1955 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1955 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 (Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, had not been officially designated with the title) - 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...
- John MorganJohn Morgan (bishop)John Morgan served as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon and subsequently as Bishop of Llandaff , in which post he was also enthroned on 21 September 1949 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 :...
- DyfnalltJohn Dyfnallt OwenRev. John Dyfnallt Owen , was a Welsh poet, and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1954 until his death. He was often known simply by his bardic name, "Dyfnallt"....
Events
- 18 April–28 May - Sir Charles Evans leads the mountaineering expedition that conquers Kanchenjunga.
- 20 December - 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...
becomes the official capital of WalesCapital of WalesThe Capital of Wales is a de facto designation usually applied to Cardiff since 1955. In that year, the Minister for Welsh Affairs Gwilym Lloyd-George commented in a Parliamentary written answer that "no formal measures are necessary to give effect to this decision".Cardiff is also the current seat...
. - The Farmers Union of Wales breaks away from the National Farmers Union.
- Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's mother, Carol Jones, emigrates from MaestegMaestegMaesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2001, Maesteg had a population of 17,859, but it is now at an estimate of 20,000....
to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Arts and literature
- The Gold Medal for ArchitectureArchitectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
is introduced to the National Eisteddfod. - Bertrand RussellBertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
retires to Plas Penrhyn, PenrhyndeudraethPenrhyndeudraethPenrhyndeudraeth is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is located between Traeth Mawr , the now largely reclaimed estuary of the Afon Glaslyn, and Traeth Bach , the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd. The village is close to the mouth of the Afon Dwyryd on the A487 from...
. - The Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music is founded.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in PwllheliPwllheliPwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Gwilym Ceri Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - W. J. GruffyddW. J. Gruffydd (Elerydd)William John Gruffydd , better known by his bardic name of Elerydd, was a Welsh Baptist minister and poet who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales between 1984 and 1987....
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - William Thomas Gruffydd
- Emyr HumphreysEmyr HumphreysEmyr Humphreys is a leading Welsh novelist, poet and author. He was born at Prestatyn in Flintshire, and attended University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He registered as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of the Second World War...
wins the Somerset Maugham Award for Hear and Forgive.
New books
- Kingsley AmisKingsley AmisSir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
- That Uncertain Feeling - Islwyn Ffowc ElisIslwyn Ffowc ElisIslwyn Ffowc Elis was one of Wales's most popular Welsh-language writers.Born Islwyn Ffoulkes Ellis in Wrexham, Elis was educated at the University of Wales colleges of Bangor and Aberystwyth. During World War II he was a conscientious objector and he began writing poetry and prose, winning the...
- Ffenestri Tua'r Gwyll - (Edwin) Stuart Evans - Elegy for the Death of a Clown
- Gwilym Thomas Hughes - Ei Seren tan Gwmwl
- Elisabeth Inglis-Jones - The Story of Wales
- 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...
- A Child's Christmas in WalesA Child's Christmas in WalesA Child's Christmas in Wales is a prose work by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas. Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases...
(posthumously published) - Richard Vaughan - Son of Justin
Film
- Stanley BakerStanley BakerSir Stanley Baker was a Welsh actor and film producer.-Early career:William Stanley Baker was born in Ferndale, Rhondda Valley, Wales. In the mid-1930s his parents moved to London, where Baker spent most of his formative years...
plays RichmondHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
in Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
's film of Richard III. - The Constant HusbandThe Constant HusbandThe Constant Husband is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall, Cecil Parker, George Cole and Raymond Huntley.-Plot:...
, starring Rex HarrisonRex HarrisonSir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
, includes some WelshWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
dialogue.
Broadcasting
- The Welsh Home ServiceBBC Home ServiceThe BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
becomes available on VHF from WenvoeWenvoeWenvoe is a Welsh village between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross in the suburbs of Cardiff.-History:...
Sport
- Cricket - Wilf Wooller becomes an England Test selector.
- 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...
- 22 January - Ken Jones becomes Wales's most capped player (36) in a game against England.
- 12 March - Wales beat Ireland 21–3 at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
- 26 March - WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
win the Five Nations ChampionshipSix Nations ChampionshipThe Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
for the fourth time this decade.
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearBBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru Wales...
- John DisleyJohn DisleyJohn Ivor Disley is a former Welsh athlete who competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeple chase. He was born in Corris, a village in Gwynedd...
Births
- 22 January - Clive GriffithsClive Griffiths (footballer)Clive Griffiths is a retired Welsh footballer.Griffiths was born in Pontypridd. He played for Manchester United, Plymouth Argyle and Tranmere Rovers...
