Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

1972 in Wales

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Centuries:
  
18th 19th 20th 21st

Decades:
  
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1972 to Wales and its people.

Contents

Incumbents

  • Prince of Wales – Charles
  • Princess of Wales – vacant
  • Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas
  • Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
  • Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Tilsli (outgoing)
  • Brinli (incoming)

    • Events

  • 1 January - Welsh rugby captain John Dawes is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List.
  • 30 January - Opening to rail traffic of the new Britannia Bridge linking Anglesey with mainland Wales (following the destruction of the previous bridge by a fire).
  • 3 May - Leslie Harvey, guitarist of Stone the Crows, is fatally electrocuted while performing at Swansea's Top Rank Suite.
  • 13 September - Hypermarkets make their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after debuting in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opens a hypermarket in Caerphilly.
  • 26 October - The passing of the Local Government Act 1972 will reorganise and simplify local government in Wales and Monmouthshire from 1974.
  • 11 December - Rhoose Airport is opened by The Duke of Edinburgh.
  • Sir Morien Morgan becomes Master of Downing College, Cambridge.
  • The "Miners' Tramway" at Llechwedd Slate Caverns opens to the public.
  • The island of Flat Holm is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
  • The communities of Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt cease to exist, following the closedown of local industry; the residents are moved into Llanelli.
  • Llyn Brianne regulating reservoir on the River Towy is completed; its dam is the UK's tallest, standing at a height of 300 ft (91 m).

    • Arts and literature

  • Writer James Morris becomes Jan Morris.

    • Awards

  • National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Haverfordwest)
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Dafydd Owen
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Dafydd Rowlands
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Dafydd Rowlands
  • National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - Urien Wiliam

    • New books

  • Alexander Cordell - The Fire People
  • Pennar Davies - Y Tlws yn y Lotws
  • A. H. Dodd - Life in Wales
  • Marion Eames - Y Rhandir Mwyn
  • Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Eira Mawr
  • Emyr Humphreys - National Winner
  • Bobi Jones - Allor Wydn
  • Richard Jones - The Tower is Everywhere
  • David Tecwyn Lloyd - Lady Gwladys a Phobl Eraill
  • Roland Mathias – Absalom in the Tree
  • Edith Pargeter - A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury
  • Will Paynter - My Generation (autobiography)
  • Goronwy Rees - A Chapter of Accidents
  • Ifor Williams - The beginnings of Welsh poetry

    • Music

  • Badfinger - Straight Up (album)
  • John Cale - The Academy in Peril (album)
  • Dafydd Iwan - Yma Mae 'Nghân (album)
  • Mary Hopkin - Live At The Royal Festival Hall (album)
  • Tom Jones - Close Up (album)

    • Film

  • The film of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood appears, with Richard Burton, Glynis Johns, Ryan Davies and many other Welsh stars.
  • Hywel Bennett stars with Hayley Mills in Endless Night.

    • Welsh-language films

  • The Song We Sing Is About Freedom

    • Welsh-language television

  • Gwrando ar fy Nghan with singer Heather Jones
  • Teliffant with Myfanwy Talog

    • English-language television

  • Kenneth Griffith's reputation is underlined with a four-part documentary series about the Boer War, Sons of the Blood.
  • Anthony Hopkins wins acclaim for his first starring role on television in BBC2's adaptation of War and Peace.
  • Glyn Houston appears as Bunter opposite Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, in the first of several TV serials based on the stories of Dorothy L. Sayers.

    • Sport

  • Chess - Wales competes in the World Chess Olympiad at Skopje, Yugoslavia.
  • Cricket - Tony Lewis captains England on his Test debut in Delhi, India.
  • Rugby union
  • 25 March - Derek Quinnell makes his debut for Wales against France.
  • 31 October - Llanelli RFC defeat the New Zealand All Blacks 9-3 at Stradey Park in front of 26,000 supporters.
  • The Welsh Sports Association is established.
  • BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Richard Meade

    • Births

  • 27 January
  • Nathan Blake, footballer
  • Wynne Evans, tenor
  • March - Helen Raynor, dramatist and screenwriter
  • 19 March - Julien Macdonald, fashion designer
  • 23 March - Joe Calzaghe, boxer
  • 7 June - Sian Lloyd, television news presenter
  • 20 August - Scott Quinnell, rugby player
  • 24 August - Jason Bowen, footballer
  • 4 September - Guto Pryce, musician
  • 23 September - Julian Winn, cyclist
  • 3 October - Josie d'Arby, actress and television presenter
  • 4 November - Tim Vincent, television presenter
  • 27 December - Colin Charvis, rugby player

    • Deaths

  • 17 January - Stan Davies, footballer, 73
  • 4 February - Sir Charles Robert Harington, chemist, 74
  • 25 February - S. O. Davies, politician
  • 7 March - Jack Morley, Wales and British Lions rugby player
  • 10 March - Gwynfor Davies, cricketer, 63
  • 10 April - Ormond Jones, footballer, 61
  • 28 May - The Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII and a former Prince of Wales)
  • 14 June (at Goathurst) - Glyn Simon, Archbishop of Wales (1968–71), 69
  • 9 July - Sir Henry Morris-Jones, doctor, soldier and politician, 87
  • 12 August - Reg Anderson, cricketer, 58
  • 28 September - Tom Roberts, Wales international rugby union player
  • 19 October - David Hughes, opera singer
  • November - Fred Keenor, footballer, 78
  • 6 November - Hilary Marquand, economist and MP
  • 30 November - Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player, 75
  • 4 December - Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, politician and judge, 68

    • References

    1972 in Wales Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA