1995 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1995 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – John Redwood (until 26 June);^[1] David Hunt (Acting);^[2] William Hague (from 5 July)^[3]
• Archbishop of Wales – Alwyn Rice Jones, Bishop of St Asaph^[4]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – John Gwilym Jones^[5]

Events

• 3 January – Tower Colliery re-opens under the ownership of the workforce buyout company Goitre Tower Anthracite.^[6]
• 1 February – Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers disappears.^[7]
• 16 February - In the Islwyn by-election brought about by the resignation of Neil Kinnock, Don Touhig is elected as Labour MP for the constituency.^[8]
• April – TBI plc purchases Cardiff-Wales Airport from Glamorgan County Council.
• 20 July – Swansea-born Michael Heseltine becomes Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, an office last held by Geoffrey Howe.
• 30 July – Police in North Wales launch a murder inquiry after the body of seven-year-old Sophie Hook (who had gone missing from a nearby house during the night) is found on a beach near Llandudno by a man walking his dog.^[9]
• 6 August - Howard Hughes, a 30-year-old Colwyn Bay man, is charged with the murder of Sophie Hook.^[9]
• November - Diver Keith Hurley discovers the wreck of the submarine Resurgam (sunk 1880) off Rhyl.^[10]
• 20 November - The Princess of Wales gives a revealing interview to Martin Bashir for the Panorama current affairs television programme on BBC 1, discussing her personal problems and marriage in candid detail.^[11]
• 20 December – The Queen writes to The Prince and Princess of Wales urging them to divorce as soon as possible.
• Welsh historian Sir Rees Davies is appointed to the Chichele Chair of Medieval History in the University of Oxford.
• Historian Glanmor Williams is knighted.

Arts and literature

• Roger Rees is nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Indiscretions.
• Michael Ball performs in the Les Misérables tenth anniversary concert.
• Peter Karrie is voted the favourite Phantom of members of The Phantom of the Opera Appreciation Society for the second year in a row.
• The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea, is opened by Jimmy Carter.

Awards

• Glyndŵr Award – Kyffin Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Abergele)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Tudur Dylan Jones^[12]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Gwyn^[13]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Angharad Jones for Y Dylluan Wen
• Wales Book of the Year

• • English language: Duncan Bush, Masks
  • Welsh language: Aled Islwyn, Unigolion, Unigeddau
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Beryl Stafford Williams^[14]

New books

• Roger Boore – Y Bachgen Gwyllt
• Robin Llywelyn – Y Dwr Mawr Llwyd
• R. S. Thomas – No Truce with the Furies
• Aled Rhys Wiliam – Cywain

Film

English-language films

• The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, with Kenneth Griffith^[15]
• Restoration is partly filmed at Caerphilly Castle.^[16]

Welsh-language films

• Branwen^[17]

Music

• Robin Huw Bowen – Harp Music of Wales (Cerddoriaeth Telyn Cymru)
• Carreg Lafar – Ysbryd y Werin
• Dafydd Iwan – Cân Celt
• Super Furry Animals – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (in space) (E.P.)
• Triskedekaphilia (compilation album)

Broadcasting

• 30 September – 96.4 FM The Wave goes on air for the first time.

Welsh-language television

• A55, starring Iwan "Iwcs" Roberts
• Rownd a Rownd, a youth-oriented soap opera set and filmed around Menai Bridge, launches on S4C

English-language television

• John Rhys-Davies takes the lead in the new US drama series, Sliders.
• Somebody's Son (prizewinning documentary made for BBC2 and BBC Wales by Raw Charm).

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Neville Southall^[18]
• Rugby Union
  • 4 June – A narrow defeat by Ireland results in Wales being eliminated from the Rugby World Cup competition after only three matches.

Births

• 5 January – Tom John, footballer
• 13 February – Leona Vaughan, actress
• 13 June – Anna Morris, cyclist^[19]
• 30 June – Declan John, footballer
• 4 July – Amy Hill, cyclist^[20]
• 9 October – Jasmine Joyce-Butchers, rugby player^[21]
• 12 October – Jordan Howe, Paralympic athlete^[22]
• 30 November – Seb Morris, racing driver

Deaths

• 28 January – Philip Burton, theatre director and radio producer, 90^[23]
• 2 February - Raymond Bark-Jones, English-born Wales international rugby union player, 83
• 4 February - David Alexander, singer, 56^[24]
• 8 February – Don Devereux, dual-code rugby player, 62
• 8 February – Rachel Thomas, actress, 89
• 11 March – Myfanwy Talog, actress, 50^[25]
• 28 March - Julian Cayo-Evans, political activist, 57^[26]
• 10 April – Glyn Jones, poet, author and academic, 90^[27]
• 12 April – Cyril Sidlow, footballer, 89
• 21 April – Tessie O'Shea, entertainer, 82^[28]
• 21 June – Tristan Jones, sailor, 66
• 24 June – Len Blyth, Wales international rugby player, 74
• 25 September – Dave Bowen, footballer, 67
• 26 September – Lynette Roberts, poet, 86^[29]
• 5 December – Charles Evans, doctor and mountaineer, 77^[30]

