1972 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1972 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas^[1]
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor^[2]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Tilsli (outgoing)^[3]
  • Brinli (incoming)^[4]

Events

• 1 January – Welsh rugby captain John Dawes is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List.^[5]
• 30 January – Opening to rail traffic of the new Britannia Bridge linking Anglesey with mainland Wales (following the destruction of the previous bridge by a fire).^[6]
• March/April – The "Miners' Tramway" underground at Llechwedd Slate Caverns, Blaenau Ffestiniog, opens to the public.
• 3 May – Leslie Harvey, guitarist of Stone the Crows, is fatally electrocuted while performing at Swansea's Top Rank Suite.
• 13 September – Hypermarkets make their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after debuting in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opens a hypermarket in Caerphilly.^[7]
• 26 October – Passage of the Local Government Act 1972, which will reorganise and simplify local government in Wales and Monmouthshire from 1974.
• 11 December – Rhoose Airport is opened by The Duke of Edinburgh.^[8]
• date unknown
  • Sir Morien Morgan becomes Master of Downing College, Cambridge.
  • The island of Flat Holm is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
  • The communities of Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt cease to exist, following the closedown of local industry; the residents are moved into Llanelli.^[9]
  • Llyn Brianne regulating reservoir on the River Towy is completed; its dam is the UK's tallest, standing at a height of 300 ft (91 m).^[10]

Arts and literature

• Writer James Morris becomes Jan Morris.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Haverfordwest)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Dafydd Owen, "Preselau"^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Rowlands, "Dadeni"^[12]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Rowlands, "Ysgrifau yr Hanner Bardd"^[13]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal – Urien Wiliam

New books

English language

• Alexander Cordell – The Fire People
• A. H. Dodd – Life in Wales
• Emyr Humphreys – National Winner
• Richard Jones The Tower is Everywhere
• Roland Mathias – Absalom in the Tree
• Edith Pargeter – A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury
• Will Paynter – My Generation (autobiography)
• Goronwy Rees – A Chapter of Accidents
• Ifor Williams – The beginnings of Welsh poetry

Welsh language

• Marion Eames – Y Rhandir Mwyn^[14]
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Eira Mawr
• Bobi Jones – Allor Wydn^[15]
• David Tecwyn Lloyd – Lady Gwladys a Phobl Eraill
• Gerallt Lloyd Owen – Cerddi'r Cywilydd^[16]
• Kate Roberts – Gobaith a Storïau Eraill

Drama

• Gwyn Thomas – Amser Dyn sef Darnau o Einioes^[17]

Music

• Badfinger – Straight Up (album)
• John Cale – The Academy in Peril (album)
• Dafydd Iwan – Yma Mae 'Nghân (album)
• Mary Hopkin – Live At The Royal Festival Hall (album)
• Tom Jones – Close Up (album)

Film

• The film of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood appears, with Richard Burton, Glynis Johns, Ryan Davies and many other Welsh stars.
• Hywel Bennett stars with Hayley Mills in Endless Night.

Welsh-language films

• The Song We Sing Is About Freedom

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Gwrando ar fy Nghan with singer Heather Jones
• Teliffant with Myfanwy Talog

English-language television

• Kenneth Griffith's reputation is underlined with a four-part documentary series about the Boer War, Sons of the Blood.
• Anthony Hopkins wins acclaim for his first starring role on television in BBC2's adaptation of War and Peace.
• Glyn Houston appears as Bunter opposite Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, in the first of several TV serials based on the stories of Dorothy L. Sayers.^[18]

Sport

• Chess – Wales competes in the World Chess Olympiad at Skopje, Yugoslavia.
• Cricket – Tony Lewis captains England on his Test debut in Delhi, India.
• Rugby union
  • 25 March – Derek Quinnell makes his debut for Wales against France.
  • 31 October – Llanelli RFC defeat the New Zealand All Blacks 9–3 at Stradey Park in front of 26,000 supporters.
• The Welsh Sports Association is established.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Richard Meade^[19]

Births

• 27 January
  • Nathan Blake, footballer
  • Wynne Evans, tenor
• March - Helen Raynor, dramatist and screenwriter
• 23 March – Joe Calzaghe, boxer^[20]
• 10 April – Chris Corcoran, comedian
• 7 June – Sian Lloyd, television news presenter
• 5 July – Nia Roberts, actress
• 20 August – Scott Quinnell, rugby player^[21]
• 24 August – Jason Bowen, footballer
• 4 September – Guto Pryce, musician
• 23 September – Julian Winn, cyclist^[22]
• 3 October – Josie d'Arby, actress and television presenter
• 4 November – Tim Vincent, television presenter
• 27 December – Colin Charvis, rugby player^[23]

