1953 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1953 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Cynan (outgoing)
  • Dyfnallt (incoming)

Events

• 7 March – A "Saint David's Day" pageant is held by the London Welsh Association in the streets of London.
• 11 March – The Royal Badge of Wales is granted an augmentation of honour including the motto Y Ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn ("The red dragon inspires action").^[1]
• 1 June – In the Queen's Coronation Honours List, Victoria Cross recipient Ted Chapman is awarded the British Empire Medal.^[2]
• 9 July – Elizabeth II makes her first visit to Wales since her 2 June Coronation.
• 10 July – The royal tour of Wales concludes with a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle and visits to the National Eisteddfod site at Rhyl, Wrexham and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.^[3]
• 2 December – Llandudno experiences unusually warm weather as a result of the "foehn effect".
• date unknown
  • The Royal College of General Practitioners is established in Wales.
  • Goronwy Rees becomes Principal of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.^[4]
  • Grismond Picton Philipps is knighted.^[5]

Arts and literature

• July 6 – Dorothy Squires marries Roger Moore in the United States.^[6]
• date unknown
  • Thomas Parry (later Sir Thomas) becomes head of the National Library of Wales.
  • Waldo Williams leaves the Baptist denomination and becomes a Quaker.^[7]
  • Robert Frank photographs a Glamorgan mining village for U.S.Camera.
  • Susan Williams-Ellis joins her father, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, in his work on the village of Portmeirion.

Awards

• Emyr Humphreys wins the Somerset Maugham Prize for Hear and Forgive.^[8]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Rhyl)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – E. Llwyd Williams, "Y Ffordd"^[9]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dilys Cadwaladr, "Y Llen"^[10]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld^[11]

New books

English language

• Jack Jones – Time and the Business^[12]
• Bertrand Russell – Satan in the Suburbs and Other Stories

Welsh language

• • • Islwyn Ffowc Elis Cysgod y Cryman^[13]
  • Ffenestri Tua'r Gwyll^[14]
• David John Williams – Hen dŷ ffarm^[15]

Music

• 8 June – Geraint Evans appears in the première of Benjamin Britten's Gloriana.

Film

• Rachel Thomas and Clifford Evans co-star in Valley of Song.
• Richard Burton stars in The Robe.
• Rachel Roberts stars in The Limping Man.

Broadcasting

• 6 January – The Broadcasting Council for Wales meets for the first time.^[16]
• January – Edward Williamson, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, broadcasts a lecture on Henry Vaughan on BBC radio.
• 9 December – In the UK Parliament, the Postmaster General, Earl De La Warr, confirms that none of the first independent television stations will be located in Wales.^[17]

Welsh-language television

• 1 March – First broadcast of a television programme entirely in Welsh: a religious service from the Tabernacle Baptist Chapel, Cardiff.

English-language television

• The National Eisteddfod of Wales is broadcast on BBC television, with English commentary by Hywel Davies.^[18]

Sport

• Archery – The North Wales Archery Society is founded.^[19]
• Rugby – In December, Wales defeat New Zealand 13-8 at Cardiff Arms Park.

Births

• 10 February – Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans^[20]
• 15 March - Alan Couch, footballer
• 11 April – Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM, politician
• 12 April – Huw Edwards, Labour politician, MP for Monmouth 1991–1992 and 1997–2005
• 26 April – Andy Secombe, voice actor and fantasy novelist
• 8 June – Bonnie Tyler, singer^[21]
• 7 July – Eleri Rees, judge^[22]
• 11 July – Nigel Rees, footballer
• 20 July – Dave Evans, singer
• 10 August – Gillian Elisa, actress, singer and comedian
• 2 September – Keith Allen, comedian and actor
• 28 October – Phil Dwyer, footballer
• 16 November – Griff Rhys Jones, actor, comedian and television presenter^[23]
• Shani Rhys James, Australian-born painter
• Hywel Williams, Plaid Cymru politician, MP for Caernarfon, later Arfon 2001–

