1962 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1962 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Trefin

Events

• January–April – An outbreak of smallpox spreading from Cardiff infects 45 people and kills 19 in south Wales; 900,000 people in the region are vaccinated against the disease.^[1]
• 12 April – Nine miners are killed and nine injured in an accident at Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, Wales.^[2]
• 15 May – Emlyn Hooson wins the Montgomeryshire by-election brought about by the death of Clement Davies.^[3] In the run-up to the by-election, the "Elvis Rock" is painted with the graffiti "Elis" by supporters of Plaid Cymru candidate Islwyn Ffowc Elis.
• 20 July – The world's first regular passenger hovercraft service is introduced between Rhyl and Wallasey.^[4]
• 4 August – Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, is founded.^[5]
• September – Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, the first Welsh-medium secondary school in south Wales, opens its doors.^[6]
• 19 September – Atlantic College opens its doors for the first time at St Donat's Castle, marking the birth of the pioneering United World College educational movement.^[7]
• 26 October – Richard Thomas and Baldwins's new steelworks at Llanwern near Newport, is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.^[8]
• 28 October – Chepstow Railway Bridge rebuilding completed.
• date unknown
  • Richard Booth opens his first second-hand bookshop at the old fire station in Hay-on-Wye.^[9]
  • Cardiff Zoo opened.^[10]

Arts and literature

• 21 March – Actress Rachel Roberts marries Rex Harrison in Genoa.
• Welsh National Opera launches a training scheme for singers.
• Dick Francis publishes his first thriller, Dead Cert.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llanelli)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Caradog Prichard, "Llef un yn Llefain"^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – D. Emlyn Lewis, Y Cwmwl^[12]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen, Bu Farw Ezra Bebb^[13]

New books

• Clifford Dyment – The Railway Game
• Michael Foot – Aneurin Bevan, vol. 1
• Menna Gallie – The Small Mine^[14]
• Llewelyn Wyn Griffith – The Adventures of Pryderi
• The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse
• Norman Thomas – Ask at the Unicorn
• Raymond Williams – Communications

Welsh language

• John Roberts Evans – Ar Drothwy'r Nos^[15]
• William Evans (Wil Ifan) – Colofnau Wil Ifan^[16]
• Gwyn Thomas – Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau

Music

• Dilys Elwyn-Edwards – Caneuon y Tri Aderyn
• Alun Hoddinott – Folksong Suite
• William Mathias – Postlude
• Grace Williams – Four Medieval Welsh Poems for alto, harp and harpsichord
• David Wynne – Cymric Rhapsodies

Film

• Richard Burton and Donald Houston appear in The Longest Day.
• Peter Greenaway makes his first film: Death of Sentiment.
• Jack Howells makes the short documentary Dylan Thomas featuring Richard Burton.

Broadcasting

Welsh-language radio

• 13 February – Saunders Lewis gives the Welsh Home Service’s Annual Lecture, entitled Tynged yr Iaith (The Fate of the Language).

Television

• 14 September – The first transmitter, at Preseli, of the Teledu Cymru – Wales (West and North) Television service comes on air.

English-language television

• 17 September – First edition of the Welsh national news programme BBC Wales Today.

Sport

• Football – John Charles returns to Leeds United from several years playing for Italian clubs.
• Golf – Brian Huggett wins the Dutch Open championship.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Ivor Allchurch^[17]

Births

• 5 January – Geraint Williams, footballer
• 11 January – Chris Bryant, politician^[18]
• 16 January – Bethan Gwanas, Welsh-language writer
• 25 May - Martin Goldsmith, footballer
• 27 June – Michael Ball, singer
• 28 August – David Melding, politician
• 15 September – Kevin Allen, actor, comedian and film director
• 22 July – Arthur Emyr, rugby union player and television presenter and executive
• 22 August – Iolo Williams, naturalist and TV presenter^[19]
• 5 September – Peter Wingfield, actor
• 15 October – Mark Ring, rugby union player
• 24 October – Jonathan Davies, rugby union and league player
• 11 November - Chris Sander, footballer
• 31 December – Chris Hallam, wheelchair athlete (died 2013)^[20]
• date unknown
  • Fiona Bennett, composer
  • Sioned Wiliam, broadcaster, writer and producer

