1973 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1973 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...
- 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... - 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 - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
- Peter Thomas - 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...
- Gwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen Williams was Bishop of Bangor from 1957 to 1982 and Anglican Archbishop of Wales from 1971 to 1982.... - 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 :...
- BrinleyBrinley Richards (1904-1981)Brinley Richards was a Welsh language poet and author, who was Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1972 to 1975....
Events
- April - The Welsh-language newspaper, Y DinesyddY DinesyddY Dinesydd is a monthly, local Welsh language newspaper for Cardiff, Wales, established in April 1973. It's available at schools, chapels, various organisations and companies for free. It contains news and articles about organisations in Cardiff and includes paid advertisements...
, is founded. - May - SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
opens its factory in BridgendBridgendBridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, the first major Japanese investment in Wales. - July - Sixteen-year-old Sandra Newton is found murdered at TonmawrTonmawrTonmawr is a village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, south Wales. It is located around four miles east of Neath.The village is home to a rugby union team , a primary school, a community centre, and the Pelenna Mountain Centre....
. - 16 September - Sixteen-year-olds Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd are found murdered at LlandarcyLlandarcyLlandarcy is a village near Neath in Neath Port Talbot county borough, southwest Wales, and formerly the site of the UK's first oil refinery. The village, which lies near the Junction 43 of the M4 Motorway, was originally designed as a garden village to house the workers for the refinery, built by...
. Their murders, along with that of Sandra Newton in July, will remain unsolved for 29 years. - 23 November - Max BoyceMax BoyceMaxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
records his legendary live show at TreorchyTreorchyTreorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
Rugby Club. - During the year, there are 424 road deaths in Wales - an all-time record.
- Creation of the Wales TUCWales TUCThe Wales TUC is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With over 50 affiliated unions as of 2006, the Wales TUC represents nearly half a million workers trade unionists....
. - Drilling for oil and gas begins off the coast of Wales. A fourth oil refinery opens at Milford HavenMilford HavenMilford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
. - The Llyn BrianneLlyn BrianneLlyn Brianne is a man-made lake or reservoir in the headwaters of the River Tywi in central Wales.-Construction:The reservoir was constructed by Wimpey Construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s in order to regulate the flow in the River Tywi to support large potable water abstraction at...
dam is completed. - Professor Brian Josephson wins the Nobel Prize for Physics.
- Welsh actress Angharad ReesAngharad ReesAngharad Mary Rees is a Welsh actress, best-known for her British television roles during the 1970s, garnering notice for her leading role as Demelza in the 1970s BBC drama series Poldark.-Career:...
marries Christopher CazenoveChristopher CazenoveChristopher Cazenove was an English cinema, television and stage actor.-Early life and career:He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, the son of Arnold de Lerisson Cazenove and Elizabeth Laura in Winchester, Hampshire, but was brought up in Bowlish, Somerset...
.
Arts and literature
- Publication of the first papur bro community newspaper, Y Dinesydd.
- The Welsh Philharmonia Orchestra is founded.
- Sir Richard ArmstrongRichard Armstrong (conductor)Sir Richard Armstrong, CBE is a British conductor. He was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he was an organ scholar.-Overview:...
becomes conductor of Welsh National OperaWelsh National OperaWelsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
. - Joe StrummerJoe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
begins his studies at Newport College of Art.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in RuthinRuthinRuthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Alan LlwydAlan LlwydAlan Llwyd , original name Alan Lloyd Roberts, is a Welsh poet, literary critic and editor, one of the most prolific Welsh-language poets in the last quarter of the 20th century....
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Alan LlwydAlan LlwydAlan Llwyd , original name Alan Lloyd Roberts, is a Welsh poet, literary critic and editor, one of the most prolific Welsh-language poets in the last quarter of the 20th century....
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Emyr Roberts
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - Urien WiliamUrien WiliamUrien Wiliam , was a Welsh language novelist and dramatist.He was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, the son of Professor Stephen J. Williams, an academic at Swansea University...
New books
- Leo AbseLeo AbseLeopold Abse was a Welsh lawyer, politician and gay rights campaigner. He was a Welsh Labour Member of Parliament for nearly 30 years, and was noted for promoting private member's bills to decriminalise male homosexual relations and liberalise the divorce laws...
