1950 in Wales
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1950 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
[edit]Events
[edit]- 23 February – 1950 United Kingdom general election: For the first time ever, the Labour Party contests all Parliamentary seats in Wales. Following the election, Wales has 27 Labour MPs, 4 Liberals, 3 Conservatives and one National Liberal/Conservative.
- The University of Wales seat is abolished at the dissolution, W. J. Gruffydd having been the last holder.
- Roderic Bowen is re-elected for Cardiganshire, with the largest Liberal majority in the country.
- David Ormsby-Gore, the future Lord Harlech, becomes MP for Oswestry.
- Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, following the abolition of his Llandaff and Barry constituency, is elected MP for Leicester North East.
- Roy Jenkins, whose Southwark seat has been abolished, is elected for Birmingham Stechford.
- Elwyn Jones becomes MP for West Ham South.
- Following the election, Ness Edwards becomes Postmaster-General. During his time in the office, he introduces the greetings telegram.
- Abertillery's Labour MP, George Daggar, dies on 14 October, to be replaced by Llywelyn Williams.
- 12 March – Llandow air disaster: 80 of the 83 people on board an Avro Tudor V aircraft are killed when it crashes on approach to Llandow in Glamorgan, making it the world's worst air disaster at this time.[1]
- 30 March – William Havard is elected Bishop of St David's.[2]
- 1 June – The Welsh Air Service, the world's first scheduled helicopter service, begins operating between Cardiff, Wrexham and Liverpool.[3]
- 27 August – Six people are killed in a rail collision at Penmaenmawr railway station.[4]
- 9 September – In Swansea, following heavy rain, three houses collapse, killing seven people.[5]
- Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones opens in Amlwch on Anglesey as Britain's first purpose-built comprehensive school.
- Maes Hyfryd and Bryn Teg housing estates at Beaumaris, designed by Colwyn Foulkes, are built.[6]
- Glanllyn is acquired as a permanent site for meetings of Urdd Gobaith Cymru.
- In the Honours lists
- Physicist Ezer Griffiths is awarded the O.B.E.
- Agriculturist Thomas James Jenkin is awarded the C.B.E.
- Industrialist Herbert Henry Merrett is knighted.
- Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, becomes President of University College, Cardiff.
Arts and literature
[edit]- 21 February – Dylan Thomas arrives in the United States, his first visit to America.[7]
- The first Welsh Drama Festival is held.
- American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith visits the UK to take photographs of working-class life; three of those published are of the South Wales valleys.[8]
Awards
[edit]- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caerphilly) (first "all-Welsh" Eisteddfod)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym Tilsley
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Euros Bowen
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld
New books
[edit]English language
[edit]- Sir Leonard Twiston Davies – Welsh furniture: an introduction
- Kathleen Freeman – Greek City States
- Llywelyn Wyn Griffith – The Welsh
- Elisabeth Inglis-Jones – Peacocks in Paradise[9]
- Thomas Jones (T. J.) – Welsh Broth
- Richard Llewellyn – A Few Flowers for Shiner[10]
- V. E. Nash-Williams – The Early Christian Monuments of Wales[11]
- Harold Henry Rowley – The Growth of the Old Testament
- Bertrand Russell – Unpopular Essays
- Raymond Williams – Reading and Criticism
Welsh language
[edit]- Ambrose Bebb – Machlud yr Oesoedd Canol[12]
- Aneirin Talfan Davies – Blodeugerdd o englynion
- Edward Morgan Humphreys – Gwŷr enwog gynt[13]
- Edgar Phillips – Caniadau Trefîn[14]
- Arthur Wade-Evans – Coll Prydain
- David Pryse Williams – Canmlwyddiant Libanus ... braslun o'r hanes[15]
- William Crwys Williams – Pedair Pennod[16]
Music
[edit]- Harry Parr Davies – Dear Miss Phoebe (musical)[17]
- Arwel Hughes – Dewi Sant (Saint David) (oratorio)
- Grace Williams – Three Traditional Ballads[18]
- W. S. Gwynn Williams – Breuddwyd Glyndwr
Film
[edit]- Glyn Houston makes his film debut in The Blue Lamp, which also stars Meredith Edwards and guest stars Tessie O'Shea.