Deaths

• 18 January – Iolo Aneurin Williams, journalist, author and politician, 71^[21]
• 26 January – George Jeffreys, founder of the Elim Pentecostal Church,^[22] 72
• 11 February – John Edward Daniel, theologian, chairman of Plaid Cymru, 59 (road accident)^[23]
• 14 February – Ezer Griffiths, physicist, 73
• 27 February – Albert Rhys Williams, Welsh-American journalist, labour organiser, and publicist, 78
• 23 March – Clement Davies, politician, 80
• April – Edgar Morgan, rugby union player, 80
• 25 April – Herbie Baxter, Glamorgan cricketer, 79
• 30 April – Charles Williams, Anglican priest and academic, 55^[24]
• 11 May – Eliot Crawshay-Williams, politician and author, 82^[25]
• 16 June – Edgar Rees Jones, barrister and politician, 83^[26]
• 24 June – Thomas Richards, historian, 84^[27]
• 3 August - Edgar Phillips, poet and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod, 72
• 23 August - Robert Bye, VC recipient, 72
• 23 September - Margaret Jane Gordon (Lady Gordon), singer, 82^[28]
• 5 November (in London) – Percy Cudlipp, journalist, 56^[29]
• 30 November – Lewis Pugh Evans, Victoria Cross recipient, 81^[30]
• 15 December – Charles Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor, politician, 63^[31]
• 17 December – Lonza Bowdler, Wales international rugby union player, 61
• 21 December – Gary Hocking, motorcycle road racer, 25 (racing accident)

See also

• 1962 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1962 south Wales smallpox outbreak memories recorded. BBC News. BBC. 2012-01-13. 2012-06-12.
2. Book: British Museum. Dept. of Printed Books. General Catalogue of Printed Books: Ten-year Supplement, 1956-1965. 1969. Readex Microprint Corporation. 340.
3. Book: Vacher, Thomas Brittain. Vacher's Parliamentary Companion. 1963. A.S. Kerswill. 93.
4. Book: BPI. Transportation. BPI Publishing. 978-81-8497-243-6. 27.
5. Book: Llafur: Journal of Welsh Labour History. 1987. Llafur. 87.
6. Book: The Economist. 1985. Economist Newspaper Limited. 294.
7. Web site: UWC Atlantic College. 2015-12-16.
8. Book: Metallurgia: The British Journal of Metals. 1962. Kennedy Press. 57.
9. Web site: Richard Booth obituary. Oliver. Balch. 2019-08-22. The Guardian. London. 2020-06-30.
10. Web site: Closed collections. The Bartlett Society. 2015-05-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20150404054748/http://www.zoohistory.co.uk/projects/closed_collections. 2015-04-04. dead.
11. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 March 2021.
12. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 March 2021.
13. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 March 2021.
14. s11-GALL-MEN-1919. Gallie, Menna Patricia (1919-1990), writer. John P. Jenkins. 2016. 10 November 2024.
15. Web site: File 27. - Gohebiaeth, yn ymwneud yn bennaf â'r gyfrol Ar Drothwy'r Nos (1962). cy. National Library of Wales. 10 November 2024.
16. s2-EVAN-WIL-1883. Evans, William ('Wil Ifan'; 1883-1968), minister (Congl.), poet and writer in Welsh and English. Gerallt Jones. 2001. 10 November 2024.
17. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
18. Book: Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited. 2007. 88.
19. Web site: Who is Iolo Williams?. 24 May 2024. Megan Shersby. BBC Discover Wildlife. 10 November 2024.
20. Web site: Chris Hallam obituary . 21 August 2013 . 14 September 2013 . The Guardian . Tanni . Grey-Thompson.
21. s2-WILL-ANE-1890. Williams, Iolo Aneurin (1890-1962), journalist, author and art historian. Donald Moore. 30 June 2019.
22. http://healingandrevival.com/BioGJeffreys.htm "Come to Elim" – Healing and Revival
23. s2-DANI-EDW-1902. Daniel, John Edward (1902–1962), college lecturer and inspector of schools . Jones. Robert Tudur. 2008-06-04.
24. News: The Times. 19. 3 May 1962. The Rev. C. S. C. Williams – Chaplain of Merton.
25. Book: Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. 2002. A. & C. Black. 978-0-7136-6125-5. 190.
26. Book: Debating nationhood and governance in Britain, 1885–1945: perspectives from the 'four nations'. Tanner, Duncan. Manchester University Press. 75. 2006. 0-7190-7166-6.
27. s2-RICH-THO-1878. Richards, Thomas (1878-1962), librarian and historian. Gwilym Beynon Owen. 30 June 2019.
28. gordon-margaret-jane-6431. Gordon, Margaret Jane (1880–1962). Martha Rutledge. 9. 1983. 30 June 2019.
29. s2-CUDL-PER-1905. Cudlipp, Percy (1905-1962), journalist. David Glanville Rosser. 30 June 2019.
30. s7-EVAN-PUG-1881. Evans, Lewis Pugh (1881-1962), soldier and public figure, Brigadier General, VC, CB, CMG, DSO. Christopher Evans. 30 June 2019.
31. s2-RHYS-FIT-1873. Rhys, Walter Fitzuryan 7th. Baron Dynevor (1873-1956), nobleman and politician. Christopher Dignam. 30 June 2019.