Girish Mahajan (Editor)

1956 in Wales

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Centuries:
  
18th 19th 20th 21st

Decades:
  
1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.

Contents

Incumbents

  • Prince of Wales – vacant
  • Princess of Wales – vacant
  • Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
  • Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

    • Events

  • 2 April - Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
  • 24 April - A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
  • 9 May - The Gower Peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
  • 9 July - Mettoy introduce Corgi Toys model cars, manufactured at Fforestfach in South Wales.
  • 22 November - In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.
  • Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
  • Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales - Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.
  • Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished.
  • The last Welsh-built naval vessel afloat, former iron screw frigate HMS Inconstant (1868), built at Pembroke Dock, is broken up (in Belgium).

    • Arts and literature

  • Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.
  • Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
  • 22 November - The New Scientist is founded by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

    • Awards

  • National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Mathonwy Hughes
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Ray Evans

    • English language

  • Margiad Evans - A Candle Ahead
  • Bertrand Russell - Portraits from Memory and Other Essays

    • Welsh language

  • Huw T. Edwards - Tros y Tresi
  • Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Yn Ôl i Leifior
  • David Rees Griffiths - Caneuon Amanwy
  • Kate Roberts - Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
  • Waldo Williams - Dail Pren

    • Drama

  • John Roberts Evans - Broc Môr

    • Music

  • February - Release of Shirley Bassey's first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends)
  • William Mathias - Suite for Trumpet and Piano, Op.4
  • Grace Williams - Symphony No. 2

    • Film

  • Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great; William Squire also appears.
  • Glynis Johns stars in The Court Jester.
  • Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.
  • Moby Dick partly filmed at Lower Fishguard.

    • Broadcasting

  • The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

    • Welsh-language television

  • Granada Television begins producing produced up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh, to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.

    • English-language television

  • June - First televised English-language play produced in Wales, Wind of Heaven.

    • Sport

  • Boxing
  • 27 August - Joe Erskine defeats Johnny Williams in Cardiff to win the vacant British heavyweight title.
  • Rugby Union
  • Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
  • 24 March - Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
  • BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Joe Erskine

    • Births

  • 7 January - Johnny Owen, boxer (died 1980)
  • 7 April - Christine Chapman AM, politician
  • 14 June - Keith Pontin, former international footballer
  • 7 September - Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
  • 3 November - Carl Harris, international footballer
  • 4 November - Nia Griffith MP, politician
  • 19 December - John Griffiths, politician
  • 23 December - Robert Gwilym, actor
  • David Nott, surgeon

    • Deaths

  • 4 January - Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71
  • 10 January - Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
  • 14 January - Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
  • 23 January - William Harris, academic and translator, 71
  • 1 February - John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70
  • 22 February - Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
  • 27 February - Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75
  • May - Iwan Bala, artist
  • 19 May - Peter Freeman, politician, 67
  • 8 June - Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82
  • 5 July - Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
  • 11 June - Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89
  • 17 August - William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
  • 31 August - Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81
  • 13 September - David Davies, footballer, 77
  • 11 October - David James Davies, economist and politician, 63
  • 16 October - Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
  • 22 November - Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68
  • 16 December - Nina Hamnett, artist, 66
  • 28 December - John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83

    • References

    1956 in Wales Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA