1958 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1958 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Minister of Welsh Affairs – Henry Brooke^[1]
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth^[2]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris^[3]

Events

• 18 January – Nigel Birch resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
• 5 February – The Wales national football team qualifies for this summer's World Cup in Sweden under the management of Jimmy Murphy.^[4]
• 6 February – Manchester United F.C., the English league champions where Jimmy Murphy is also assistant manager, are involved in a plane crash in Munich, West Germany, on the journey home from a European Cup tie in Yugoslavia. Seven United players are among the 21 people who die, but among the survivors is Swansea-born winger Kenny Morgans.^[5]
• 25 February – The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is launched by Bertrand Russell.
• 2 April – Accidental discovery of the Caernarfon Mithraeum.^[6]
• 6 May – Murderer Vivian Teed is hanged by Robert Leslie Stewart in Swansea Prison, the last hanging to take place in Wales.^[7]
• 19 June – Wales are knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, losing to Brazil.^[8]
• 26 July – At the Empire Games in Cardiff, Elizabeth II announces that her son, The Prince Charles (now Charles III), is to be created Prince of Wales.^[9]
• 6 August – Daniel Granville West becomes the first Welsh life peer.
• 18 August
  • Accidental discovery of Brymbo Man (c.2000 BCE).
  • Regional postage stamps of Great Britain are first issued.
• 24 October – Huw T. Edwards announces his resignation from the chair of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
• 13 December – New road bridge across the River Conway at Conway supersedes Telford's suspension bridge.
• Thomas Parry becomes Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Ebbw Vale)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones, "Caerllion ar Wysg"^[10]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Llywelyn Jones, "Cymod"^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Edward Cynolwyn Pugh, "Hunangofiant: Ei Ffanffer ei Hun"^[12]

New books

English language

• Tom Beynon – Howell Harris, Reformer and Soldier
• Brenda Chamberlain – The Green Heart
• Paul Ferris – A Changed Man
• Cyril Fox – Pattern and purpose: a study of early Celtic art in Britain
• Peter George – Red Alert^[13]
• Emyr Humphreys – A Toy Epic^[14]
• Bertrand Russell – Understanding History and Other Essays
• Raymond Williams – Culture and Society^[15]

Welsh language

• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Englynion a Chywyddau
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Blas y Cynfyd
• Bobi Jones – Nid yw Dwr yn Plygu
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Cofiant Idwal Jones^[16]
• T. Llew Jones – Trysor Plas y wernen and Merched y môr a chwedlau eraill
• Ernest Llwyd Williams – Crwydro Sir Benfro^[17]

New drama

• George Fisher – Y Ferch a'r Dewin^[18]
• John Gwilym Jones – Lle Mynno'r Gwynt
• Saunders Lewis – Brad

Music

• Daniel Jones – The Country Beyond the Stars (cantata)^[19]
• Ian Parrott – Cor Anglais concerto

Film

• Richard Burton stars in the film version of Look Back in Anger.
• Ronald Lewis co-stars in The Wind Cannot Read.
• Release of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, with location scenes (representing China) filmed around Nantmor near Beddgelert.

Broadcasting

• July – In order to broadcast the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from Cardiff, a broadcasting centre is set up on the bank of the River Taff, near Cardiff Arms Park.

Welsh-language television

• Commercial TV becomes available in Wales, broadcasting some Welsh-language programmes, such as Amser Te.^[20]

English-language television

• 30 November – During the live broadcast of the Armchair Theatre play Underground on the ITV network, actor Gareth Jones has a fatal heart attack between two of his scenes.
• Gwlad y Gân / Land of Song, with Ivor Emmanuel and Sian Hopkins

Sports

• British Empire and Commonwealth Games (held in Cardiff):
  • Wales' single gold medal is won by Howard Winstone in the bantamweight boxing competition.
  • Silver medals are won by: John Merriman (6 miles), Malcolm Collins (featherweight boxing), and Robert Higgins (light-heavyweight boxing).
  • Due to being on National Service in the British Army, Swansea fighter Brian Curvis competes in the games for England, winning a bronze medal at welterweight.
• Football – Wales reaches the quarter-finals of the World Cup, being knocked out by a goal from Pelé.
• Gymnastics – Margaret Neale of Cardiff is the British Women's Champion for the second year running.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Howard Winstone^[21]

Births

• 4 January – Gary Jones, actor
• 1 March – Ian Love, footballer
• 2 March – Ian Woosnam, golfer^[22]
• 8 March – Wayne Hughes, footballer
• 16 April – Caryl Parry Jones, singer
• 30 April – Claire Curtis-Thomas, politician^[23]
• 8 May – Aneirin Hughes, actor
• 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, actor, writer and comedian^[24]
• 3 July – Siân Lloyd, television presenter
• 18 July – Chris Ruane, politician^[25]
• 19 July – Angharad Tomos, author
• 3 September (in Totnes) – Tamsin Dunwoody, politician
• 16 September – Neville Southall, footballer
• 4 October – Anneka Rice, television presenter^[26]
• 24 November – Robin Llywelyn, novelist
• date unknown – Cerith Wyn Evans, conceptual artist