, footballer - 4 March - Joey JonesJoey JonesFor other persons named Joey Jones, see Joey Jones.For other similarly named people, see Joseph Jones or Joe Jones.Joseph Patrick "Joey" Jones is a former Wales international football full-back who played for Liverpool for three seasons, including the 1977 season, in which they chased "the...
, footballer - 2 May - Peter SayerPeter SayerPeter Anthony Sayer is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. He amassed a total of seven caps during his career.-Club career:...
, footballer - 22 May - Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of WhitchurchMaggie Jones, Baroness Jones of WhitchurchMargaret Beryl Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch is a British trade union official and Labour politician. She was Chair of the Labour Party from 2000 to 2001....
, politician - 5 June - Alun PughAlun PughAlun John Pugh is a former Labour Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport. Pugh was born into a poor coal mining family in the Rhondda Valleys. He moved to North Wales in the mid 1980s. Pugh currently lives in his former constituency near Ruthin, and lived in...
, politician - 21 June (in Sunderland) - Janet RyderJanet RyderJanet Ryder is a Welsh politician. She was a Plaid Cymru member of the National Assembly for Wales for North Wales from 1999 to 2011. She moved with her family to Wales in 1990 and has since learnt Welsh....
, politician - 8 August - Gordon DaviesGordon Davies (footballer)Gordon John Davies is a former Welsh international football player. He earned 16 caps for Wales between 1979 and 1986, scoring 2 international goals.-Club career:...
, footballer - 7 December – Mihangel MorganMihangel MorganMihangel Morgan is a Welsh author.-Background and career:...
, author and academic - date unknown
- Amanda Levete, architect
Deaths
- 5 January - Douglas Marsden-JonesDouglas Marsden-JonesDouglas Marsden-Jones CBE was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and London Welsh. Marsden-Jones was also a member of Ronald Cove-Smith's British Isles team that toured South Africa in 1924....
, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 61 - 29 January - Sir Rhys Rhys-WilliamsRhys Rhys-WilliamsSir Rhys Rhys-Williams, 1st Baronet DSO QC DL , born Rhys Williams, was a British Liberal Party politician from Wales. He later left the Liberal Party for the Conservatives.-Family:...
, politician, 89 - 19 March - Tom EvansTom Evans (rugby player)Thomas "Tom" Henry Evans was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Llanelli. Evans played in eighteen international games for Wales, and in 1908 was part of the Welsh team that faced touring Australian team...
, Wales international rugby player, 72 - 2 April - Billy O'NeillBilly O'NeillWilliam "Billy" O'Neill often recorded as Billy O'Neil or Billy Neil was a Welsh international dual-code rugby front row player who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and Aberavon and as a professional rugby league player he represented Warrington...
, Wales national rugby player, 76 - 27 April - Ambrose BebbAmbrose BebbWilliam Ambrose Bebb was a Welsh author and politician.Ambrose Bebb was the son of diarist Edward Hughes Bebb, and the father of noted Welsh rugby international Dewi Bebb...
, author, 60 - 19 May - Percy BushPercy BushPercy Frank Bush was a Welsh rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales on eight occasions. Playing at fly-half, Bush is regarded as one of the most talented Welsh players before the first World War.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby union player, 75 - 28 September - Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees, Victoria Cross recipient, 71
- 14 October - Harry Parr DaviesHarry Parr DaviesHarry Parr-Davies was a Welsh composer and songwriter.He was born Harry Parr Davies in Briton Ferry, Neath, South Wales and was a musical prodigy, having composed whole operettas by the time he was in his teens. He came to the attention of composer Sir Walford Davies, who encouraged him to study...
, songwriter, 41 - 15 October - Thomas Jones (T. J.), founder of Coleg HarlechColeg HarlechColeg Harlech is a further education college for mature students in Harlech, Gwynedd.It is Wales' only long-term, mature students education college and was established in 1927 by Thomas Jones , Cabinet Secretary to both David Lloyd George and Stanley Baldwin, to continue the work of Workers'...
, 85 - 30 October - Bert DaunceyBert DaunceyFrederick Herbert Dauncey was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Newport and was capped three times for Wales. Dauncey was an all-round sportsman, and also represented Wales in tennis and Newport in field hockey...
, Wales international rugby player, 83 - 1 November - Ronw Moelwyn HughesRonw Moelwyn HughesRonw Moelwyn Hughes , known as Moelwyn Hughes was a Welsh lawyer and a Liberal and Labour politician who was elected to two brief terms as a Member of Parliament ....
, politician, 58 - 15 December - V. E. Nash-WilliamsVictor Erle Nash-WilliamsVictor Erle Nash-Williams was a noted Welsh archaeologist.Educated at the Lewis School, Pengam, and at the University College in Cardiff, he was appointed Keeper at the National Museum of Wales...
, archaeologist, 58