1939 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1939 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor^[1]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • J.J. (outgoing)^[2]
  • Crwys (incoming)^[3]

Events

• March - November - Aneurin Bevan is temporarily expelled from the Labour Party.
• 27 April - Ely Racecourse in Cardiff closes.^[4]
• 1 June - The submarine HMS Thetis sinks during trials in Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey. At least 98 men are lost.^[5]
• Late August - Most paintings evacuated from the National Gallery in London to Wales.
• 3 September - World War II: Declaration of war by the United Kingdom on Nazi Germany following the German invasion of Poland on 1 September.^[6]
• October - Construction at M. S. Factory, Valley in Flintshire of tunnels for storage of chemical weapons begins.
• The first war-time civilian evacuees arrive in Wales.
• Vickers-Armstrong opens an aircraft factory at Broughton, Flintshire, later taken over by De Havilland.^[7]
• The Urdd establishes Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd, the first-ever Welsh-medium primary school, at Aberystwyth. In its first year the school consists of just seven pupils and one teacher, Norah Isaac.
• A government report shows that seven of the thirteen Welsh counties have the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the whole of England and Wales.
• George Maitland Lloyd Davies becomes President of the pacifist group Heddychwyr Cymru.
• Talybont Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons is completed to supply Newport.
• Sea Roads is constructed in Penarth in the Modernist style.

Arts and literature

• August - For the first time ever, both chair and crown are withheld at the National Eisteddfod.
• 4 October - Poets Lynette Roberts and Keidrych Rhys marry.^[8]
• John Roberts Williams becomes editor of Y Cymro.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Denbigh)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - John Gwilym Jones

New books

English language

• B. L. Coombes - These Poor Hands
• Richard Llewellyn - How Green Was My Valley
• Howard Spring - Heaven Lies About Us

Welsh language

• D. Gwenallt Jones - Ysgubau'r Awen
• David James Jones - Hanes Athroniaeth: Y Cyfnod Groegaidd
• Moelona - Ffynnonlloyw
• Caradog Prichard - Terfysgoedd Daear

Music

• William Ifor Jones makes his debut as conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.
• Ivor Novello - The Dancing Years
• Grace Williams - Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon

Film

• Ray Milland stars in Hotel Imperial and Beau Geste.
• Sheep Dog, featuring the shepherd Tom Jones of Treorchy^[9]

Welsh language film

• Efaciwis a Ricriwtio (World War II propaganda film)

Broadcasting

• At the outbreak of war, the BBC was to transmit a unified service, including programs in the Welsh language. One of the few Welsh-language broadcasts to survive is a daily bulletin of world news at 5 pm. It was broadcast before the daily news in English at 6pm.^[10]
• The BBC radio comedy series It's That Man Again begins its ten-year run. From 1940 to 1943 it will be broadcast from the BBC Wales studios in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, north Wales, where the BBC's Light Entertainment Department is temporarily based.

Sports

• Rugby union
  • 4 February – Leslie Manfield (one of only four players to represent Wales both before and after World War II) gains his first senior cap in the match between Wales and Scotland.

Births

• 11 January - Phil Williams, politician (died 2003)^[11]
• 16 February - David Griffiths, portrait painter
• 8 March - Robert Tear, operatic tenor (died 2011)^[12]
• 16 March - Kenny Morgans, footballer (died 2012)
• 29 March - Ronnie Williams, actor and comedian (died 1997)
• 7 April - Keith Bradshaw, Wales international rugby player (died 2014)
• 27 May - Cliff Williams, rugby union player (died 2014)
• 8 June - Norman Davies, historian
• 17 June - Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea, politician
• 17 July - Spencer Davis, born Spencer Davies, beat musician, multi-instrumentalist (died 2020 in the United States)^[13]
• 21 July - Frank Rankmore, footballer^[14]
• 24 September - Steve Gammon, footballer
  • • 29 September Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales (died 2017)^[15]
  • Lynne Thomas, cricketer
• 10 October - Neil Sloane, mathematician
• 8 November - Meg Wynn Owen, actress (died 2022)^[16]