See also

• 1995 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: J. Graham Jones. The History of Wales. January 1998. University of Wales Press. 978-0-7083-1491-3. 157.
2. Web site: Lord Hunt of Wirral. UK Parliament. 31 May 2022.
3. Web site: Rt Hon William Hague MP – profile. 1 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080506100701/http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=4680 . 6 May 2008.
4. Web site: The Right Rev Alwyn Rice Jones . The Independent . 16 August 2007 . . 31 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000228/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2866732.ece . 1 October 2007 . dead.
5. Web site: Former Archdruid honoured. July 2012. Aberystwyth University. 3 July 2022.
6. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1147641.ece Times online
7. Book: Colin Larkin. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Kollington – Morphine. 2006. MUZE. 978-0-19-531373-4. 309.
8. News: Conservatives trounced in poll. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/conservatives-trounced-in-poll-1573413.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. Patricia Wynn Davies. 2005-02-17. 2011-03-01. The Independent.
9. Book: Michael D. A. Freeman. The Moral Status of Children: Essays on the Rights of the Children. 28 August 1997. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. 90-411-0377-5. 4.
10. Book: Paul Bowers. The Garrett Enigma and the Early Submarine Pioneers. January 1999. Airlife. 978-1-84037-066-9. 118.
11. News: 1995: Diana admits adultery in TV interview. BBC News. 2008-01-30. 20 November 1995. https://web.archive.org/web/20080307140414/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_4341000/4341436.stm. 7 March 2008 . live.
12. https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/eisteddfod/2011/sites/guide/history/pages/past_chair.shtml BBC – Eisteddfod Chair Winners
13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/eisteddfod/2011/sites/guide/history/pages/past_crown.shtml BBC – Eisteddfod Crown Winners
14. Web site: Enillwyr Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen. cy. BBC Cymru. 24 November 2019.
15. Book: John Duncan Davies. Three Mountains to Freedom. Brill. 2019. 9789004397323. 9.
16. Book: Russell Grant. The Real Counties of Britain. Virgin. 1996. 9781852274795. 172.
17. News: Branwen (1994) . 4 October 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310142523/https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/133806/Branwen/overview . Movies & TV Dept. . . . Sandra Brennan . 2016 . 10 March 2016.
18. News: BBC Wales Sport Personality winners . BBC Sport . 2 August 2021.
19. Web site: Anna Morris . Team Wales . 10 August 2024.
20. Web site: Amy Hill Bio. British Cycling. 24 July 2013. 10 August 2024.
21. Web site: Jasmine Joyce. 2021-05-10. Welsh Rugby Union Wales & Regions. en-GB.
22. Web site: Jordan Howe . paralympics.org.uk . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160709065555/http://paralympics.org.uk/gb/athletes/jordan-howe . 9 July 2016 . dead .
23. Book: Harris M. Lentz. Obituaries in the Performing Arts. 1995. McFarland & Company. 978-0-7864-0253-3. 31.
24. Web site: A Life Inside & Outside of Politics – Mark Cole: David Alexander – Wales' Other Tom Jones. Cole. Mark. 11 March 2011. A Life Inside & Outside of Politics – Mark Cole. 22 August 2018.
25. Book: Stafford Hildred. Tim Ewbank. Sir David Jason – A Life of Laughter. 3 September 2012. John Blake Publishing. 978-1-78219-072-1. 165–166.
26. Web site: Obituary: Julian Cayo Evans. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituaryjulian-cayo-evans-1613536.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. 31 March 1995. Tony Heath. The Independent. 11 August 2019.
27. Web site: Obituary: Glyn Jones . The Independent . Meic Stephens . 11 April 1995 . 3 May 2010.
28. Web site: Obituary: Tessie O'Shea. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-tessie-oshea-1616990.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. 25 April 1995. Dennis Gifford. The Independent. 11 August 2019.
29. Web site: Obituary: Lynette Roberts. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-lynette-roberts-1603243.html . 2022-05-01 . subscription . live. 28 September 1995. Meic Stephens. Meic Stephens. The Independent. 11 August 2019.
30. Robert Charles Evans 1918–1995, obituary by Michael Ward, Geographical Journal, Vol. 162, No. 2 (Jul., 1996), pp. 257–58