1959 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 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

• 1 January – The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry") is formed.
• February – The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.^{[4] [5]}
• 4 May – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.^[6]
• 6 August – Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.^[7]
• 8 October – At the UK general election:
  • Newly elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
  • Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
  • Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
• The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
• Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
• Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain).
• Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.
• Gilbern Sports Cars begin production of their kit cars at Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.^[8]

Arts and literature

• 8 January – Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (last December) by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them, in London.
• 9 January – Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK singles chart, with "As I Love You".^[9]
• December – Actress Siân Phillips marries Peter O'Toole in Dublin.^[10]
• Literature Wales is established as The Academi.
• Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Tom Huws
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen

New books

English language

• Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
• Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
• Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development

Welsh language

• Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn^[11]
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
• Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug

Music

• Grace Williams – All Seasons shall be Sweet

Film

• Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
• Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

Broadcasting

• Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
• The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Lili Lon (children's programme)
• Trysor o Gân (Treasury of Song)

English-language television

• Ivor the Engine (children's programme)

Sports

• Athletics – The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
• Boxing – Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Graham Moore^[12]

Births

• 30 January – Cynthia Carter, journalist, author, and academic^[13]
• 25 February – Mike Peters, musician^[14]
• 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
• 24 April – Paula Yates, television presenter (died 2000)^[15]
• 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
• 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician^[16]
• 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
• 28 May – Steve Strange, born Steven Harrington, pop singer/promoter (died 2015)^[17]
• 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
• 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach^[18]
• 7 November – Richard Barrett, composer
• 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician^[19]
• date unknown – Paul Henry, poet

Deaths

• 1 January – Dan Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient, 61^[20]
• 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet, industrialist, 87^[21]
• 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61^[22]
• 24 February – Sid Judd, international rugby player, 30
• 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
• 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator, 43^[23]
• 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96^[24]
• 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84^[25]
• 2 July – Ivor Davies, rugby player, 67^[26]
• 7 July – Frank Williams, Wales international rugby player, 49
• 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
• 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
• 9 August – John Hart Evans, rugby player, 78^[27]
• 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61^[28]
• 23 October – Anthony Windham Jones, rugby player, 80^[29]
• 16 November – Fanny Winifred Edwards, teacher and writer, 83^[30]
• 17 November – David Owen Morgan, zoologist, 66^[31]
• 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
• 10 December – W. R. Davies, US academic of Welsh descent, 66 (heart attack)^[32]
• 28 December – David Brazell, singer, 84^[33]
• 30 December – Dick Duckfield, cricketer, 52^[34]

See also

• 1959 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: Barraclough, E.M.C.. Flags of the World. registration. 1965.
5. Web site: Welsh Flag (House of Commons Debates 600 cc121-2W – Written Answers). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 1959-02-23. 2012-07-11.
6. News: Labour Leaders Elected . subscription . The Times . 6 . 24 October 1959 . 29 July 2019 . The Times Digital Archive.
7. arc_s2-EDWA-THO-1892. Edwards, Huw Thomas (1892-1970), trade union leader and politician. John Graham. Jones. 2001. 21 August 2021.
8. Book: Georgano, Nick. The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. 2000. HMSO. London. 1-57958-293-1.
9. Web site: Shirley Bassey - As I Love You. BBC Wales Music. 14 March 2019.
10. Book: Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. 1969. Pakistan Herald Publications. 67.
11. Book: Russell Davies. People, Places and Passions: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh 18701948. 15 June 2015. University of Wales Press. 978-1-78316-239-0. 637.
12. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
13. Web site: Carter, Cynthia, 1959- . Library of Congress . 5 December 2014 . data sheet (b. Jan. 30, 1959) .
14. Web site: The Alarm singer Mike Peters of Prestatyn. 22 June 2009. Daily Post. 15 March 2019.
15. Web site: Paula Yates. 18 September 2000. The Telegraph. 15 March 2019.
16. Web site: Jill Evans. European Parliament. 15 March 2019.
17. Web site: Steve Strange: Lead singer with Visage and club owner who became the leading light of the 1980s New Romantic movement. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/steve-strange-lead-singer-with-visage-and-club-owner-who-became-the-leading-light-of-the-1980s-new-10045777.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. 13 February 2015. Pierre Perrone. The Independent. 15 March 2019.
18. Web site: Profile . Welsh Rugby Union . 7 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070311144838/http://www.wru.co.uk/49_3181.php . 11 March 2007 . dead.
19. Book: Dod's Parliamentary Companion. August 29, 2010. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 9780905702896.
20. Book: Max Arthur. Symbol of Courage: The Men Behind the Medal. Pan Macmillan. 2005. 9780330491334. 683.
21. s2-WILL-EVA-1871. Williams, Sir Evan (1871-1959), BARONET and colliery owner. Graeme. Holmes. 2001. yes. 14 March 2018.
22. s2-FREE-KAT-1897. Freeman, Kathleen (‘Mary Fitt’; 1897-1959), classical scholar and writer. Roland Glyn . Mathias. Roland Mathias. 2001. yes. 30 June 2019.
23. s2-BELL-DAV-1915. Bell, Ernest David (1915-1959), artist and poet. Thomas. Parry. Thomas Parry (author). 2001. yes. 30 June 2019.
24. Web site: Newport RFC player profiles . 2020-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110617053803/http://www.blackandambers.co.uk/Personnel.aspx?pr=106855 . 2011-06-17 . dead .
25. s2-WILL-NAN-1874. WILLIAMS, WILLIAM NANTLAIS (1874-1959), minister (Presb.), editor, poet and hymn writer. Gomer Morgan. Roberts. 2001. yes. 10 September 2018.
26. Web site: Ivor Davies: Wales. en.espn.co.uk. 6 January 2016.
27. http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/1869.html Jack Evans rugby union
28. s2-REES-WYN-1898. Rees, Thomas Wynford (‘Dagger’; 1898-1959), major-general. David Glanville. Rosser. 2001. yes. 30 June 2019.
29. http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/1706.html Windham Jones player profile
30. s2-EDWA-WIN-1876. Edwards, Fanny Winifred (1876–1959). Arwyn Lloyd. Hughes. 2001. yes. 4 April 2016.
31. Book: Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002. July 2006. The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 0-902-198-84-X. 2017-10-10. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074135/https://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/fellows/biographical_index/fells_indexp2.pdf. dead.
32. "Davies Leaves Inspiration"; The Spectator, December 17, 1959
33. s2-BRAZ-DAV-1875. Brazell, David (1875-1959), singer. Huw. Williams. 2001. yes. 14 March 2018.
34. Web site: Dick Duckfield. Cricinfo. 14 March 2019.