Deaths

• 17 January – Stan Davies, footballer, 73
• 4 February – Sir Charles Robert Harington, chemist, 74^[24]
• 25 February – S. O. Davies, politician, 85^[25]
• 27 February – Will James, dual-code rugby player, 69
• 7 March – Jack Morley, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 62
• 10 March – Gwynfor Davies, cricketer, 63
• 20 March – Dudley Lloyd-Evans, First World War flying ace, 76 or 77^[26]
• 28 March – James Edward Nichols, geneticist, 69^[27]
• 10 April – Ormond Jones, footballer, 61
• 28 May – The Duke of Windsor, Prince of Wales 1910–1936), 77
• 14 June (at Goathurst) – Glyn Simon, Archbishop of Wales (1968–71), 69
• 9 July – Sir Henry Morris-Jones, doctor, soldier and politician, 87^[28]
• 10 July – Emrys Jones, actor, 56 (heart attack)^[29]
• 12 August – Reg Anderson, cricketer, 58
• 28 September – Tom Roberts, Wales international rugby union player, 75?
• 19 October
  • David Hughes, opera singer, 47 (heart failure)
  • Fred Keenor, footballer, 78
• 6 November – Hilary Marquand, economist and MP, 70^[30]
• 13 November – Glyn Prosser, dual-code rugby player, 64
• 30 November – Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player, 75
• 4 December – Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, politician and judge, 68^[31]
• unknown date
  • Sam Davies, Wales international footballer, 77 or 78^[32]
  • Lillian Griffith, sculptor, 94 or 95

See also

• 1972 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Obituary. The Guardian. 6 February 2008.
2. Book: Gerald Parsons. The Growth of Religious Diversity - Vol 2: Britain From 1945 Volume 2: Controversies. 20 June 2013. Routledge. 978-1-136-13628-3. 106.
3. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 589. 978-0-19-211586-7.
4. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 523. 978-0-19-211586-7.
5. Book: Ross Reyburn. John Dawes: The Man who changed the world of Rugby. 26 July 2013. Y Lolfa. 978-1-84771-614-9. 96.
6. Book: Peter E. Baughan. North and Mid Wales. 1991. David St. John Thomas. 978-0-946537-59-4. 33.
7. The Hypermarket — Gold mine or white elephant. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. MCB. 1. 6. 42–44. 10.1108/eb017761.
8. Book: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Papers by command. 1972. HMSO. 44.
9. Web site: Fisk. Stephen. Abandoned Communities - Machynys. June 2009. 2009-08-05.
10. Book: British Dam Society. Conference. British Dam Society. The Prospect for Reservoirs in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the Tenth Conference of the BDS. 1998. Thomas Telford. 978-0-7277-2704-6. 303.
11. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
12. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
13. Web site: Winners of the Prose Medal. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 7 November 2019.
14. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1383-1. 195.
15. Book: Europa Publications. International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004. 2003. Psychology Press. 978-1-85743-179-7. 279.
16. Book: Felicia Hughes-Freeland. Ritual, Performance, Media. 16 December 2003. Routledge. 978-1-134-71382-0. 10.
17. Book: Bibliotheca Celtica. 1976. The Library. 385. 9780901833792.
18. Web site: Glyn Houston Obituary. 8 July 2019. Anthony Hayward. The Guardian. 25 May 2022.
19. News: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 29 July 2021.
20. Book: Joe Calzaghe. No Ordinary Joe. 1 April 2010. Random House. 978-1-4090-6452-7. 24.
21. Book: Scott Quinnell. The Hardest Test. Headline. 2012. 9781909335462.
22. Web site: Julian WINN - Wales [WAL]]. Commonwealth Games 2002. 7 November 2021.
23. Web site: Wales at the Rugby World Cup 1999. Wales Rugby Union. https://web.archive.org/web/20090212080550/http://www.wru.co.uk/41_426.php. 7 November 2021. 2009-02-12.
24. Himsworth . H. . Harold Percival Himsworth. Pitt-Rivers . R. . 10.1098/rsbm.1972.0009 . Charles Robert Harington. 1897-1972 . . 18 . 266–308 . 1972. 11615748 . 31136079 .
25. Book: Griffiths, Robert. Robert Griffiths (politician). S. O. Davies: A Socialist Faith. Gomer Press. Llandysul, Dyfed. 1983. 978-0-85088-887-4. 295.
26. Web site: Some Memorial Inscriptions, Boddington, Gloucestershire . Rosemary . Lockie . places.wishful-thinking.org.uk . 2015 . 13 May 2015.
27. Book: Royal Society of Edinburgh. Year Book of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 1971. Royal Society of Edinburgh. 46.
28. Web site: Morris-Jones, John Henry (1884-1972), Liberal/National Liberal politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 12 February 2021.
29. Web site: Emrys Jones, a British stage and film actor, was found dead.... July 11, 1972. New York Times. February 12, 2021.
30. Web site: Marquand, Hilary (1901-1972), economist and Labour politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 16 October 2019.
31. Web site: Ungoed-Thomas (Arwyn) Lynn (1904-1972), Labour politician. John Graham Jones. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 28 December 2019.
32. Book: Joyce, Michael . Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 . Tony Brown . 2012 . 978-1905891610 . Nottingham . 76.