1966 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1966 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Jim Griffiths (until 5 April); Cledwyn Hughes
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Cynan (outgoing)
  • E. Gwyndaf Evans (incoming)

Events

• April – Future Welsh Secretary Peter Hain arrives in the UK from South Africa with his family.
• 12 May – Local elections take place across the county boroughs and districts, with the Conservatives winning a majority on Cardiff City Council for the first time in years.^[1]
• 18 June – Butlin's Barry Island holiday camp opens.
• 14 July – In the Carmarthen by-election, caused by the death of Megan Lloyd George, Gwynfor Evans wins Plaid Cymru's first Parliamentary seat.^[2]
• 22 July
  • Fifteen people are drowned at Penmaenpool in the Mawddach estuary.
  • The M4 motorway Port Talbot by-pass is officially opened by The Queen.^[3]
• 8 September – The Severn Bridge is opened.^[4]
• 21 October – At Aberfan, following heavy rain, a colliery waste tip collapses onto the village's primary school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. Cledwyn Hughes, Secretary of State for Wales, and his government colleague, George Thomas arrive on the scene late afternoon, followed, in the evening, by Prime Minister Harold Wilson.^[5]
• 22 October – Lord Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board, arrives in Aberfan after going ahead with his installation as Chancellor of the University of Surrey, despite news of the disaster.^[6]
• 26 October – The Welsh Office appoints the Aberfan Disaster Tribunal, chaired by Edmund Davies, Baron Edmund-Davies, to investigate the causes of the disaster.
• 27 October – Almost a week after the Aberfan disaster, writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas makes his famous radio tribute to the children of Aberfan.^[7]
• 30 October – The Queen and her consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrive in Aberfan to pay their respects. It is reported that the Queen is moved to tears.^[8]
• 15 December – A concert in aid of the Aberfan disaster charity is held at London's Royal Albert Hall.^[9]

Arts and literature

Awards

• British Press Awards – Special Award for Journalism – David Rhys Davies, Merthyr Express
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberavon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Dic Jones, "Cynhaeaf"^[10]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Jones, "Y Clawdd"^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld^[12]

New books

English language

• Peter Bartrum – Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts
• Charles Jones – The Challenger
• Raymond Williams – Modern Tragedy

Welsh language

• Pennar Davies – Caregl Nwyf
• Dyfnallt Morgan – Gwŷr Llên y Ddeunawfed Ganrif
• Thomas John Morgan – Amryw Flawd

New drama

• Gwenlyn Parry – Saer Doliau (Doll Doctor)

Music

• Alun Hoddinott – Concerto no. 3, op. 44
• Severn Bridge Variations (composite work composed by Malcolm Arnold, Alun Hoddinott, Nicholas Maw, Daniel Jones, Grace Williams and Michael Tippett)

Film

• Richard Burton stars in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? alongside his wife Elizabeth Taylor. The performance wins him a BAFTA Best Actor award.

Broadcasting

• BBC Wales opens new studios in Llandaff.
• 19 December – BBC opens Llanidloes transmitting station.

English-language television

• Hywel Bennett makes an impact in his first major TV role in Where the Buffalo Roam, a Wednesday Play.

Sport

• Athletics – Lynn Davies becomes the first person to hold the European, Commonwealth and Olympic long jump titles simultaneously.
• Football – Ivor Allchurch plays his final game for Wales, against Chile.
• Rugby union
  • Phil Bennett makes his first appearance for Llanelli RFC.
  • Wales win the Five Nations Championship for the third successive year.
• Tennis – Future rugby star J.P.R. Williams wins the junior championship at Wimbledon.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Lynn Davies^[13]

Births

• 21 March – Matthew Maynard, cricketer^[14]
• 24 March – Mark Williams MP, politician^[15]
• 14 April – Lloyd Owen, actor
• 29 April – Carl Dale, footballer
• 3 May – Darren Morgan, snooker player
• 5 May – Nicky Piper, light-heavyweight boxer^[16]
• 8 July – Guto Harri, broadcaster
• 21 July – Sarah Waters, novelist^[17]
• 28 July – Andy Legg, footballer
• 16 August – Helen Thomas, Greenham Common campaigner
• 1 September – Elin Jones AM, politician^[18]
• 12 September – Niall Griffiths, English-born novelist
• 21 October – Phillip Price, golfer^[19]
• 10 November – Simon Richardson, cyclist
• Date unknown – Saul David, historian^[20]

