1964 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1964 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Jim Griffiths (from 17 October)
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Cynan

Events

• 9 February – The BBC launches a dedicated television service for Wales.
• March – A representative of the National Coal Board writes to Mr DCW Jones, the Merthyr Tydfil Borough and Waterworks engineer, stating that they "would not like to continue beyond the next 6/8 weeks in tipping" coal slurry on Tip No 7 at Aberfan "where it is likely to be a source of danger to Pantglas school". Two and a half years later the tip would destroy the school, killing 116 children.^[1]
• 15 March – Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor (for the first time) in Montreal.^[2]
• April – George Street Bridge, Newport opens, the first cable-stayed bridge in the UK.
• 15 October – In the United Kingdom general election, Wales elects 28 Labour MPs, six Conservatives and two Liberals.
  • Alan Williams becomes MP for Swansea West
  • Ioan Evans becomes MP for Birmingham Yardley.^[3]
  • Leslie Thomas, son of Labour stalwart, Jimmy Thomas, becomes Conservative MP for Canterbury.
• 17 October – The Welsh Office is established, under the leadership of a Secretary of State for Wales (Jim Griffiths).^[4]
• 27 October – Pembroke Refinery is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.^[5]
• 11 November – Politician Alun Gwynne Jones is raised to the peerage with the title Baron Chalfont of Llantarnam.^[6]
• date unknown
  • Civic Trust for Wales formed to promote conservation and enhancement of the built environment.
  • Opening of the Edgar Evans building at the Royal Navy shore establishment on Whale Island, Portsmouth.^[7]

Arts and literature

Awards

• Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry – R. S. Thomas
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Swansea)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Bryn Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Rhydwen Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Rhiannon Davies Jones

New books

English language

• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Dylan: Druid of the Broken Body^[8]
• Emrys Daniel Hughes – Sir Alec Douglas-Home
• Stead Jones – Make Room for the Jester
• Howard Spring – Winds of the Day
• Reginald Frances Treharne – The Battle of Lewes in English History
• Raymond Williams – Second Generation

Welsh language

• John Gwilym Jones – Hanes Rhyw Gymro
• John Robert Jones – Yr Argyfwng Gwacter Ystyr
• Saunders Lewis – Merch Gwern Hywel^[9]
• Caradog Prichard – Genod yn ein Bywyd
• Thomas Ifor Rees – Illimani^[10]

Music

• Geraint Evans stars as Falstaff at the Metropolitan Opera.

Film

• Richard Burton stars in The Night of the Iguana.
• Siân Phillips takes her first major film role in Becket, alongside her husband Peter O'Toole and Burton.
• Victor Spinetti appears with The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night. Alun Owen's screenplay is nominated for an Academy Award.

Broadcasting

• BBC Wales is launched.

Welsh-language television

• Sion a Sian (later also produced in English as Mr and Mrs)

English-language television

• Wales Today

Sport

• Olympic Games – Lynn Davies wins the gold medal in the men's long jump.
• Rugby union
  • 1 February – Wales defeat Scotland 11–3 in Cardiff. Stuart Watkins makes his international debut.
  • 7 March – Wales defeat Ireland 15–6 in Dublin. John Dawes makes his international debut.
  • Wales win the Five Nations Championship.
  • The Welsh national side makes its first overseas tour, to South Africa.
• Tennis – Gerald Battrick wins the British and French junior championships.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Lynn Davies^[11]

Births

• 29 January – Anna Ryder Richardson, interior designer, television presenter and zookeeper
• 9 February – Dewi Morris, rugby player
• 4 March – Dave Colclough, poker player (died 2016
• 21 March – Ieuan Evans, rugby player^[12]
• 22 June – Neil Haddock, Welsh and British Champion super featherweight boxer
• 23 June – Robert Dickie, Welsh and British Champion boxing champion (died 2010)
• 16 August – Nigel Redman, rugby player
• 15 September – Steve Watkin, cricketer
• 8 October – Alan Knill, footballer^[13]
• 3 November – Wayne Mumford, footballer
• 28 November – Sian Williams, television presenter
• 30 November – Richard Brake, actor^[14]
• 1 December – Jo Walton, novelist and poet
• 31 December – Lowri Turner, television presenter
• date unknown
  • Rhidian Brook, novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster
  • Grahame Davies, poet^[15]

