1940 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1940 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...
- vacant - 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... - ArchdruidArchdruidThe Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the 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 :...
- CrwysWilliam Williams (Crwys)William Williams , better known by his bardic name of "Crwys", was a Welsh poet in the Welsh language. He served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1939 to 1947....
Events
- The Urdd changes its policy to include 16 to 25-year-olds.
- 27 January - A freak ice stormIce stormAn ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or in some parts of the United States as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on exposed surfaces...
brings down telephone and electricity lines in many parts of Wales. - 3 March - The steamer Cato is damaged by a mine off Nash PointNash PointNash Point is a headland and beach in the Monknash Coast of the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. It is a popular location for ramblers and hiking along the cliffs to Llantwit Major beach....
and 13 of the crew are killed. - May
- The newly-created Coalition GovernmentCoalition Government 1940-1945Members of the War Cabinet are in bold face.-Source:* D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000....
includes Hugh DaltonHugh DaltonEdward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton PC was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947, when he was implicated in a political scandal involving budget leaks....
as Minister of Economic WarfareMinister of Economic WarfareThe Minister of Economic Warfare was a British government position which existed during the Second World War. The minister was in charge of the Special Operations Executive.-Ministers of Economic Warfare 1939-1945:...
. - Alun LewisAlun LewisAlun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
enlists.
- The newly-created Coalition Government
- 8 May - Three Nazi German LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Heinkel 111s crash in separate incidents over Wales: one near 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...
, one at Malpas in DenbighshireDenbighshireDenbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, and one at BagilltBagilltBagillt is a small town near Holywell in Flintshire, North Wales. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918.-History:http://stmarysbagillt.co.uk/...
, Flint. In all nine crew are killed and four captured. - 3 July - CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
is bombed for the first time. - 10 July - Ten people are killed in an air raidSwansea BlitzThe Swansea Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of Swansea by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany on 19–21 February 1941.Swansea was selected as a legitimate target due to its importance as a port and docks and the oil refinery just beyond and its destruction was key to Nazi German war efforts as...
on 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...
Docks. - 11 August - Seventeen people are killed in an air raid on Manselton, Swansea.
- 14 August - Three German Heinkel 111s are shot down during an air-raid on CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, and another over North Wales after a raid on RAF Hawarden. - 22 August - A steamer, the Thorold, is sunk by German aircraft off the Skerries. Ten crew are killed.
- 2 September - 33 people are killed in an air raid on Swansea.
- 3 September - Eleven people are killed in an air raid on CardiffCardiff BlitzThe Cardiff Blitz refers to the bombing of Cardiff, Wales during World War II.At the time, Cardiff Docks was the biggest coal port in the world and, for a few years before World War I, it handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool....
. - 4 September - A German Junkers 88 crashes near MachynllethMachynllethMachynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
. Four crew and a GestapoGestapoThe Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
officer are captured. - 13 September - A German Heinkel 111 crashes into a house in NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Monmouthshire. - 20 October - Communist minister and poet Thomas Evan Nicholas ("Niclas y Glais") and his son are arrested and interned for "endeavouring to impede recruitment to HM Forces".
- 22 November - The steamer Pikepool is damaged by a mine off Linney Head, Pembrokeshire, with the loss of 17 crew.
- Gwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen Williams was Bishop of Bangor from 1957 to 1982 and Anglican Archbishop of Wales from 1971 to 1982....
becomes chaplain of St David's College, LampeterUniversity of Wales, LampeterUniversity of Wales, Lampeter is a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822 by royal charter, it is the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales and may be the third oldest in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge...
. - Percy CudlippPercy CudlippPercy Cudlipp , was a prominent Welsh journalist.He was born at 180 Arabella Street, Cardiff, and was the brother of Hugh Cudlipp and Reginald Cudlipp, both notable journalists. Percy Cudlipp began his journalistic career with the South Wales Echo...
becomes editor of the Daily Herald. - Alun Talfan DaviesAlun Talfan DaviesSir Alun Talfan Davies QC was a Welsh lawyer, writer and publisher, the brother of Aneirin Talfan Davies.He was born at Gorseinon near Swansea, brought up a Presbyterian, and educated at Gowerton grammar school. He read Law at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and at Gonville and Caius...
and his brother AneirinAneirin Talfan DaviesAneirin Talfan Davies was a Welsh poet, broadcaster and literary critic.Talfan Davies was brought up in Gorseinon. During the 1930s Davies worked in London as a pharmacist before returning to Wales and settling in Swansea. He was the brother of Alun Talfan Davies, with whom he founded the...
found the publishing house Llyfrau'r Dryw.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in BangorBangor, WalesBangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
(radio)) - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - T. Rowland Hughes
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld
New books
- Cyfrol Goffa Richard BennettRichard BennettRichard Bennett may refer to:* Richard Bennett , film star and father of actresses Constance Bennett and Joan Bennett* Richard Bennett , English cricketer...
- Clara Novello DaviesClara Novello DaviesClara Novello Davies was a well-known Welsh singer, teacher and conductor.Clara Novello Davies was born in Cardiff to Jacob, a miner, and Margaret Davies and named after Clara Novello, a famous soprano . Her father, leader of the church choir, taught her to play the harmonium...
- The Life I Have Loved - David Delta Edwards - Rhedeg ar ôl y Cysgodion
- John Cowper PowysJohn Cowper Powys-Biography:Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, in 1872, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys , who was vicar of Montacute, Somerset for thirty-two years, and Mary Cowper Johnson, a descendent of the poet William Cowper. He came from a family of eleven children, many of whom were also...
