puw Morgan^[9]

New books

In English

• Idris Davies – Gwalia Deserta^[10]
• Ness Edwards – History of the South Wales Miners Federation
• Richard Hughes – In Hazard
• Jack Jones – Bidden to the Feast
• Edith Picton-Turbervill – Myself When Young^[11]
• William Plomer (ed.) – Kilvert's Diary, 1870-1879

In Welsh

• Richard Bennett – Methodistiaeth Caersws
• Tom Beynon – Gwrid ar Orwel ym Morgannwg
• Edward Tegla Davies – Stori Sam^[12]
• Edward Morgan Humphreys – Dirgelwch Gallt Y Ffrwd^[13]
• Ifor Williams (ed.) – Canu Aneirin

New drama

• James Kitchener Davies – Susannah
• Charles Langbridge Morgan – The Flashing Stream^[14]
• Emlyn Williams – The Corn is Green^[15]

Music

• Tudor Davies plays the lead in the first English-language production of Verdi's Don Carlos, at Sadler's Wells.

Film

• Naunton Wayne appears as Caldicott in The Lady Vanishes.^[16]

Broadcasting

• 1 March – BBC Radio broadcasts the world première of Arwel Hughes's latest composition, Tydi a Roddaist.

Sport

• Empire Games
  • Wales win three medals at the 1938 Empire Games, Denis Reardon, (middleweight boxing), Jim Alford (1 mile run) and Jeanne Greenland (110 yard backstroke).
• Rugby union
  • 5 February – Scotland beat Wales 8 - 6 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Births

• 6 January – William Edwards, politician (d. 2007)^[17]
• 1 February – Cynog Dafis, politician^[18]
• 22 January – Brook Williams, actor (d. 2005)^[19]
• 2 March – Deddie Davies, actress (d. 2016)^[20]
• 20 April – Andrew Vicari, portrait painter (d. 2016)^[21]
• 25 April – John Davies, historian (d. 2015)^[22]
• 14 May – Clive Rowlands, rugby player and coach (d. 2023)^[23]
• 25 May – Trevor Peck, footballer (d. 2014)^[24]
• 31 May – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK^[25]
• 13 June – Gwynne Howell, bass^[26]
• 6 July – Tony Lewis, cricketer and commentator
• 23 July – Meic Stephens, literary editor (d. 2018)^[27]
• 6 August – Rees Davies, historian (d. 2005)^[28]
• 12 September
  • Richard Booth, secondhand bookseller (d. 2019)^[29]
  • Patrick Mower, Welsh-descended actor
• 9 October – Denzil Davies, politician (d. 2018)^[30]
• 22 October – Dai Davies, English-born Welsh sports journalist (d. 2008)^[31]
• 1 November – Delwyn Williams, politician
• 4 December – Richard Meade, equestrian (d. 2015)^[32]
• 15 December – Michael Bogdanov, theatre director (d. 2017 in Greece)^[33]

Deaths

• 3 February – James Bevan, First Wales rugby union captain, 81
• 9 February – Dick Hellings, Wales international rugby player, 63
• 30 March – Jack Elliott, Wales international rugby player, 66
• 16 April – Sir William Price, industrialist
• 8 May – George Ormsby-Gore, 3rd Baron Harlech, 83^[34]
• 28 May – Alfred Brice, Wales international rugby player, 66
• 23 June – Clement Edwards, politician, 69^[35]
• 22 July – Giotto Griffiths, Wales international rugby player, 73
• 22 October (in Dublin) – Sir John Purser Griffith, civil engineer, 90
• 4 November – John Thomas Job, minister, hymn-writer and poet, 71^[36]
• 28 November – Reginald Arthur (Reggie) Gibbs, shipowner and rugby footballer, 56
• 29 December (at sea) – Eluned Morgan, writer, 68^[37]
• date unknown – Gwynfil Evans (Barry Western), novelist^[38]

