1934 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1934 to Wales
and its people
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
- Edward, Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, son of King George V of the United KingdomGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
- vacant - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- Charles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell Green was the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Monmouth and subsequently Bishop of Bangor during which time he also served as Archbishop of Wales...
Events
- 22 September - At GresfordGresford DisasterThe Gresford Disaster was one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters and mining accidents. It occurred on September 22, 1934 at Gresford Colliery near Wrexham, in north-east Wales, when 266 men died. Only eleven bodies were ever recovered from the mine....
Colliery in WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, 265 miners are killed in a mining accidentMining accidentA mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
. Later in the year, Paul RobesonPaul RobesonPaul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
performs in CaernarfonCaernarfonCaernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in a benefit concert for victims of the accident. - 23 October - Opening of the Guildhall, Swansea, designed by Percy ThomasPercy ThomasSir Percy Edward Thomas OBE , was an award-winning British architect based in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president ....
. - Anthracite production in Wales reaches its peak.
- The Special Areas ActSpecial Areas Act 1934The Special Areas Act was an Act of Parliament which gave aid to the areas of Britain which had the highest unemployment rates in the 1930s. Areas which benefited included South Wales, Tyneside, Cumberland and southern Scotland; but not Lancashire. There were two unpaid commissioners given...
is passed to help areas such as the South Wales ValleysSouth Wales ValleysThe South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
that have been particularly affected by the Great Depression in the United KingdomGreat Depression in the United KingdomThe Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
. - CourtauldsCourtauldsCourtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...
establishes a rayonRayonRayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
factory at Greenfield. - Aneurin BevanAneurin BevanAneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
marries fellow MP Jennie Lee. - Tudor ThomasTudor ThomasSir James William Tudor Thomas universally known as Tudor Thomas was a Welsh ophthalmic surgeon who came to note in 1934 when pioneering work on corneal grafting restored the sight of a man who had been nearly blind for 27 years.-Life history:Thomas was born in Ystradgynlais, Swansea, Wales in 1893...
' work on corneal grafting restores the sight of a man who had been nearly blind for 27 years.
Arts and literature
- Sir Henry Walford Davies is appointed Master of the King's Musick.
- The Welsh Folk Dance Society is founded at BalaBala, GwyneddBala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
. - The Brangwyn HallBrangwyn HallThe Brangwyn Hall is a concert venue in Swansea. It is named after the artist Frank Brangwyn, whose famous "panels", originally intended for the House of Lords, are displayed there....
, SwanseaSwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, is inaugurated. - Caradog PrichardCaradog PrichardCaradog Prichard was a Welsh poet and novelist writing in Welsh. His daughter, Mari Prichard, was married to the late Humphrey Carpenter....
becomes sub-editor of the News ChronicleNews ChronicleThe News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
. - Richard HughesRichard Hughes (writer)Richard Arthur Warren Hughes OBE was a British writer of poems, short stories, novels and plays.He was born in Weybridge, Surrey. His father was a civil servant Arthur Hughes, and his mother Louisa Grace Warren who had been brought up in Jamaica...
and his wife move into Laugharne CastleLaugharne CastleLaugharne Castle is a castle in the town of Laugharne in southern Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the estuary of the River Tâf....
.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
(held in NeathNeathNeath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - William Morris
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Thomas Eurig Davies
New books
- Edward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla Davies was a Methodist minister and a popular Welsh language writer, born at Llandegla-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, north Wales....
- Y Llwybr Arian - D. Gwenallt JonesD. Gwenallt JonesGwenallt , poet, critic, and scholar, was one of the most important figures of 20th-century Welsh-language literature.-Early life:...
- Plasau'r Brenin - Jack JonesJack Jones (novelist)Jack Jones was a Welsh novelist and playwright who began writing in the 1930s.-Early years:Jack Jones was born in 1884 at Tai-Harri-Blawdd in Merthyr Tydfil, the son of a coal miner. He joined his father to work in the mine aged 12. At the age of 17 he joined the army and was posted to South...
- Rhondda Roundabout - Howard SpringHoward SpringHoward Spring was a Welsh author.He began his writing career as a journalist, but from 1934 produced a series of best-selling novels, the most successful of which was Fame is the Spur , which has been both a major film, starring Michael Redgrave, and a BBC television series , starring Tim...
- Shabby Tiger - Dylan ThomasDylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
- 18 Poems
Film
- Ray MillandRay MillandRay Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
appears in We're Not DressingWe're Not DressingWe're Not Dressing is a 1934 screwball comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Burns and Allen, Ethel Merman, and Ray Milland. Based on the 1902 J. M. Barrie play, The Admirable Crichton, the movie was directed by Norman Taurog.-Synopsis:...
. - Gareth HughesGareth HughesGareth Hughes was a Welsh stage and silent screen actor. Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywood silent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful leads on Broadway....
appears in Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage PatchMrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage PatchMrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch is a 1934 comedy-genre film, directed by Norman Taurog, and based on the 1901 novel by Alice Hegan Rice. It also appeared as a radio series between 1936 and 1938. It is one of two movies that feature a rare film performance by famed Broadway stage actress Pauline...
. - Yr Ail Fordaith Gymraeg (Second Welsh Cruise), a silent film made by Ifan ab Owen EdwardsIfan ab Owen EdwardsSir Ifan ab Owen Edwards , was a Welsh academic, writer and film-maker, best known as the founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth....
focusing on the activities of Urdd Gobaith CymruUrdd Gobaith Cymrudde|200px|thumb|The Urdd logoUrdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Welsh-medium youth movement with over 1,500 branches and over 50,000 members...