Deaths

• 4 January – Arthur Wade-Evans, historian, 88^[16]
• 7 January – Cyril Davies, harmonica player, 31
• 13 February – Cliff Richards, rugby player, 62
• 14 February
  • Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans, civil servant, 69^[17]
  • William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech, 78^[18]
• 3 March – Ieuan Williams, cricketer, 54
• 6 August – Norman Matthews, clergyman and broadcaster, 60^[19]
• 14 August – Redvers Sangoe, Light-heavyweight boxer, 28
• 26 August – Bryn Roberts, trade union leader, 67
• 14 September – Fitzroy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan, anthropologist, 79^[20]
• 18 September – Juliet Rhys-Williams, writer and politician, 65^[21]
• 9 October – Thomas Jones Pierce, historian, 59
• 5 November – Owen Jones politician in Canada, 74
• 13 November – Leslie Morris, Welsh-Canadian politician, 60^[22]
• 14 November – Idwal Jones, novelist, 73^[23]
• 30 November – Sir John Cecil-Williams, lawyer and secretary of the Cymmrodorion, 72^[24]
• 4 December (in Melbourne) – James 'Tuan' Jones, Wales and British Lion rugby player, 81^[25]
• date unknown – Idloes Owen, singer, composer, and conductor, 59

See also

• 1964 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Aberfan 50 years on: how best to remember the tragedy?. Owen Sheers. Owen Sheers. The Guardian. 9 October 2016. 12 October 2016.
2. Book: Holloway C., E. Joy. Outlook for English 5. Student's. 2004. UNAM. 978-970-32-1297-2. 20–.
3. Book: House of Commons: With Full Results of the Polling and Biographies of Members and Unsuccessful Candidates and a Complete Analysis, Statistical Tables, and a Map of the General Election. October 1974. Times Office. 978-0-7230-0124-9.
4. Book: Fryde, E. B. . Handbook of British chronology . New York Cambridge University Press . Cambridge England . 1996 . 9780521563505 . 157 . en.
5. Book: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Papers by command. 1965. HMSO.
6. Book: Charles Roger Dod. Robert Phipps Dod. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. 1986. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd..
7. Web site: Petty Officer Edgar Evans. Imperial War Museum. 3 November 2021.
8. Book: George Watson. The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature:. 2 July 1971. CUP Archive. 134. GGKEY:64CF45KC7C0.
9. Book: Paul Poplawski. Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism. 30 December 2003. ABC-CLIO. 978-0-313-01657-8. 240.
10. Book: Harvard University. Library. Celtic literatures: classification schedule, classified listing by call number, chronological listing, author and title listing. 1970. Distributed by the Harvard University Press.
11. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
12. Book: Peter Jackson. Lions of Wales: A Celebration of Welsh Rugby Legends. 1998. Mainstream. 978-1-84018-026-8. 211.
13. Web site: Where are they now? Alan Knill. Swansea City. 14 March 2019.
14. Web site: The Welsh actor who plays Game of Thrones' terrifying Night's King on why he'd like a more cuddly role. Wales Online. 23 May 2016. Kathryn. Williams.
15. Book: Menna Elfyn. John Rowlands. The Bloodaxe Book of Modern Welsh Poetry: 20th-century Welsh-language Poetry in Translation. 2003. Bloodaxe. 978-1-85224-549-8. 393.
16. Book: Archaeologia Cambrensis. 1964. W. Pickering. 169.
17. Book: Minutes of the ... Session of the Governing Body. 1964. The Office. 34.
18. Book: Jean van der Poel. Selections from the Smuts Papers: Volume VII, August 1945 – October 1950. 5 April 2007. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-03370-1. 399.
19. Web site: Matthews, Norman Gregory (1904-1964), chancellor. Mary Gwendoline Ellis. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. 1 July 2019.
20. Book: The Encyclopedia Americana. 1981. Grolier. 978-0-7172-0112-9. 847.
21. Book: Time & Tide. 1964. Time and Tide Publishing Company. 7.
22. Book: Leslie Morris. Look on Canada, now ...: selected writings of Leslie Morris, 1923/1964. 1970. Progress Books.
23. Book: Westways. 1965. Automobile Club of Southern California.
24. Book: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England). The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. 1965. The Society. 7.
25. http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/1978.html Tuan Jones player profile