1956 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff^[1]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

Events

• April – One of the last Welsh-built naval vessels afloat, former iron screw frigate, built at Pembroke Dock, arrives in Belgium to be broken up.^[2]
• 2 April – Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
• 24 April – A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
• 9 May – The Gower Peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.^[3]
• 9 July – Mettoy introduce Corgi Toys model cars, manufactured at Fforestfach in South Wales.
• September – Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen, introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
• 4 September – Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales – Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.^{[4] [5]}
• 22 November – In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.^[6]
• exact date unknown – Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished as unsafe.^[7]

Arts and literature

• Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.^[8]
• Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
• 22 November – The New Scientist is launched^[9] by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Mathonwy Hughes, "Gwraig"^[10]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – withheld^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – W. T. Gruffydd, "Y Pwrpas Mawr"^[12]

New books

English language

• Margiad Evans – A Candle Ahead
• Bertrand Russell – Portraits from Memory and Other Essays

Welsh language

• Huw T. Edwards – Tros y Tresi^[13]
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Yn Ôl i Leifior^[14]
• David Rees Griffiths – Caneuon Amanwy
• Kate Roberts – Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
• Waldo Williams – Dail Pren

Music

• February – Release of Shirley Bassey's first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends)
• William Mathias – Suite for Trumpet and Piano, Op.4
• Grace Williams – Symphony No. 2

Film

• Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great; William Squire also appears.
• Glynis Johns stars in The Court Jester.
• Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.
• Moby Dick partly filmed at Lower Fishguard.

Broadcasting

• The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Granada Television begins producing up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.

English-language television

• June – First televised English-language play produced in Wales, Wind of Heaven.

Sport

• Boxing
  • 27 August – Joe Erskine defeats Johnny Williams in Cardiff to win the vacant British heavyweight title.
• Rugby Union
  • Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
  • 24 March – Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Joe Erskine^[15]

Births

• 7 January – Johnny Owen, boxer (died 1980)
• 7 April – Christine Chapman AM, politician
• May – Iwan Bala, artist
• 14 June – Keith Pontin, international footballer (died 2020)
• 22 July – Richard Gwyn writer
• 7 September – Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
• 3 November – Carl Harris, international footballer
• 4 December – Nia Griffith MP, politician, born in Ireland
• 19 December – John Griffiths, politician
• 23 December – Robert Gwilym, actor
• date unknown – David Nott, surgeon

Deaths

• 4 January – Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71^[16]
• 10 January – Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
• 14 January – Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
• 23 January – William Harris, academic and translator, 71^[17]
• 1 February – John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70^[18]
• 22 February – Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
• 27 February – Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75^[19]
• 19 May – Peter Freeman, politician, 67^[20]
• 8 June – Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82^[21]
• 5 July – Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
• 11 June – Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89^[22]
• 17 August – William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
• 31 August – Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81
• 13 September – David Davies, footballer, 77
• 20 September – Arthur Tysilio Johnson, farmer and author, 83
• 1 October – J. O. Francis, dramatist, 74^[23]
• 11 October – David James Davies, economist and politician, 63^[24]
• 16 October – Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
• 18 October – Harry Parry, jazz musician, 44^[25]
• 22 November – Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68^[26]
• 16 December – Nina Hamnett, artist, 66^[27]
• 28 December – John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83^[28]

See also

• 1956 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Morgan, John (1886-1957), Archbishop of Wales. Mary Gwendoline Ellis. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 29 March 2020.
2. Book: Phillips, Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander. Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. 2014. The History Press. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK. 978-0-7509-5214-9. 192.
3. Book: Jones, Gareth E.. The Conservation of Ecosystems and Species. registration. 1987. Croom Helm. 978-0-7099-1463-1.
4. News: Teaching through Welsh. Western Mail. 1956-09-04. Cardiff. 5.
5. Book: Nash, Roy. Schooling in Rural Societies. 2011. Routledge. 978-0-415-50490-4. 93–.
6. Book: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. House of Commons Papers. 1957. H.M. Stationery Office.
7. Web site: Town Clock. VADS. 15 February 2022.
8. Web site: Huw T. Edwards Papers. Archives Wales. 13 December 2018.
9. Web site: Old Scientist: Happily upholding ideals since issue number 1. 16 November 2016. Mick O'Hare. New Scientist. 13 December 2018.
10. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
11. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
12. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
13. Book: Dictionary of Labour Biography: Volume XI. Palgrave Macmillan UK. 2016. 65. 9780230500181.
14. Book: Bibliotheca Celtica: A Register of Publications Relating to Wales and the Celtic Peoples & Languages. National Library of Wales. 1957. 17.
15. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
16. Book: Bedwyr Lewis Jones. Robert Williams Parry. 1 January 1972. University of Wales Press [for] the Welsh Arts Council. 73.
17. Harris, William Henry (1884 - 1956), priest, Professor of Welsh, St David's College, Lampeter. s2-HARR-HEN-1884. Ellis. Mary Gwendoline. Mari Ellis. 2001. 18 February 2009.
18. s2-LLOY-JOH-1885. Lloyd-Jones, John (1885 - 1956), scholar and poet. Thomas Parry. 2001. 15 February 2022.
19. Obituary, The Times, 28 February 1956
20. Mr. P. Freeman,M.P - An energetic reformer . 21 May 1956 . 10 . 53536 .
21. s2-RHYS-FIT-1873. Rhys, Walter FitzUryan, 7th Baron Dynevor (1873-1956), nobleman and politician. Christopher Dignam. 2001. 15 February 2022.
22. Book: Frank Brangwyn. The Water-colours of Sir Frank Brangwyn, R.A., 1867-1956. 1958. F. Lewis. 27.
23. s2-FRAN-OSW-1882. Francis, John Oswald (1882-1956), dramatist. Mary Auronwy James. 2001. 15 February 2022.
24. s2-DAVI-JAM-1893. Davies, David James (1893-1956), economist. Ceinwen Hannah Thomas. 2001. 15 February 2022.
25. Book: John . Davies. John Davies (historian). Nigel . Jenkins . Nigel Jenkins. Baines . Menna. Peredur I. . Lynch . The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales . 2008 . University of Wales Press . Cardiff . 651. 978-0-7083-1953-6.
26. Book: Peter Barberis. Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond, A Political Life. 28 January 2005. I.B.Tauris. 978-1-85043-627-0. 71.
27. Book: Denise Hooker. Nina Hamnett, queen of Bohemia. October 1986. Constable. 258.
28. Web site: Owen, John Dyfnallt (‘Dyfnallt’; 1873-1956), minister (Congl.), poet, writer, journalist and Archdruid of Wales. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 13 March 2019.