Deaths

• 27 January - Lewis Jones, miners' leader and novelist, 41^[17]
• 17 March - Owen Badger, Wales international rugby player, 67
• 24 March - Gwyn Nicholls, rugby player, 64^[18]
• 23 April - Morgan Jones, sitting MP for Llanelli, 52^[19]
• 29 April - Timothy Rees, Bishop of Llandaff, 64^[20]
• 14 June - Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, politician, 66^[21]
• 29 June - Sir Henry Stuart Jones, academic, 72^[22]
• 9 July - Charles Nicholl, Wales international rugby union player, 69
• 18 September - Gwen John, artist, 63^[23]
• 21 September - Sir John Lynn-Thomas, surgeon, 78
• 26 September - Leif Jones, politician, 77^[24]
• 7 November - Gwenllian Morgan, local politician, 87^[25]
• 2 December - Llewelyn Powys, writer, 55^[26]

See also

• 1939 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. s2-WILL-WIL-1875. Williams, William ('Crwys'; 1875-1968), poet, preacher, archdruid. William Rhys Nicholas. 2001. 5 May 2022.
4. Web site: Brian Lee: When Ely played host to sport of kings. 17 February 2012. WalesOnline. 25 May 2019.
5. Book: Daniel K. Longman. Liverpool in the Headlines. 15 February 2016. Amberley Publishing Limited. 978-1-4456-4887-3. 90.
6. Book: Penguin Pocket OnThis Day. Penguin Reference Library. 0-14-102715-0. 2006.
7. Web site: History of Hawarden Airport. Hawarden Aerodrome. 25 May 2019.
8. http://www.flashpointmag.com/tucklyn.htm Flashpoint: Lynette Roberts
9. Web site: Daughter’s tribute to shepherd Tom. Wales Online. 4 January 2021.
10. Web site: Literature Wales: Encyclopedia - Broadcasting. Accessed 5 January 2013. . 2013-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031019/http://www.literaturewales.org/encyclopaedia/i/130659/ . 2016-03-04 . dead .
11. Web site: Professor Phil Williams. 13 June 2003. Andrew Roth. The Guardian. 5 May 2022.
12. Ponsonby, Robert. "Obituary: Robert Tear", The Guardian, 30 March 2011
13. News: Farber . Jim . Spencer Davis, Whose Band Helped Power the Sound of the '60s, Dies at 81 . 3 November 2020 . The New York Times. 20 October 2020 .
14. Book: Hayes, Dean. The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. 2006. 1-85983-462-0.
15. News: McKie . Andrew . 19 May 2017 . Obituary – Rhodri Morgan, Welsh politician . . 23 March 2023.
16. Web site: 2022-12-02 . Meg Wynn Owen obituary . 2022-12-03 . the Guardian . en.
17. Book: The Anglo-Welsh Review. 1983. Dock Leaves Press. 62.
18. s-NICH-GWY-1875. Nicholls, Erith Gwyn (1875-1939), Wales and Cardiff Rugby centre three-quarter. Moelwyn Idwal Williams. 5 September 2019.
19. Encyclopedia: Williams. Chris . 2004 . Jones, Morgan (1885–1939). . . Oxford. 10.1093/ref:odnb/66804 .
20. s-REES-TIM-1874. Rees, Timothy (1874-1939), bishop of Llandaff. Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. yes. 5 September 2019.
21. Book: Randolph Spencer Churchill. Martin Gilbert. Winston S. Churchill: The prophet of truth, 1922-1939. 1983. Houghton Mifflin. 1526.
22. Book: The Journal of Roman Studies. 1968. Kraus Reprint. 78.
23. Book: Gwen John. Michael Holroyd. Anthony d'Offay (Firm). Gwen John, 1876-1939. 1982. Anthony d'Offay.
24. s3-JONE-LEI-1862. Jones, Leifchild Stratten (1862-1939), Liberal politician and temperance advocate. Llewelyn Gwyn Chambers. yes. 5 September 2019.
25. s-MORG-FAN-1852. Morgan, Gwenllian Elizabeth (1852-1939), antiquary. Robert Thomas Jenkins. yes. 5 September 2019.
26. Book: George Santayana. The Letters of George Santayana. 2001. MIT Press. 978-0-262-19495-2. 143.