- Private Member - Huw Lloyd Edwards - Y Llyffantod
- Jane Edwards - Tyfu
- Gwynfor EvansGwynfor EvansDr Richard Gwynfor Evans , was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. President of Plaid Cymru for thirty six years, he was the first Member of Parliament to represent Plaid Cymru at Westminster ....
- Wales Can Win - W. J. Gruffydd (Elerydd)W. 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....
- Cerddi'r Llygad - 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...
- The Wooden Shepherdess - Moses Glyn Jones - Y Ffynnon Fyw
- T. Llew JonesT. Llew JonesThomas Llewelyn Jones was a Welsh language writer who, over a writing career of more than 50 years, was one of the most prolific and popular authors of children's books in Welsh. He wrote, and was generally known, as T. Llew Jones.- Biography :T. Llew Jones was born at 1 Bwlch Melyn, Pentrecwrt,...
- Barti Ddu - Judith Maro - Atgofion Haganah
- Caradog PrichardCaradog PrichardCaradog Prichard was a Welsh poet and novelist writing in Welsh. His daughter, Mari Prichard, was married to the late Humphrey Carpenter....
- Afal Drwg Adda - Gomer M. Roberts - Cloc y Capel
- Emlyn WilliamsEmlyn WilliamsGeorge Emlyn Williams, CBE , known as Emlyn Williams, was a Welsh dramatist and actor.-Biography:He was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family in Mostyn, Flintshire....
– Emlyn
Music
- Max BoyceMax BoyceMaxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
– Records Live at TreorchyLive at TreorchyLive at Treorchy is a live album by Welsh comedian and singer Max Boyce, first issued in 1974. It was his third album and his first for a major label, EMI Records. The album contains a mixture of comedic songs and poems along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd at Treorchy Rugby Club... - Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
' first album with Soft MachineSoft MachineSoft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
, Six, wins the Melody MakerMelody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
British Jazz Album of the Year award. Jenkins also wins the miscellaneous musical instrument award. - Grace WilliamsGrace Williams-Biography:Williams was born in Barry, near Cardiff, Wales.She was educated at Barry County School, and won a scholarship to Cardiff University . She then went to the Royal College of Music, London, where she was taught by Ralph Vaughan Williams...
- Ave Maris Stella and Fairest of Stars
English-language television
- Fish (with John OgwenJohn OgwenJohn Ogwen is a Welsh actor.Best known to British audiences for his starring role in the 1978 drama series Hawkmoor, and appearances in the television series The District Nurse and the Doctor Who serial Revelation of the Daleks, Ogwen has been a stalwart of Welsh language television and film since...
) - Hang out your Brightest Colours, controversial documentary by Kenneth GriffithKenneth GriffithKenneth Griffith was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker.-Early life:He was born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Six months after his birth his parents split up and left Tenby, leaving Kenneth with his paternal grandparents, Emily and Ernest, who immediately adopted...
- 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...
makes a memorable appearance as a U-boat captain in Dad's ArmyDad's ArmyDad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
.
Sport
- AthleticsAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
- Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club wins the British Athletics LeagueBritish Athletics LeagueThe British Athletics League is a track and field male team's competition, the most important in the United Kingdom for history and number of teams....
Championship for the second time. - CyclingCyclingCycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
- The Welsh Cycling Union is formed. - Horse racingHorse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
- Geoff LewisGeoff LewisGeoff Lewis is a Welsh retired jockey who was born in Talgarth, .He moved to London with his family in 1946. He came from a large family and started his career with Ron Smyth, who was a trainer in Epsom. He will be best remembered as the jockey that won the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, Oaks ,...
wins both the Epsom OaksEpsom OaksThe Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
and the 1,000 Guineas on "Mysterious". - 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...
- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
plays its first rugby match in Europe at PenygraigPenygraigPenygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales...
in the Rhondda ValleyRhonddaRhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
. - SnookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
- Ray ReardonRay ReardonRay Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
is World Professional Champion for the second time. - 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...
- Berwyn PriceBerwyn PriceBerwyn Price is a former Welsh international athlete. Price was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, and studied at Lewis School, Pengam and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth....
Births
- 20 January - Stephen CrabbStephen CrabbStephen Crabb is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire.-Background:Crabb was born in Inverness and brought up in council housing in Pembrokeshire...