(with Welsh-language titles)
Sport
- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- Wales is a founder member of the Badminton World Federation. - Cricket - Cyril WaltersCyril WaltersCyril Frederick Walters was a Welsh cricketer who had most of his success after leaving Glamorgan to do duty as captain-secretary of Worcestershire. In this role he developed his batting to such an extent that for a brief period he became an England regular and even captained them in one match as...
becomes the first Welshman to captain an England Test team - Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
- 10 March - Wales defeat Ireland 13–0 in a game held at St Helen's, Swansea
Births
- 11 February - Mary QuantMary QuantMary Quant OBE FCSD is a British] fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born in Blackheath, London, to Welsh parents, Quant brought fun and fantasy to...
, fashion designer - 25 February - Nicholas Edwards, Baron CrickhowellNicholas Edwards, Baron CrickhowellRoger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, PC is a British Conservative Party politician and a former Secretary of State for Wales.-Background:...
, politician - 28 March - Graham VearncombeGraham VearncombeGraham Vearncombe was a Wales international football player. A goalkeeper, he played his club football for Cardiff City and was part of the Wales squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden.-Career:...
, footballer (died 1993) - 18 April - Brynmor JohnBrynmor JohnBrynmor Thomas John was a British Labour politician.John was Member of Parliament for Pontypridd in South Wales from 1970 until his death in 1988 at the age of 55...
, politician (died 1988) - 16 May - Kenneth O. Morgan, Baron MorganKenneth O. Morgan, Baron MorganKenneth Owen Morgan, Baron Morgan is a Welsh historian and author, known especially for his writings on Modern British history and politics and on Welsh history. He is also a regular reviewer and broadcaster on radio and television....
, historian - 13 June - GrenGrenGrenfell "Gren" Jones MBE was one of Wales's best-known and longest-serving newspaper cartoonists.- Biography :The son of coal miner Harry Jones, Gren was born in Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley...
, cartoonist (died 2007) - 5 July - Philip MadocPhilip MadocPhilip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
, actor - 13 July - Dai WardDai WardDavid "Dai" Ward was a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. During his career in The Football League, he averaged a goal every other game, scoring 160 goals in 316 matches between 1954 and 1965....
, footballer (died 1996) - August 6 - Billy BostonBilly BostonWilliam John "Billy" Boston MBE is a former Wales and Great Britain professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer. Boston is a member of the Rugby League Hall of Fame, Welsh Sports Hall of Fame and was, along with Shaun Edwards the first to be voted into the Wigan Hall Of Fame...
, rugby league footballer - 1 November - William MathiasWilliam MathiasWilliam Mathias CBE was a Welsh composer.-Brief biography:Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and composing at the age of five. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Lennox Berkeley, where he was elected a fellow...
, composer (died 1992) - 24 November - Dewi Zephaniah Phillips, philosopher (died 2006)
Deaths
- 6 January - Dorothy EdwardsDorothy Edwards (Welsh novelist)Dorothy Edwards , was a Welsh novelist of the early 20th century.Edwards was from Ogmore Vale in South Wales. She was educated at Howell's School for girls in Llandaff and at Cardiff University. She was politically active, working for socialist and Welsh nationalist causes, but wrote in English. ...
, novelist, 30 (suicide) - 23 January - Charles McLaren, 1st Baron AberconwayCharles McLaren, 1st Baron AberconwayCharles Benjamin Bright McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway, PC, QC, JP , known as Sir Charles McLaren, 1st Baronet between 1902 and 1911, was a Scottish jurist and Liberal Party politician. He was a landowner and industrialist.-Education:Born in Edinburgh, McLaren was the son of the politician Duncan...
, owner of Bodnant, 83 - 4 February - Harry WetterHarry WetterHarry Wetter was an English-born international, rugby union centre who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. He won just two caps for Wales but is most notable for being a member of the Newport team that beat the 1912 touring South African team...
, Welsh international rugby union player, 52 - 25 February - Daniel ProtheroeDaniel ProtheroeDaniel Protheroe , was a Welsh composer and conductor, born at Cwmgiedd near Ystradgynlais, Brecknockshire. After success at the National Eisteddfod at a young age, he emigrated to the USA, where he was educated...
, composer and conductor, 67 - 24 May - William Nathaniel JonesWilliam Nathaniel JonesWilliam Nathaniel Jones was a Welsh Liberal politician, businessman and soldier.Jones who served as a Justice of the Peace in Carmarthenshire married Margaret Francis of Llandilo. In 1923 he was nominated as one of the Sheriffs of Carmarthenshire...
, politician, 76 - 14 June - George ThomasGeorge Thomas (rugby player)George Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Newport and international rugby for Wales...
, Wales international rugby union player, 76/77 - 19 July - Christopher WilliamsChristopher Williams (Welsh artist)Christopher David Williams was a Welsh artist.He was born in Maesteg, Wales. His father Evan Williams intended him to be a doctor, but he disliked the idea. A visit to the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, in 1892, where he spent some hours in front of Frederick Leighton's "Perseus and Andromeda,"...
, painter, 61 - 28 August - Edgeworth DavidEdgeworth DavidSir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE, DSO, FRS, was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the...
, geologist and explorer, 76 - 11 October - John Kelt EdwardsJohn Kelt EdwardsJohn Kelt Edwards was a Welsh artist and cartoonist. The son of a shopkeeper from Blaenau Ffestiniog, Edwards was educated at Llandovery College. After leaving college he toured Europe, and exhibited his artwork a the Paris Salon....
, cartoonist, 59 - 13 November - Sir Evan Vincent Evans, journalist, 81