1955 in Wales

← 1954 1953 1952 1955 in Wales → 1956 1957 1958
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1955 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1955 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant (The Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles) was not created Prince of Wales until 1958)
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

Events

• 18 April–28 May - Charles Evans leads the mountaineering expedition that conquers Kanchenjunga.
• 20 April - Future mother of Kylie and Dannii Minogue, Carol Jones, emigrates with her family from Maesteg to Australia.^[1]
• 3 December - The Farmers Union of Wales breaks away from the National Farmers Union.^[2]
• 20 December - Cardiff becomes the official capital of Wales.

Arts and literature

• The Gold Medal for Architecture is introduced to the National Eisteddfod.
• Bertrand Russell retires to Plas Penrhyn, Penrhyndeudraeth.
• The Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music is founded.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Pwllheli)

• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Gwilym Ceri Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - W. J. Gruffydd
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - William Thomas Gruffydd

• Emyr Humphreys wins the Somerset Maugham Award for Hear and Forgive.

New books

• Kingsley Amis - That Uncertain Feeling
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Ffenestri Tua'r Gwyll
• (Edwin) Stuart Evans - Elegy for the Death of a Clown (poem)
• Gwilym Thomas Hughes - Ei Seren tan Gwmwl
• Elisabeth Inglis-Jones - The Story of Wales
• Dylan Thomas - A Child's Christmas in Wales (posthumously published)
• R. S. Thomas - Song at the Year's Turning (poems)
• Richard Vaughan - Son of Justin

New drama

• Saunders Lewis - Siwan

Music

• Grace Williams - Penillion

Film

• Stanley Baker plays Richmond in Laurence Olivier's film of Richard III.
• The Constant Husband, starring Rex Harrison, with opening scenes filmed on location at New Quay and Aberaeron in 1954, includes some Welsh dialogue.

Broadcasting

• The Welsh Home Service becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe

Welsh-language television

• January - First televised Welsh-language play, Cap Wil Tomos

English-language television

Sport

• Cricket - Wilf Wooller becomes an England Test selector.
• Rugby Union
  • 22 January - Ken Jones becomes Wales's most capped player (36) in a game against England.
  • 12 March - Wales beat Ireland 21–3 at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
  • 26 March - Wales win the Five Nations Championship for the fourth time this decade.

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - John Disley

Births

• 22 January - Clive Griffiths, footballer
• 4 March - Joey Jones, footballer
• 2 May - Peter Sayer, footballer
• 22 May - Maggie Jones, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, politician
• 9 June - Alun Pugh, politician
• 21 June (in Sunderland) - Janet Ryder, politician
• 22 June - Green Gartside, musician
• 2 August - Alun Davies, biologist
• 4 August - Steve Jones, marathon runner
• 8 August - Gordon Davies, footballer
• 3 September - Eirian Williams, snooker referee
• 12 October - Brian Flynn, footballer and manager
• 17 November - Amanda Levete, architect
• 7 December - Mihangel Morgan, author and academic
• Martyn Jones, painter

Deaths

• 5 January - Douglas Marsden-Jones, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 61
• 25 January - Robert Dewi Williams, teacher, clergyman and author, 84
• 26 January - Gwilym Davies, Baptist minister, 75
• 29 January - Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, politician, 89
• 19 March - Tom Evans, Wales international rugby player, 72
• 2 April - Billy O'Neill, Welsh international rugby player, 76
• 27 April - Ambrose Bebb, author, 60
• 19 May - Percy Bush, Wales international rugby union player, 75
• 21 June - Eric Evans, rugby union player and administrator, 61^[3]
• 13 July - Ruth Ellis, murderer, 28 (hanged)
• 28 August - Sir Lewis Lougher, businessman and politician, 83
• 28 September - Lionel Rees, airman, Victoria Cross recipient, 71
• 14 October - Harry Parr Davies, songwriter, 41
• 15 October - Thomas Jones (T. J.), founder of Coleg Harlech, 85
• 30 October - Bert Dauncey, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 1 November - Ronw Moelwyn Hughes, politician, 58
• 15 December - V. E. Nash-Williams, archaeologist, 58
• date unknown - Melbourne Johns, munitions worker and wartime secret agent, 55

References