1955 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1955 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

Events

• 17 March – In the Wrexham by-election, brought about by the death of Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Richards, who had held the seat since 1935, James Idwal Jones holds the seat for Labour with a majority of nearly 11,000 votes.^[1]
• 18 April–28 May – Charles Evans leads the mountaineering expedition that conquers Kanchenjunga.^[2]
• 6 August – The Usk Reservoir is completed, contributing to Swansea's water supply.^[3]
• 31 October – The A48 road bridges over the River Neath at Briton Ferry (six years in the building) are officially opened by the Minister of Transport.
• 3 December – The Farmers' Union of Wales breaks away from the National Farmers Union.^{[4] [5]}
• 20 December – Cardiff becomes the official capital of Wales.^[6]

Arts and literature

• The Gold Medal for Architecture is introduced to the National Eisteddfod.^[7]
• Bertrand Russell retires to Plas Penrhyn, Penrhyndeudraeth.
• The Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music is founded.^[8]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Pwllheli)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym Ceri Jones, "Gwrtheyrn"^[9]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – W. J. Gruffydd, "Ffenestri"^[10]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – M. Selyf Roberts, Deg o'r Diwedd^[11]
• Emyr Humphreys wins the Somerset Maugham Award for Hear and Forgive.

New books

English language

• Kingsley Amis – That Uncertain Feeling^[12]
• (Edwin) Stuart Evans – Elegy for the Death of a Clown (poem)
• Elisabeth Inglis-Jones – The Story of Wales
• T. E. Lawrence – The Mint (posthumously published)^[13]
• Dylan Thomas – A Child's Christmas in Wales (posthumously published)^[14]
• R. S. Thomas – Song at the Year's Turning (poems)^[15]
• Richard Vaughan – Son of Justin

Welsh language

• Gwilym Thomas Hughes – Ei Seren tan Gwmwl
• Robert Lloyd – Y Pethe^[16]
• Louie Myfanwy Thomas writing as Jane Ann Jones – Plant y Foty^[17]

New drama

• Saunders Lewis – Siwan

Music

• Grace Williams – Penillion

Film

• Stanley Baker plays Richmond in Laurence Olivier's film of Richard III.
• The Constant Husband, starring Rex Harrison, with opening scenes filmed on location at New Quay and Aberaeron in 1954, includes some Welsh dialogue.

Broadcasting

• The Welsh Home Service becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe

Welsh-language television

• January – First televised Welsh-language play, Cap Wil Tomos

English-language television

Sport

• Cricket – Wilf Wooller becomes an England Test selector.
• Rugby Union
  • 22 January – Ken Jones becomes Wales's most capped player (36) in a game against England.
  • 12 March – Wales beat Ireland 21–3 at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
  • 26 March – Wales win the Five Nations Championship for the fourth time this decade.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – John Disley^[18]

Births

• 22 January – Clive Griffiths, footballer (died 2022)
• 30 January – Ian Edwards, footballer
• 23 February – Howard Jones, English-born musician of Welsh parentage^[19]
• 4 March – Joey Jones, footballer^[20]
• 17 March – John David Lewis, political scientist and historian
• 2 May – Peter Sayer, footballer
• 17 May – Nicola Heywood-Thomas, broadcaster and journalist (died 2023)
• 22 May – Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, politician
• 9 June – Alun Pugh, politician^[21]
• 21 June (in Sunderland) – Janet Ryder, politician^[22]
• 22 June – Green Gartside (Paul Julian Strohmeyer), musician
• 2 August – Alun Davies, biologist
• 3 August – Gordon Davies, footballer
• 4 August – Steve Jones, marathon runner
• 3 September – Eirian Williams, snooker referee
• 29 September – Gareth Davies, rugby player
• 12 October – Brian Flynn, footballer and manager^[23]
• 17 November – Amanda Levete, architect
• 7 December – Mihangel Morgan, author and academic^[24]
• date unknown
  • Aled Gruffydd Jones, social historian, Librarian of National Library of Wales
  • Martyn Jones, painter^[25]