Deaths

• 31 January – Edgar Long, Wales international rugby player
• January/February – William Beynon, Canadian oral historian, of Welsh parentage, 69/70^[27]
• 6 February – Charles Langbridge Morgan, novelist and dramatist, 64^[28]
• 11 February – Ernest Jones, psychoanalyst, 79^[29]
• 18 February – Rhisiart Morgan Davies, physicist, 55^[30]
• 2 April – Tudor Davies, singer, 65^[31]
• 3 April – John Strand-Jones, Wales international rugby union player
• 19 April – Billy Meredith, footballer, 83
• 28 April – Joseph Booth, rugby player, 84/85^[32]
• 18 July – Ernie Jenkins, Wales international rugby player, 77
• 20 July (in London) – Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, political campaigner and businesswoman, 75^[33]
• 29 August – Harry Beadles, international footballer, 60
• 25 September – Henry Arthur Evans, politician, 60
• 9 October – Sven Hansen, ship-owner, 82^[34]
• 30 October – Tommy Vile, Welsh international rugby player, 76
• 4 November – Dick Jones, Welsh international rugby player, 78
• 30 November (in Manchester) – Gareth Jones, actor, 33
• November – Ivor Lewis, Welsh-Canadian artist, 76^[35]
• 13 December – Rose Davies, teacher, feminist, and labour activist, 66^[36]
• date unknown – Evan Edwards, footballer, 59/60

See also

• 1958 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: Thomas Glyn Watkin. The Legal History of Wales. University of Wales Press. 2012. 192.
2. "Alfred Edwin Morris – Archbishop of Wales" in The Journal of Ecclesiastical History (1991), 42 : 527-528 CUP
3. Book: The Illustrated London News. Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited. 1958. 248.
4. Book: John Robinson. Soccer: The World Cup, 1930-2002. Soccer Books Limited. 2002. 9781862230651. 192.
5. News: Munich survivor Morgans dies. BBC Sport.
6. Book: Archaeologia Cambrensis. W. Pickering. 1961. 136.
7. Web site: Vivian Teed - the last man hanged in Wales. www.capitalpunishmentuk.org. 3 December 2018.
8. Web site: 19 June 1958: Wales's last World Cup game. . 19 June 2009.
9. Book: Annette Joelson. Heirs to the Throne: the Story of the Prince of Wales. Heinemann. 1966. 219.
10. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
11. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
12. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
13. Book: Peter Bryant. Peter George. Red Alert. 1958. Ace Books, Incorporated. 978-1-59654-582-3.
14. Web site: BBC - North West Wales Arts -Emyr Humphreys. BBC Wales. 1 February 2010.
15. Mulhern . Francis . Francis Mulhern . Culture and Society, Then and Now . . II . 55 . New Left Review . January–February 2009 .
16. Book: National Library of Wales. Annual Report - National Library of Wales. 1969. 39.
17. Book: National Library of Wales. Meic Stephens. A reader's guide to Wales: a selected bibliography. 1 January 1973. National Book League. 38. 9780853531678.
18. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 247.
19. Book: Randel Don. The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. 1996. Harvard University Press. 978-0-674-37299-3. 427.
20. http://www.78rpm.co.uk/tww.htm TWW
21. News: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
22. Web site: Famous five on the 40th fairway. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/famous-five-on-the-40th-fairway-1264770.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. 2 April 1997. Andy Farrell. The Independent. 18 March 2019.
23. Web site: Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas. Endole. 18 March 2019.
24. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/comic-paul-tells-talent-change-2227829 Comic Paul tells of talent change
25. Book: Valerie Passmore. Dod's Parliamentary Companion: Guide to the General Election, 2005. 2005. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 978-0-905702-57-5. 341.
26. Book: Screen International Film and TV Year Book. 1990. Screen International, King Publications Limited. 978-0-900925-21-4. 193.
27. B.C. Indian Authority Dies" (obituary for William Beynon). Vancouver, B.C., Province, February 11, 1958, p. 28.
28. Book: The Encyclopedia Americana. 1980. Americana Corp. 451. 9780717201112.
29. Encyclopedia: Davies. Thomas Gruffydd. 2001. Jones, Alfred Ernest. Roberts. Brynley F.. Brynley F. Roberts. The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Aberystwyth, Wales. National Library of Wales. 26 October 2017.
30. Encyclopedia: Melfyn Richard Williams. Davies, Rhisiart Morgan (1903-1958), scientist and professor of physics. The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Aberystwyth, Wales. National Library of Wales. 26 December 2019.
31. Book: Gerald Norris. A musical gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland. June 1981. David & Charles. 978-0-7153-7845-8. 295.
32. http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/1299.html Fred Booth player profile
33. Web site: Thomas, Margaret Haig, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1958), author, editor and chairperson of companies. Evan David . Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 15 March 2019.
34. Obituary, The Times, 16 October 1958
35. Book: Ontario Reports: Reports of Cases Determined in the Courts of Ontario. 1966. Canada Law Book.
36. Neil Evans, "(Florence) Rose Davies" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press 2011): accessed 1 April 2016; doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70090