- Owen GlendowerOwen Glendower (novel)Owen Glendower is a historical novel by John Cowper Powys, first published in 1940.-Plot introduction:The book tells the story of the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr, as seen through the eyes of his young relation, Rhisiart ab Owen of Hereford... - 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...
- Fame is the Spur
Music
- Mai JonesMai JonesMai Jones , was a Welsh songwriter, entertainer and radio producer.She was born in Newport, the daughter of a railway stationmaster. Having won a scholarship to study music at the University of Wales, Cardiff, she went on to the Royal College of Music...
& Lyn Joshua - "We'll Keep a Welcome" (performed for the first time in the forces' variety show, Welsh RarebitWelsh Rarebit (radio programme)Welsh Rarebit was a Welsh radio variety show broadcasted from Cardiff by the BBC. First transmitted in 1938 by the Welsh Home Service, it became the main English language entertainment programme from the BBC in Wales during Second World War...
on 29 February)
Broadcasting
- February 25 - The Proud Valley is the first film to have its première on radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, when the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcasts a 60-minute version. - October - The BBC Radio Variety Department relocates to Bangor, GwyneddBangor, GwyneddBangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
because of wartime disruption.
Sport
- FootballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- 13 April - Wales defeat England 1 - 0.
- QuoitsQuoitsQuoits is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike . The sport of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.-The history of quoits:The history of quoits is disputed...
- Jack Price wins the Welsh championship for the third time.
Births
- 4 January - Professor Brian Josephson
- 17 January - Leighton ReesLeighton ReesLeighton Thomas Rees was the first ever World Professional Darts Champion.-Early life:Rees was born in the village of Ynysybwl, where he was to spend most of his life...
, darts champion - 23 January - Ted RowlandsTed Rowlands, Baron RowlandsEdward "Ted" Rowlands, Baron Rowlands, CBE is a Welsh politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for over thirty years and as a junior minister in the 1960s and 1970s.-Education:...
, politician - 1 March - David BroomeDavid BroomeDavid McPherson Broome CBE is a retired Welsh show jumping champion.Broome was born in Wales, attended Monmouth School and still maintains his stables at Mount Ballan Manor, Crick, near Chepstow in Monmouthshire...
, show jumping champion - 16 May - Sir Gareth Roberts, physicist (died 2007)
- 7 June - Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, singer - 29 June - John DawesJohn DawesSydney John Dawes OBE is a former Welsh rugby union player, playing at centre, and later coach. He captained London Welsh, Wales, the Barbarians and the British Lions...
, rugby player - 3 September - Eduardo Hughes GaleanoEduardo GaleanoEduardo Hughes Galeano is a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego and Las venas abiertas de América Latina which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and...
, Uruguayan writer of Welsh descent - 12 September - Patrick MowerPatrick MowerPatrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
, Welsh-descended actor - 14 October - Christopher TimothyChristopher TimothyChristopher Timothy is a Welsh actor, television director and writer. Timothy is possibly best known today for his role as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small; more recently he has starred as Dr. Brendan 'Mac' McGuire in the British television drama Doctors...
, actor (in Bala, Gwynedd) - 13 December - Klaus Armstrong-Braun, environmentalist
- 24 December - John Marek, politician
- date unknown
- Donald EvansDonald Evans (Welsh poet)Donald Evans is a Welsh poet, who writes in the Welsh language.Evans comes from Talgarreg in Ceredigion. Between 1966 and 1972 he produced the periodical Y Cardi. He won the "double" of crown and chair twice, once at the 1977 National Eisteddfod of Wales and again in 1980. In 2006 he was awarded...
, poet - Keith MilesKeith MilesKeith Miles is a writer of historical fiction and mystery novels. He has also written children's books, radio and television dramas and stage plays. He is best known under the pseudonym Edward Marston, and has also written as Martin Inigo and Conrad Allen.-Career:Miles was born and educated in...
, novelist and screenwriter
- Donald Evans
Deaths
- 12 February - William Edwards, educationist
- 21 February - Sir Alfred Edward Lewis, banker
- 20 March - William Thomas Edwards (Gwilym Deudraeth), poet
- 7 April - Ernest RowlandErnest RowlandErnest Melville Rowlands was a Welsh international rugby union player who played rugby for Lampeter University and international rugby for Wales.-Personal life:...
, priest and Wales international rugby player, 75 - 27 April - Fred CornishFred CornishFrederick "Fred" Henry Cornish was an English-born rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Cornish 'Went North' in 1899 switching to rugby league, joining Hull.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player - 8 August - Daniel Lleufer Thomas, lawyer and biographer
- 20 August - Henry Maldwyn Hughes, Wesleyan minister
- 26 September - W. H. DaviesW. H. DaviesWilliam Henry Davies or W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet and writer. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time...
, poet and author - 9 October - Sir Wilfred GrenfellWilfred GrenfellSir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, KCMG was a medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador.He was born at Parkgate, Wirral, England, the son of Algernon Grenfell, headmaster of Mostyn House School, and Jane Georgiana Hutchison and married Anne Elizabeth Caldwell MacClanahan of Chicago, Illinois, in...
, medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador - 9 November - Gwilym Owen, physicist
- 15 December
- Robert Thomas JonesRobert Thomas JonesRobert Thomas Jones was a Welsh quarryman, trade unionist and Labour Party politician.He was elected at the 1922 general election as the Member of Parliament for Caernarvonshire, having unsuccessfully contested the seat in 1918...
, quarrymen’s leader - Sir David Richard Llewellyn, 1st Baronet, industrialist
- Robert Thomas Jones