See also

• 1938 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: C. J. Litzenberger. Eileen Groth Lyon. The Human Tradition in Modern Britain. 2006. Rowman & Littlefield. 978-0-7425-3735-4. 92.
2. Jones. Evan David. E. D. Jones. John James Williams. s2-WILL-JAM-1869. 22 May 2015.
3. Web site: Aberystwyth's great storm of 1938. 20 October 2009. BBC. 25 May 2019.
4. Book: Cardiff (Wales). City Council. Development Committee. The City and Port of Cardiff; the Official Handbook: "Cardiff Blue Book.". 1960. E.J. Burrow. 38.
5. Book: Council for British Archaeology. Cadw (Organization : Great Britain). The Welsh industrial heritage: a review : based upon the proceedings of a joint Cadw/CBA conference held in Cardiff, 5 December 1986. 1992. Council for British Archaeology. 978-1-872414-13-3. 101.
6. Book: Cardiff Naturalists' Society. Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society. 1937. 33.
7. Book: T. S. Eliot. Letters of T. S. Eliot Volume 8: 1936–1938. 15 January 2019. Faber & Faber. 978-0-571-31639-7. 918.
8. Book: Helen Grime. Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Twentieth-Century Actress. 6 October 2015. Routledge. 978-1-317-32095-1. 212.
9. Book: Elena Puw Morgan. Y graith. 1999. Gwasg Gomer. 978-1-85902-745-5.
10. Book: Edward Larrissy. The Cambridge Companion to British Poetry, 1945-2010. 2016. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-09066-8. 167.
11. Book: David Greer. A Numerous and Fashionable Audience: The Story of Elsie Swinton. 1997. Thames Publishing. 978-0-905210-93-3. 118.
12. Book: Meic Stephens. Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 129.
13. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 272.
14. Book: Colin Chambers. The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre. 14 May 2006. A&C Black. 978-1-84714-612-0. 513.
15. Book: Roberta M. Milgram. Counseling Gifted and Talented Children: A Guide for Teachers, Counselors, and Parents. 1991. ABC-CLIO. 978-0-89391-773-9. 227.
16. Book: Jeffrey Richards. Films and British National Identity: From Dickens to Dad's Army. Manchester University Press. 1997. 9780719047435. 86.
17. Web site: Will Edwards. 5 September 2007. Patrick Hannan. The Guardian. 26 May 2024.
18. News: 2000 . Published 1 September 1998; updated in 2000 on unspecified date . People in the Assembly: Cynog Dafis . BBC News . 24 December 2023.
19. Book: Harris M. Lentz III. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. 24 October 2008. McFarland. 978-0-7864-5210-1. 394.
20. Web site: Deddie Davies obituary. Anthony. Hayward. 2 January 2017. 2 August 2020. Theguardian.com.
21. Web site: Andrew Vicari. The Valleys Heroes. 25 May 2019.
22. Web site: John Davies obituary. 25 February 2015. The Guardian. Russell Davies. 31 July 2023.
23. Web site: How a village boy overcame childhood trauma to become Welsh rugby's indisputable leader. 30 July 2023. WalesOnline. 31 July 2023.
24. News: Poppies star of the 1970s dies . Northamptonshire Telegraph . Huw . Silk . 30 May 2014 . 22 April 2018.
25. Book: A. T. Lane. Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders. 1995. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-29900-1. 778.
26. Book: Trevor Herbert. Peter Stead. Hymns and Arias: Great Welsh Voices. 2001. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1699-3. 97.
27. Web site: Meic Stephens obituary. 5 July 2018. Sam Adams. The Guardian. 25 May 2019.
28. Web site: Sir Rees Davies. 26 May 2005. John Watts. The Guardian. 4 May 2022.
29. Web site: Obituary: Richard Booth died on August 20th. 29 August 2019. The Economist.
30. Web site: Denzil Davies obituary. 15 October 2018. Julia Langdon. The Guardian. 25 May 2019.
31. Web site: Obituary: Dai Davies. Michael Blair. The Guardian. 21 May 2008. 21 January 2018.
32. Web site: Richard Meade obituary. 12 January 2015. Victoria Spicer. The Guardian. 25 May 2019.
33. Web site: Michael Bogdanov obituary. 18 April 2017. Michael Coveney. The Guardian. 25 May 2019.
34. Book: Kelly's Handbook of Distinguished People 1938. 1923. Kelly. 877.
35. Book: The Law Journal. 1938. Law journal. 17l.
36. s-JOB0-THO-1867. Job, John Thomas (1867-1938), Calvinistic Methodist minister, hymn writer, and poet. Enaf Morrice Job. 4 May 2022.
37. s-MORG-ELU-1870. MORGAN, ELUNED (1870–1938), writer. 18 March 2021.
38. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 190.