Deaths

• 20 January – Gordon Macdonald MP, politician, 81^[21]
• 21 January – William Davies, footballer, 83
• 27 January – Ronald Armstrong-Jones, barrister, 66^[22]
• 18 February – Thomas Williams, 1st Baron Williams, 73
• 20 February – Emrys Evans, classicist and academic, 75^[23]
• March – Wilfred Mitford Davies, artist and publisher, 71^[24]
• April – Charlie Jones, footballer, 66
• 13 April – Lionel Edwards, artist, 87^[25]
• 25 April – Iorrie Isaacs, Wales international rugby player, 54
• 26 April – Bill Everson, Wales international rugby player, 60
• 11 May – Thomas Hughes Jones, poet and author, 71^[26]
• 14 May – Megan Lloyd George MP, politician, 64^[27]
• 1 June – Peter George, author, 42 (suicide)
• 23 June – Melbourne Thomas, rugby player, 70^[28]
• 9 June – Elizabeth Watkin-Jones, children's author, 88^[29]
• 17 July – Albert Freethy, rugby referee and cricketer, 81
• 23 August – Ivor Hughes, speedway rider, 27 (killed in track accident)^[30]
• 27 August – Cecil Pritchard, rugby player, 64^[31]
• 21 September – Sir Thomas Williams Phillips, civil servant, 83^[32]
• 24 September – Arthur Green, footballer, 85^[33]
• 26 September – Phil Hopkins, Wales international rugby player, 86
• 3 December – Iorwerth Thomas, politician, 71
• 23 November – Alvin Langdon Coburn, American-born pictorialist photographer, 84^[34]
• date unknown – Simon Bartholomew Jones, minister and poet^[35]

See also

• 1966 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. News: Tories in big poll come-back . . 13 May 1966 . 1 .
2. Book: Dafydd Williams. The story of Plaid Cymru: the party of Wales. 1990. Plaid Cymru. 978-0-905077-47-5. 24.
3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/11/22/pwaod_opening_feature.shtml BBC Bristol – Severn Bridge opening ceremony
4. Book: Roads in England. 1966. H.M. Stationery Office. 6.
5. Web site: Aberfan: The mistake that cost a village its children . www.bbc.co.uk . 12 November 2020.
6. Book: The Land and Economy of Appalachia: Proceedings from the 1986 Conference on Appalachia, October 30-31, 1986, University of Kentucky. 1987. The Center. 73.
7. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gmpcf BBC website
8. News: BBC News – In pictures: Aberfan Disaster, Queen's visit. bbc.co.uk. 30 July 2015.
9. Book: Paul Anderson. Mods: The New Religion. 14 April 2014. Omnibus Press. 978-0-85712-850-8. 285.
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. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
14. Book: Bill Frindall. Carphone Group. England test cricketers: the complete record from 1877. 2 August 1989. Willow. 978-0-00-218339-0. 304.
15. Book: Valerie Passmore. Dod's Parliamentary Companion: Guide to the General Election, 2005. 2005. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 978-0-905702-57-5. 415.
16. Book: Reference Wales. 1994. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1234-6. 338.
17. Book: Kaye Mitchell. Sarah Waters: Contemporary Critical Perspectives. 12 September 2013. A&C Black. 978-1-4411-9941-6. 13.
18. Web site: Jones, Elin. Who's Who. 16 October 2019.
19. Book: Terry Spohn. 2005 PGA Tour Official Fan Guide. 2005. Tehabi Sports. 978-1-933208-01-5. 2–254.
20. Web site: Biography. Saul David. 25 February 2020.
21. News: Obituary: Ld. Macdonald Of Gwaenysgor. 21 January 1966. The Times. 14.
22. Book: Noel Botham. Margaret - The Last Real Princess. 25 October 2012. John Blake. 978-1-78418-722-4. 183.
23. Web site: Evans, Sir David Emrys (1891-1966), educationist and translator. Thomas Parry. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 21 February 2020.
24. Web site: Davies, Wilfred Mitford (1895-1966), educationist and translator. Margaret Mitford Williams. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 21 February 2020.
25. Book: Ryno Greenwall. Artists & illustrators of the Anglo-Boer War. 1992. Fernwood Press. 978-0-9583154-6-3. 130.
26. Web site: Jones, Thomas Hughes (1895-1966), poet, writer and teacher. Evan David Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 21 February 2020.
27. Web site: Lloyd George (family). William Richard Philip George. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 14 October 2019.
28. http://www.espnscrum.com/wales/rugby/player/2549.html Melbourne Thomas player profiles
29. Web site: Watkin-Jones, Elizabeth (1887-1966), author of children's books. Bedwyr Lewis Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 21 February 2020.
30. Web site: Ivor Hughes. Cradley Heath Speedway. 21 February 2020.
31. Book: Jenkins . John M. . Pierce . Duncan. Auty. Timothy . Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players . 1991 . Bridge Books . Wrexham . 1-872424-10-4. 130–131.
32. Web site: Phillips, Sir Thomas Williams. Who Was Who (online edition). Oxford University Press. December 2007 . 2008-09-30.
33. Book: Joyce, Michael . Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 . 2012 . Tony Brown . 190589161X . Third edition, with revisions . Toton, Nottingham . 117.
34. Book: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Photography, Lynne Warren: Photography. 16 May 2006. Bukupedia. 978-1-57958-393-4. 291.
35. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 90.