- Ray Milland stars in Copper Canyon and A Woman of Distinction.
Sports
[edit]- Boxing
- 13 September – Eddie Thomas beats Cliff Curvis at St Helens to become British welterweight champion.[19]
- Football
- 27 October – Wales international Trevor Ford becomes the most expensive footballer in British history after joining Sunderland for £30,000.[20]
- Rugby union – Wales win their fourth Grand Slam.
- Bowls – The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association is founded.[21]
Births
[edit]- 23 January – John Greaves, Welsh bass player and songwriter
- 7 February – Dai Havard MP, politician
- 16 February (in Nairobi) – Peter Hain MP, politician
- 11 March – Terry Cooper, footballer
- 18 March – Lorraine Barrett AM, politician
- 27 March – Terry Yorath, footballer and football manager
- 3 May – Mary Hopkin, singer[22]
- 5 May (in Saint Kitts) – Pat Thomas, boxer
- 24 May – Geoff Ellis, cricketer
- 26 May – Myron Wyn Evans, chemist (died 2019)[23]
- 2 June – Jonathan Evans MEP, businessman and politician[24]
- 14 June – Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury[25]
- 25 August (in Dublin) – Brian Gibbons AM, politician
- 8 September – Martyn Woodroffe, swimmer[26]
- 10 September – Tich Gwilym, guitarist (d. 2005)
- 11 October – Robert Pugh, actor
- 16 November – Chris O'Brien, rugby league player
- 28 November – Meic Povey, screenwriter, playwright and actor (d. 2017) [27]
- 8 December – Stephen Richards, judge
- 10 December – John Parsons, footballer
Deaths
[edit]- 23 January – Jack Rhapps, dual-code international rugby player, 73
- 13 February – Rees Howells, missionary and founder of the Bible College at Swansea, 70[28]
- 28 February – David Lewis Prosser, Archbishop of Wales, 81[29]
- 9 March – Timothy Evans, wrongly executed for murder, 35[30]
- 15 March – Sir Wilfrid Lewis, judge[31]
- 12 April – Joe Rees, rugby union player, 56
- 29 April – Wallace Watts, Wales international rugby union player, 80
- 15 May – David Edwardes Davies, Bishop of Bangor, 70[32]
- 21 June – General Sir Henry ap Rhys Pryce, officer in the Indian Army, 75[33]
- 23 June – Joseph Harry, minister and poet, 86[34]
- 29 June – H. A. Gwynne, author and newspaper editor, 84[35]
- 2 July – Henry Haydn Jones MP, politician, 86[36]
- 5 July – John Hughes, footballer, 73
- 30 August – Morgan Morgan-Owen, footballer, 73[37]
- 30 August – Ralph Hancock, landscape gardener, 57
- 19 September – David Jones, archdeacon of Carmarthen, 75[38]
- 14 October – George Daggar MP, politician, 71[39]
- 28 October – Alis Mallt Williams, novelist, 83[40]
- 21 November – Hugh Emyr Davies, poet, 72[41]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Keith Eastlake; Henry Russell; Mike Sharpe (21 August 2013). World Disasters: Tragedies in the Modern Age. Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-136-74257-6.
- ^ John Morgan-Guy (1 April 2016). Religion and Society in the Diocese of St Davids 1485–2011. Routledge. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-317-06784-9.
- ^ Woodley, Charles (2006). The history of British European Airways. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. p. 109. ISBN 9781844151868.
- ^ Michael Foley (15 January 2014). Britain's Railway Disasters: Fatal Accidents from the 1830s to the Present Day. Wharncliffe. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-4738-3328-9.
- ^ Geoff Brookes (15 September 2015). Swansea in the 1950s: Ten Years that Changed a City. Amberley Publishing Limited. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4456-3958-1.
- ^ The Twentieth Century Society (2017). "1950". 100 Houses 100 Years. London: Batsford. ISBN 978-1-84994-437-3.