, politician - 15 February - Adrian Lewis MorganAdrian Lewis MorganAdrian Lewis Morgan , Is a Welsh actor, best known for playing Dr. Jimmi Clay in the BBC soap Doctors.The son of a social worker, he was born in Beddau, and has one sister...
, actor - 24 April - Gabby LoganGabby LoganGabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...
, television presenter - 3 May - Jamie BaulchJamie BaulchJames Steven Baulch , but raised by foster parents in Risca, near Newport, is a British sprint athlete and television presenter. He won the 400 metres gold medal at the 1999 World Indoor Championships. As a member of British 4 x 400 metres relay teams, he won a gold medal at the 1997 World...
, athlete - 10 May - Ryan NichollsRyan NichollsRyan Rhys Nicholls is a Welsh former professional footballer.-Career:Nicholls began his career at Leeds United, turning professional in 1991. The majority of his time at the club was spent on the treatment table and in January 1995, having not made a first team appearance for the team, he joined...
, footballer - 29 May - Lee Jones, footballer
- 6 July - Bradley DredgeBradley DredgeBradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997...
, golfer - 6 August - Donna LewisDonna LewisDonna Lewis is a Welsh singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever", and the adult contemporary chart-topper "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx. After releasing her second LP Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records and independently...
, singer - 21 August - Nicola Davies, politician
- 22 August - Lee DaintonLee DaintonLee Dainton is a professional skateboarder, daredevil and one quarter of the Dirty Sanchez crew.-Dirty Sanchez:...
, skateboarder - 6 October - Ioan GruffuddIoan GruffuddIoan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
, actor - 9 October - Sian EvansSian EvansSiân Evans is a Welsh singer/songwriter from Caerphilly, United Kingdom, born October 9, 1973. She is also a member of the band Kosheen where she has found major success across Europe.-Career:...
, singer - 29 November - Ryan GiggsRyan GiggsRyan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, footballer
Deaths
- 12 March - Willie LlewellynWillie LlewellynWilliam Morris "Willie" Llewellyn was a Welsh international rugby union player. He captained Wales in 1905 and London Welsh in 1902. He was a member of the winning Welsh team who beat the 1905 touring All Blacks, toured with the British Isles to Australasia in 1904 and won three Triple Crown...
, Wales international rugby player, 94 - 19 March - Sir Clement Price Thomas, surgeon
- 23 May - Kenneth AllottKenneth AllottKenneth Allott was an Anglo-Irish poet and academic, and authority on Matthew Arnold.-Life:Born in Glamorgan, where his father, a doctor, was serving as a locum, Allott later experienced the break-up of his parents' marriage, followed by the death of his mother...
, poet and critic - 9 August – Donald PeersDonald PeersDonald Peers was a popular Welsh singer. His best remembered rendition and signature song was "In a Shady Nook by a Babbling Brook".-Biography:...
, singer, 66 - 11 August - Johnnie ClayJohnnie ClayJohn Charles Clay was a cricketer who played for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. Clay also played one Test match for England....
, Test cricketer, 75 - 21 September - C. H. DoddC. H. DoddCharles Harold Dodd was a Welsh New Testament scholar and influential Protestant theologian.He is known for promoting "realized eschatology", the belief that Jesus' references to the kingdom of God meant a present reality rather than a future apocalypse.-Life:Dodd was born in Wrexham,...
, theologian, 89 - 4 November - Billy Williams, dual-code international rugby player, 67
- 16 November - Dai HiddlestoneDai HiddlestoneDavid 'Dai' Hiddlestone was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Neath. He was capped five times for Wales and was notable for leading an ill-advised response to the New Zealand Haka during the team's 1924 tour.-Rugby career:Hiddlestone was born in Hendy,...
, Wales international rugby player, 83 - 24 November - Brigadier Hugh Llewellyn Glyn HughesHugh Llewellyn Glyn HughesBrigadier Hugh Llewellyn Glyn Hughes CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MC, MRCS was a British military officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps and later medical administrator, educationalist and sports administrator...
, soldier and medical administrator, 81 - date unknown
- Anne Griffith-JonesAnne Griffith-JonesAnne Laugharne Phillips Griffith-Jones was the founder of Tanglin Preparatory School , a well-known international school primarily catering for British expatriate students in Singapore....
, educationist - Elena Puw Morgan, novelist
- Sir David Hughes Parry, professor of law and university administrator
- Melville Richards, academic
- Anne Griffith-Jones