1958 in Wales

← 1957 1956 1955 1958 in Wales → 1959 1960 1961
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1958 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1958 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles (from 26 July creation onwards)
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

Events

• 18 January - Nigel Birch resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
• 5 February - The Wales national football team qualifies for this summer's World Cup in Sweden under the management of Jimmy Murphy.^[1]
• 6 February - Manchester United F.C., the English league champions where Jimmy Murphy is also assistant manager, are involved in a plane crash in Munich, West Germany, on the journey home from a European Cup tie in Yugoslavia. Seven United players are among the 21 people who die, but among the survivors is Swansea born winger Kenny Morgans.^[2]
• 25 February - The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is launched by Bertrand Russell.
• 6 May - Murderer Vivian Teed is hanged by Robert Leslie Stewart in Swansea Prison - the last execution to take place in Wales.
• 19 June - Wales are knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, losing to Brazil.^[3]
• 26 July - At the Empire Games in Cardiff, the Queen announces that her son, The Prince Charles, is to be created Prince of Wales.
• 6 August - Daniel Granville West becomes the first Welsh life peer.
• 18 August - Regional postage stamps of Great Britain are first issued.
• 24 October - Huw T. Edwards announces his resignation from the chair of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
• 13 December - New road bridge across the River Conway at Conway supersedes Telford's suspension bridge.
• Thomas Parry becomes Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Ebbw Vale)

• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - T. Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Edward Cynolwyn Pugh

New books

• Tom Beynon - Howell Harris, Reformer and Soldier
• Brenda Chamberlain - The Green Heart
• Aneirin Talfan Davies - Englynion a Chywyddau
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Blas y Cynfyd
• Paul Ferris - A Changed Man
• Cyril Fox - Pattern and purpose: a study of early Celtic art in Britain
• Peter George - Red Alert
• Emyr Humphreys - A Toy Epic
• Bobi Jones - Nid yw Dwr yn Plygu
• D. Gwenallt Jones - Cofiant Idwal Jones
• T. Llew Jones - Trysor Plas y wernen and Merched y môr a chwedlau eraill
• Bertrand Russell - Understanding History and Other Essays
• Ernest Llwyd Williams - Crwydro Sir Benfro
• Raymond Williams - Culture and Society

New drama

• George Fisher - Y Ferch a'r Dewin
• John Gwilym Jones - Lle Mynno'r Gwynt

• Saunders Lewis - Brad

Music

• Daniel Jones - The Country Beyond the Stars (cantata)
• Ian Parrott - Cor Anglais concerto

Film

• Richard Burton stars in the film version of Look Back in Anger.
• Ronald Lewis co-stars in The Wind Cannot Read.

Broadcasting

• In order to broadcast the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from Cardiff, a broadcasting centre is set up on the bank of the River Taff, near Cardiff Arms Park.

Welsh-language television

• Commercial TV becomes available in Wales, broadcasting some Welsh-language programmes, such as Amser Te.^[4]

English-language television

• Gwlad y Gân / Land of Song, with Ivor Emmanuel and Sian Hopkins

Sports

• British Empire and Commonwealth Games (held in Cardiff):
  • Wales's only gold medal is won by Howard Winstone in the bantamweight boxing competition.
  • Silver medals are won by: John Merriman (6 miles), Malcolm Collins (featherweight boxing), and Robert Higgins (light-heavyweight boxing).
  • Due to being on National Service in the British Army, Swansea fighter Brian Curvis competed in the games for England, winning a bronze medal at welterweight.
• Football - Wales reaches the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
• Gymnastics - Margaret Neale of Cardiff is the British Women's Champion for the second year running.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Howard Winstone

Births

• 4 January - Gary Jones, actor
• 2 March - Ian Woosnam, golfer
• 30 April - Claire Curtis-Thomas, politician
• 8 May - Jill Evans, politician
• 17 May - Paul Whitehouse, actor, writer and comedian
• 3 July - Siân Lloyd, television presenter
• 18 July - Chris Ruane, politician
• 19 July - Angharad Tomos, author
• 3 September (in Totnes) - Tamsin Dunwoody, politician
• 16 September - Neville Southall, footballer
• 4 October - Anneka Rice, television presenter
• 24 November - Robin Llywelyn, novelist
• date unknown - Caryl Parry Jones, singer

Deaths

• 31 January - Edgar Long, Wales international rugby player
• 1 February - Ernest Jones, psychoanalyst, 79
• 6 February - Charles Langbridge Morgan, novelist and dramatist, 64
• 3 April - John Strand-Jones, Wales international rugby union player
• 19 April - Billy Meredith, footballer, 83
• 18 July - Ernie Jenkins, Wales international rugby player, 77
• 20 July - Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, political campaigner and businesswoman, 75
• 29 August - Harry Beadles, international footballer, 60
• 25 September - Henry Arthur Evans, politician, 60
• 9 October - Sven Hansen, ship-owner, 82
• 30 October - Tommy Vile, Welsh international rugby player, 76
• 4 November - Dick Jones, Welsh international rugby player, 78
• 28 November (in Manchester) - Gareth Jones, actor, 33
• date unknown - Ivor Lewis, Welsh-Canadian artist, 76

References