1988 in Wales

← 1987 1986 1985 1988 in Wales → 1989 1990 1991
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1988 in The United Kingdom England Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1988 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles
• Princess of Wales – Diana
• Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Walker
• Archbishop of Wales – George Noakes, Bishop of St David's
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Emrys Deudraeth

Events

• 14 February - Lynette White is murdered in her Cardiff flat. The case remains controversial for over 20 years.
• 26 March - The Welsh Ornithological Society is founded at Aberystwyth.^[1]
• October - County Hall, Cardiff, officially opened as the headquarters of South Glamorgan County Council beside the disused Bute East Dock in the Atlantic Wharf area of Butetown, Cardiff.
• November 4 - British Rail operates the last steam locomotives in its ownership (and its last narrow gauge trains) on the Vale of Rheidol Railway in regular service prior to its privatisation next year (Santa Specials run on December 18).

Arts and literature

• 28–31 May - First Hay Festival of literature held in Hay-on-Wye.
• The Gregynog festival is re-launched by Anthony Rolfe Johnson.
• The European Centre for Traditional and Regional Cultures opens in Llangollen.
• Tom Jones loses a paternity suit and is forced to support a son, Jonathan Berkery.
• Independent record label Ankst is formed at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams.^[2]
• This year also sees the foundation of:
  • BAFTA Cymru
  • Ffilm Cymru (Film Foundation for Wales)
  • New Welsh Review

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Newport)

• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Elwyn Edwards
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - T. James Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld

New books

English language

• Tony Conran - Blodeuwedd
• Hilary Llywelyn-Williams - The Tree Calendar
• Sheenagh Pugh - Beware Falling Tortoises
• Oliver Reynolds - The Player Queen's Wife
• Bernice Rubens - Our Father
• Glanmor Williams - Recovery, Reorientation and Reformation

Welsh language

• T. Glynne Davies - Cerddi
• Bobi Jones - Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg 1902-36
• Rhiannon Davies Jones - Cribau Eryri
• Manon Rhys - Cwtsho
• Wiliam Owen Roberts - Y Pla
• Huw Walters - Canu'r Pwll a'r Pulpud

Music

• Malcolm Arnold - Four Welsh Dances, Op. 138
• Ffa Coffi Pawb - Dalec Peilon
• Trebor Edwards - Goreuon Trebor
• Bonnie Tyler - Hide Your Heart

Film

• Peter Greenaway directs Drowning by Numbers.

Welsh-language films

• Stormydd Awst

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Pobol y Cwm becomes the first European soap opera to be broadcast daily.
• C'mon Midffild (drama)

English-language television

Sports

• Association football
  • April - Newport County A.F.C., one of four Welsh teams in the English Football League, are relegated to the GM Vauxhall Conference.^[3]
• Athletics
  • Steve Jones becomes the first British competitor to win the New York Marathon.
• Rugby union
  • Wales top the 1988 Five Nations Championship winning the Triple Crown.
  • 18 May to 11 June - Wales tour New Zealand, losing heavily in both Tests to the All Blacks.
• Snooker
  • Doug Mountjoy wins the UK Open Championship.
  • Terry Griffiths is defeated in the final of the 1988 World Snooker Championship by Steve Davis.

Births

• 9 January - Glyn Wise, TV personality
• 18 February - Mark Davies, footballer
• 24 March - Curtis McDonald, footballer
• 11 April - Nathan Stephens, athlete and Paralympian
• 20 June - Shefali Chowdhury, actress
• 5 October - Sam Warburton, rugby player
• 15 November - Daniel Evans, rugby player
• 13 December - Darcy Blake, footballer
• 22 December - Leigh Halfpenny, rugby player
• 28 December - Ched Evans, footballer
• 31 December - Holly Holyoake, singer

Deaths

• January - George Ewart Evans, folklorist and oral historian, 78
• 26 January - Raymond Williams, writer, 66
• 2 April - Euros Bowen, poet, 83
• April - T. Glynne Davies, poet, novelist and broadcaster, 62
• 13 May - Elfed Evans, footballer, 61
• 15 June - David Blackmore, cricketer, 88
• 8 September - Mel Rosser, dual-code international rugby player, 87
• 23 September - Arwel Hughes, composer and conductor. 79
• 12 October - Ruth Manning-Sanders, poet and children's author, 102
• 11 November - William Ifor Jones, conductor and organist, 88
• 13 December - Brynmor John, politician, 54
• 25 December - W. F. Grimes, archaeologist, 83
• 27 December - Tecwyn Roberts, aerospace engineer, 63
• date unknown
  • John Gwilym Jones, writer
  • John Morgan, journalist
  • Ray Price, rugby player, 64 (brain haemorrhage

References