Neha Patil (Editor)

1959 in Wales

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Centuries:
  
18th 19th 20th 21st

1959 in Wales

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

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 to Wales and its people.

Contents

Incumbents

  • Prince of Wales – Charles
  • Princess of Wales – vacant
  • Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
  • Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

    • Events

  • 1 January – The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry") is formed.
  • February – The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.
  • 4 May – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
  • 6 August – Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
  • 8 October – At the UK general election:
  • Newly elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
  • Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
  • Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
  • The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
  • Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
  • Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain).
  • Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.
  • Gilbern Sports Cars begin production of their kit cars at Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.

    • Arts and literature

  • 8 January – Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (last December) by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them, in London.
  • 9 January – Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK pop charts, with "As I Love You".
  • December – Actress Siân Phillips marries Peter O'Toole in Dublin.
  • Literature Wales is established as The Academi.
  • Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.

    • Awards

  • National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Tom Huws
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen

    • New books

  • Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn
  • Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
  • D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
  • Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
  • Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug
  • Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development

    • Music

  • Grace Williams – All Seasons shall be Sweet

    • Film

  • Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
  • Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

    • Broadcasting

  • Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
  • The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

    • Welsh-language television

  • Lili Lon (children's programme)
  • Trysor o Gân (Treasury of Song)

    • English-language television

  • Ivor the Engine (children's programme)

    • Sports

  • Athletics – The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
  • Boxing – Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
  • BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Graham Moore

    • Births

  • 25 February – Mike Peters, musician
  • 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
  • 24 April – Paula Yates, television presenter (died 2000)
  • 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
  • 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician
  • 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, comedian
  • 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
  • 28 May – Steve Strange, born Steven Harrington, pop singer (died 2015)
  • 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
  • 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
  • 7 November - Richard Barrett, composer
  • 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician
  • date unknown - Paul Henry, poet

    • Deaths

  • 1 January – Dan Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
  • 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient, 61
  • 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet, industrialist, 87
  • 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61
  • 24 February - Sid Judd, international rugby player, 30
  • 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
  • 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator, 43
  • 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96
  • 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84
  • 7 July - Frank Williams, Wales international rugby player, 49
  • 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
  • 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
  • 6 September – Edmund Gwenn, actor, 83
  • 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61
  • 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
  • 28 December – David Brazell, singer, 84
  • 30 December – Dick Duckfield, cricketer, 52

    • References

    1959 in Wales Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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