1968 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1968 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Cledwyn Hughes (until 5 April); George Thomas (from 6 April)^[1]
• Archbishop of Wales – Glyn Simon, Bishop of Llandaff^[2]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – E. Gwyndaf Evans

Events

• 9 May – County borough and district elections take place, with the Labour Party losing its majority on Newport Borough Council after 16 years.^[3]
• 10 August – Gulf Oil's new refinery at Milford Haven is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.^[4]
• September – In response to the news that Harold Wilson's government has proposed to use part of the disaster fund set up to help the people of Aberfan to meet the costs of removing the tip that caused the Aberfan disaster, Merthyr MP S. O. Davies says: "I have never known a prime minister to behave so disgracefully in all my 34 years in the House of Commons".^[5]
• October – Trawsfynydd nuclear power station, the only nuclear power station to be located in a national park, is opened.
• November – In the referendum on the Sunday opening of public houses, the counties of Anglesey, Caernarfon, Cardigan, Carmarthen and Merioneth vote to stay "dry".
• 17 December – Official opening of first phase of the Royal Mint's new Llantrisant plant.^[6]
• The Welsh Office acquires responsibility for historic monuments, and for the water supply in Wales.
• The first bilingual (Welsh/English) postage stamp is issued, in recognition of the Prince of Wales's forthcoming investiture.^[7]
• Hugh Cudlipp becomes Chairman of the International Publishing Corporation.

Arts and literature

• Welsh National Opera acquires a professional chorus.^[8]
• Cefn Cwrt Farm, Llangrannog, is purchased for use by the Urdd Gobaith Cymru.
• The Drama Tent is introduced to the Eisteddfod field.^[9]
• Cwmni Theatr Cymru is formed in Bangor.^[10]
• Rachel Thomas is awarded the OBE for services to Wales.
• Teenager Mary Hopkin rises to stardom after her appearance on Opportunity Knocks.
• In His Own Write, by John Lennon, makes its stage debut at the National Theatre in a version co-authored by and directed by Victor Spinetti.^[11]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Barry)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Bryn Williams, "Awdl Foliant i'r Morwr"^[12]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Haydn Lewis, "Meini"^[13]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Eigra Lewis Roberts, Y Drych Creulon^[14]

New books

English language

• Menna Gallie – Travels with a Duchess^[15]
• Glyn Jones – The Dragon Has Two Tongues^[16]
• A. J. R. Russell-Wood – Fidalgos and Philanthropists: The Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Bahia, 1550–1755
• Gwyn Thomas – A Few Selected Exits^[17]

Welsh language

• Irma Chilton – Cusanau
• Pennar Davies – Meibion Darogan^[18]
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Y Blaned Dirion^[19]
• Urien Wiliam – Welsh: Dirgelwch y rocedi

Drama

• Ewart Alexander – Omri's Burning^[20]

Music

• "Delilah", "Help Yourself" and "Love Me Tonight" are hits for Tom Jones.
• "Bend Me, Shape Me" and "High in the Sky" are hits for Amen Corner.
• Badfinger sign for the Beatles' Apple label.

Film

• 8 April–31 May – Filming of Carry On Up the Khyber with location scenes in Snowdonia.
• Richard Burton and Donald Houston appear in Where Eagles Dare.^[21]
• Anthony Hopkins makes his first big-screen impact in The Lion in Winter, appearing alongside Timothy Dalton.
• Hywel Bennett stars in Twisted Nerve.
• Harry Secombe appears in Oliver!.
• Timothy Dalton turns down the role of James Bond, feeling that he is too young for the part.

Broadcasting

• HTV takes over the commercial television franchise from TWW. Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, one of the founders of the new company, becomes Director of Programmes.

Welsh-language TV and radio

• Helo Sut Dach Chi?, presented by Hywel Gwynfryn, is the first Welsh-language pop programme on radio.

English-language television

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Martyn Woodroffe^[22]
• Boxing – Howard Winstone wins the World Featherweight title.
• Cricket – August 31: During a match between Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire at Swansea, Gary Sobers hits six sixes off one over bowled by Malcolm Nash.
• Football – Cardiff City reach the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup, losing to Hamburg.
• 1968 Summer Olympics
  • Richard Meade wins a gold medal as part of the British equestrian team in the Team Three-Day Event
  • David Broome takes a bronze in the Individual Show Jumping Grand Prix.
  • Martyn Woodroffe is the only British swimmer to win a medal – a silver in the men's 200 m butterfly.^[23]
• Rugby union – Jeff Young makes his international debut against Scotland.

Births

• 3 March – Trevor Rees-Jones, bodyguard to Diana, Princess of Wales (in Germany)
• 28 March – Jon Lee, musician (d. 2002)
• May – Rakie Ayola, actress
• 14 May – Greg Davies, comedian^[24]
• 28 May – Kylie Minogue, actress and singer (in Melbourne, of maternal Welsh origin)^[25]
• 29 May – Jessica Morden, politician
• 1 June – Susan Jones, Welsh politician
• 13 June – David Gray, musician
• 22 July – Rhys Ifans, actor^[26]
• 26 June – Iwan Roberts, footballer
• 27 July – Carl Sargeant, politician (died 2017)
• 30 July – Sean Moore, musician
• 19 August – Roger Freestone, footballer
• 22 September – Robert Buckland, politician, Solicitor General for England and Wales^[27]
• 23 September – Adam Price, politician^[28]
• 12 October – Mark Donovan, actor
• 18 October – Rhod Gilbert, comedian
• 13 December – Steve Robinson, featherweight boxer
• Andrew RT Davies, politician

Deaths

• 13 January – William Williams (Crwys), poet and Archdruid, 93^[29]
• 25 January – Louie Myfanwy Thomas (Jane Ann Jones), novelist, 59^[30]
• 6 February – Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, 84,^[31] in Monaco
• 3 May – Ness Edwards, politician, 71^[32]
• 16 July – William Evans (Wil Ifan), poet, 85^[33]
• 24 August – Bailey Davies, Wales international rugby union player, 83
• 28 August – Arthur Henderson, Baron Rowley, politician, 75
• 4 September – Arthur Horner, politician, 74^[34]
• 10 November – Tommy Rees, Wales dual-code rugby player, 64
• 17 November – Carey Morris, artist, 86
• 20 November – David Grenfell, politician, 87^[35]
• 24 December – D. Gwenallt Jones, poet, 69^[36]
• date unknown
  • Dafydd Jones (Isfoel), poet
  • Manfri Wood, last known speaker of the Welsh-Romani language^[37]

See also

• 1968 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: E. B. Pryde. D. E. Greenway. S. Porter. I. Roy. Handbook of British Chronology. 23 February 1996. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-56350-5. 157.
2. Book: Who was who. 1971. A. & C. Black. 728. 9780312877460.
3. News: Labour hammered in S. Wales polls . . 10 May 1968 . 13 .
4. Book: Board of Trade Journal. H.M. Stationery Office. 1968. 457.
5. Book: Griffiths, Robert. Robert Griffiths (politician). S. O. Davies: A Socialist Faith. Gomer Press. Llandysul, Dyfed. 1983. 978-0-85088-887-4. 278–79. (quoted from The Western Mail, 14 September 1968)
6. Book: Daily Mail Year Book. 1985. Associated Newspapers Groups, Limited. 9780851442662.
7. Book: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).: House of Commons Official report. 1969. H.M. Stationery Office.
8. Book: Richard Fawkes. Welsh National Opera. 1986. Julia MacRae. 978-0-86203-184-8.
9. Book: Reference Wales. 1994. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1234-6.
10. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 153.
11. Web site: Première of the In His Own Write stage play. 18 June 1968. Beatles Bible. 28 March 2020.
12. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
13. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
14. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 28 March 2019.
15. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 257.
16. Book: Tim Woods. Who's Who of Twentieth Century Novelists. 21 February 2008. Routledge. 978-1-134-70991-5. 184.
17. Book: The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature. Cambridge University Press. 2019. 9781107106765. 403.
18. Book: Europa Publications. International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004. 2003. Psychology Press. 978-1-85743-179-7. 132.
19. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 214.
20. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 9.
21. Book: Terence Pettigrew. British Film Character Actors: Great Names and Memorable Moments. 1982. Rowman & Littlefield. 978-0-7153-8270-7. 97.
22. Web site: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners. BBC Sport. 28 March 2020.
23. Book: James Coote. Olympic Report 1968: Mexico & Grenoble. 1968. Hale. 8.
24. Web site: Who is Greg Davies?. Radio Times. 17 February 2020.
25. Web site: Kylie Minogue – Biography. Hello!. 16 March 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200127165807/https://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/kylie-minogue/. 27 January 2020.
26. Web site: Rhys Ifans biography. 7 October 2010. Kimberley Bond. BBC Wales Arts. 17 February 2020.
27. Book: John Blundell. Remembering Margaret Thatcher: Commemorations, Tributes and Assessments. 2013. Algora Publishing. 978-1-62894-017-6. 114.
28. Book: Valerie Passmore. Dod's Parliamentary Companion: Guide to the General Election, 2005. 2005. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 978-0-905702-57-5. 322.
29. Web site: WILLIAMS, WILLIAM ('Crwys'; 1875–1968), poet, preacher, archdruid. William Rhys Nicholas. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
30. Web site: THOMAS, LOUIE MYFANWY ('Jane Ann Jones'; 1908–1968), novelist. Hedd ab Emlyn. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
31. Web site: BERRY (family) (Lords Buckland, Camrose and Kemsley), industrialists and newspaper proprietors. Mary Auronwy James. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
32. Web site: EDWARDS, NESS (1897–1968), trade unionist and Member of Parliament. John Davies. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
33. s2-EVAN-WIL-1883. Evans, William ('Wil Ifan'; 1883-1968), minister (Congl.), poet and writer in Welsh and English. Gerallt Jones. 2001. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
34. Book: Rajani Palme Dutt. Labour Monthly. 1968. Labour Publishing Company. 469.
35. s8-GREN-RHY-1881. Grenfell, David Rhys ('Dai') (1881–1968), Labour politician. John Graham Jones. 2013. National Library of Wales. 3 March 2019.
36. s2-JONE-JAM-1899. Jones, David James ('Gwenallt'; 1899-1968), poet, critic and scholar. Brynley Francis Roberts. 2001. 15 March 2022.
37. Book: Kenrick, Donald. 2010. The A to Z of the Gypsies (Romanies). Toronto. Scarecrow Press. 289. 9780810875616.