- ^ Constantine FitzGibbon (1965). The Life of Dylan Thomas. J. M. Dent and Sons. p. 355.
- ^ University of Arizona. Center for Creative Photography; Amy Rule (1983). W. Eugene Smith papers. Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. p. 18.
- ^ Margaret Ross Griffel (21 December 2012). Operas in English: A Dictionary. Scarecrow Press. p. 713. ISBN 978-0-8108-8325-3.
- ^ NA NA (5 March 2016). Writers Directory. Springer. p. 758. ISBN 978-1-349-03650-9.
- ^ Mark Redknap (1991). The Christian Celts: Treasures of Late Celtic Wales. National Museum Wales. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7200-0354-3.
- ^ Dai Smith (1980). A People and a proletariat: essays in the history of Wales, 1780-1980. Pluto Press in association with Llafur, the Society for the Study of Welsh Labour History. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-86104-321-7.
- ^ Hugh Pryce (15 May 2011). J. E. Lloyd and the Creation of Welsh History: Renewing a Nation's Past. University of Wales Press. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-78316-297-0.
- ^ Glyn Jones; Tony Brown (1 December 2001). The Dragon Has Two Tongues: Essays on Anglo-Welsh Writers and Writing. University of Wales Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4175-0857-0.
- ^ Benjamin George Owens. "Williams, David Pryse ('Brythonydd'; 1878-1952), minister (B), writer, and historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ J. Gwynn Williams (1985). The University College of North Wales: Foundations, 1884-1927. University of Wales Press. p. 480. ISBN 978-0-7083-0893-6.
- ^ Arthur Jackson (1979). The Best Musicals: From Show Boat to A Chorus Line : Broadway, Off-Broadway, London. Crown. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-517-53881-4.
- ^ Benjamin Britten (7 July 2011). Letters from a Life Volume 3 (1946-1951): The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten. Faber & Faber. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-571-27993-7.
- ^ Mullan, Harry (4 June 1997). "Obituary: Eddie Thomas". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Palmer, Neil (2016). Trevor Ford : the authorised biography. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 9781445640891.
- ^ "About Us". Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association website. Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association. 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ^ Norm N. Nite (1980). Rock on: The modern years: 1964 - present. Crowell. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-690-01196-8.
- ^ Evans, Myron W. (Myron Wyn) 1950- in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- ^ Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited. 1997. p. 521.
- ^ "About Rowan Williams". Archbishop of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Martyn Woodroffe". Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Meic Povey, playwright and scriptwriter – obituary". The Telegraph. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Huw Walters (2001). "Howells, Rees (1879-1950), missionary and founder of the Bible College, Swansea". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. "Prosser, David Lewis (1868-1950), archbishop". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Gudjonsson, Gisli (2003). The psychology of interrogations and confessions : a handbook. Chichester, West Sussex, England Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. p. 168. ISBN 9780470857946.
- ^ Griffith Milwyn Griffiths. "Lewis, Wilfrid Hubert Poyer (1881-1950), judge". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Frank Moore Colby (1950). The New International Year Book. Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 389.
- ^ "Obituary: Gen. Sir H. Ap Rhys Pryce". The Times. 27 June 1950. p. 8.
- ^ Evan David Jones (2001). "Harry, Joseph (1863-1950), schoolmaster and Independent minister". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Gwynne (family), of Kilvey, Swansea". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 2001. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Michael Stenton; Stephen Lees (1979). Who's who of British Members of Parliament: A Biographical Dictionary of the House of Commons. 1919-1945. Volume III. Harvester P. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-391-00768-0.
- ^ "Timothy Morgan Owen (1843–1924) 28". Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ News in Brief The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Sep 20, 1950; pg. 3; Issue 51801
- ^ John Davies. "Daggar, George (1879-1950), trade unionist and Member of Parliament". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Evan David Jones. "Williams, Alice Matilda Langland (1867-1950), otherwise Alys Mallt, but more generally known as Y Fonesig Mallt Williams author and celtophile". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Davies, Hugh Emyr (1878-1950), minister (Presb.) and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 December 2021.