Deaths

• 10 January – Howell Elvet Lewis ("Elved"), poet and Archdruid, 92^[24]
• 7 March – Jack Williams, Victoria Cross recipient, 66
• 20 March – Fred Parfitt, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 24 March – Mary of Teck, Princess of Wales 1910–1936, queen consort of the United Kingdom 1936–1952, 85
• 6 April – Idris Davies, poet, 48^[25]
• 30 April – Sir David Rocyn-Jones, medical practitioner and President of the WRU, 90^[26]
• 2 May – Thomas Mardy Rees, author, 81/82^[27]
• 23 May – Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, industrialist, horticulturalist and politician, 74^[28]
• 5 June – Elizabeth Mary Jones ("Moelona"), novelist, 75^[29]
• 18 June – Reg Plummer, Wales and British Lion rugby union player, 64
• 26 August – Rachel Barrett, Welsh editor and suffragette, 77^[30]
• 9 November – Dylan Thomas, poet, 39^[31]
• 11 November – John Glyn Davies, poet and children's writer, 83^[32]
• 26 November – Sir Ivor Atkins, organist and choirmaster, 83^[33]
• 27 November – T. F. Powys, Anglo-Welsh writer, 77^[34]
• 17 December – David Rees Griffiths, poet, 71

See also

• 1953 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: Carr, H. Gresham. Flags of the World. registration. Warne. London. 1961. 66.
2. Book: The London Gazette. 1953. H.M. Stationery Office. 2978.
3. News: The Times. London. 1953-07-11. 6. 52671. The Queen At Eisteddfod: Visit To Wales Concluded, Caernarvon Castle Ceremony.
4. Book: Goronwy Rees. Goronwy Rees: Sketches in Autobiography. 2001. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1676-4. xvi.
5. Book: The London Gazette. 1953. H.M. Stationery Office. 3677.
6. Book: Everett Aaker. Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. 16 May 2017. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 978-1-4766-2856-1. 308.
7. Book: James Nicholas. Waldo Williams. 1975. University of Wales Press; the Welsh Arts Council. 65. 9780708305850.
8. Book: Wilson library bulletin. 1952. 60.
9. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
10. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
11. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
12. Book: Keri Edwards. Welsh Arts Council. Jack Jones. 1974. University of Wales Press [for] the Welsh Arts Council. 64. 9780708305522.
13. Book: Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. 1998. Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University. 439. 9780674023840.
14. Book: Bwletin Y Bwrdd Gwybodau Celtaidd. 1987. University of Wales Press. 56.
15. Book: Eurwyn Wiliam. The Historical Farm Buildings of Wales. 1986. John Donald Publishers. 978-0-85976-136-9. 184.
16. Book: British Broadcasting Corporation. Annual Report and Accounts. 1954.
17. Book: Jamie Medhurst. A History of Independent Television in Wales. 1 June 2010. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-2308-3. 25–.
18. Book: Radio Times. 1953. G. Newnes. 24.
19. Book: The British Archer. 1957. 241.
20. Web site: John, Very Rev. Jeffrey Philip Hywel. UK Who's Who. 7 November 2019.
21. Book: Fred Bronson. The Billboard book of number one hits. registration. 1985. Billboard Publications. 978-0-8230-7522-5. 1980.
22. 'REES, Eleri Mair', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 11 Oct 2017
23. Book: David Housham. John Frank-Keyes. Tiger Television. Funny business. 30 November 1992. Boxtree. 978-1-85283-792-1. 170.
24. Book: National Library of Wales. Annual Report Presented by the Council to the Court of Governors. 1951. National Library of Wales. 12.
25. Book: Idris Davies. Dafydd Johnston. The complete poems of Idris Davies. 1994. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1272-8. xxix.
26. Book: Royal Society of Health (Great Britain). Journal: Supplement to V. .... 1953. 466.
27. Web site: Rees, Thomas Mardy (1871-1953), Independent minister, historian and author. Evan David Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 12 March 2019.
28. Book: Ray Desmond. Dictionary Of British And Irish Botanists And Horticulturists Including plant collectors, flower painters and garden designers. 25 February 1994. CRC Press. 978-0-85066-843-8. 456.
29. Web site: Jones, Elizabeth Mary ('Moelona'; 1877-1953), teacher and novelist. David Jenkins. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 12 March 2019.
30. 63825 . Rachel Barrett . Caroline . Morrell.
31. Web site: Dylan Thomas: Death of a Poet . BBC Wales . 6 November 2008. 15 July 2012.
32. Web site: Davies, John Glyn (1870-1953), scholar, songwriter and poet. Robert Geraint Gruffydd. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 12 March 2019.
33. Web site: Atkins, Sir Ivor Algernon (1869 - 1953) . Moore. Jerrold Northrop. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. May 2008 . 2009-02-05.
34. Book: J. Lawrence Mitchell. T. F. Powys: aspects of a life. 2005. Brynmill Press Ltd. 978-0-907839-86-6. 163.