Deaths

• 5 January – Douglas Marsden-Jones, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 61
• 25 January – Robert Dewi Williams, teacher, clergyman and author, 84
• 26 January – Gwilym Davies, Baptist minister, 75
• 29 January – Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, politician, 89
• 19 March – Tom Evans, Wales international rugby player, 72
• 2 April – Billy O'Neill, Welsh international rugby player, 76
• 27 April – Ambrose Bebb, author, 60^[26]
• 19 May – Percy Bush, Wales international rugby union player, 75
• 21 June – Eric Evans, rugby union player and administrator, 61^[27]
• 13 July – Ruth Ellis, murderer, 28 (hanged)^[28]
• 28 August – Sir Lewis Lougher, businessman and politician, 83^[29]
• 28 September – Lionel Rees, airman, Victoria Cross recipient, 71
• 14 October – Harry Parr Davies, songwriter, 41^[30]
• 15 October – Thomas Jones (T. J.), founder of Coleg Harlech, 85^[31]
• 30 October – Bert Dauncey, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 1 November – Ronw Moelwyn Hughes, politician, 58
• 15 December – V. E. Nash-Williams, archaeologist, 58^[32]
• date unknown – Melbourne Johns, munitions worker and wartime secret agent, 55

See also

• 1955 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: British parliamentary by-elections: Wrexham 1955 . 2011-01-16 . Web Cite . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090831055341/http://geocities.com/by_elections/55a.html#wrexham . 31 August 2009 .
2. Book: American Alpine Club. American Alpine Journal, 1979. 31 October 1997. The Mountaineers Books. 978-0-930410-75-9. 36.
3. Book: Cragg, Roger . Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales and West Central England . 1986 . Thomas Telford Publishing . London . 0-7277-2576-9. 78.
4. News: From humble beginnings... a history of the FUW. North Wales Daily Post. 2005-11-17. 2015-11-05.
5. Book: Peter Self. Herbert J. Storing. The State and the Farmer. registration. 1963. University of California Press. 57. GGKEY:Z0JQUCL5Z4C.
6. Book: David Williams. About Cardiff. 2005. Graffeg. 978-0-9544334-2-0. 21.
7. Book: Time & Tide. July 1955. Time and Tide Publishing Company.
8. Book: John Davies. Nigel Jenkins. Menna Baines. The Welsh Academy encyclopaedia of Wales. 2008. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1953-6.
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: Nick Bentley. Radical Fictions: The English Novel in the 1950s. 2007. Peter Lang. 978-3-03910-934-0. 303.
13. Book: John Pateman. T.E. Lawrence in Lincolnshire. 2012. 978-1-4717-6243-7. 55.
14. Web site: Dylan Thomas: A Child's Christmas in Wales . 6 November 2008. 18 December 2010. BBC Wales.
15. Book: W. Moelwyn Merchant. R.S. Thomas. 1979. University of Arkansas Press. 978-1-61075-333-3. 27.
16. Book: Geraldine Lublin. Memoir and Identity in Welsh Patagonia: Voices from a Settler Community in Argentina. 15 May 2017. University of Wales Press. 978-1-78316-968-9. 223.
17. Book: Meic Stephens. The new companion to the literature of Wales. 23 September 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 719.
18. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
19. Web site: Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine . AllMusic.com . 14 May 2009.
20. Web site: Liverpool career stats for Joey Jones. Liverpool FC. 18 March 2020.
21. Web site: Pugh, Alun John. Who's Who. 18 March 2020.
22. Web site: People in the Assembly. 1 September 1999. BBC News. 26 October 2022.
23. Web site: Brian Flynn. Port Talbot Magnet. 18 March 2020.
24. Book: International Who's who of Authors and Writers. 2008. Europa Publications, Taylor & Francis Group. 518.
25. Book: Moore, David. A Taste of the Avant-garde: 56 Group Wales. 2012. Crooked Window. Brecon, Powys. 978-0-9563602-1-2. 74.
26. Web site: Bebb, William Ambrose. Thomas Parry. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 10 December 2019.
27. Book: Owen . O.L. . Playfair Rugby Football Annual 1955–56. 1956. Playfair Books Ltd . London.
28. Web site: Autopsy Report of Ruth Ellis. 17 March 2019.
29. News: Obituary: Sir L. Lougher, Cardiff Shipowner. The Times. 30 August 1955. 11.
30. Billboard. The Final Curtain. 22 October 1955. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 48.
31. Book: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England). Trafodion Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas Y Cymmrodorion. 1992. The Society. 196.
32. Web site: NASH-WILLIAMS, VICTOR ERLE. George Counsell Boon. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 17 March 2019.