1959 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - Charles, Prince of Wales
*Princess of Wales - "vacant"
*Archbishop of Wales - Edwin Morris
*Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - William Morris

Events

*October - Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
*October 8 - At the UK general election:
**Newly-elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
**Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
**Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
*The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.
*The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry" is formed.
*Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
*The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
*Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers.
*Thomas Parry becomes Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
*Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.

Arts and literature

*Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.
*Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by appearing together in "Eighty in the Shade", a play written especially for them.
*Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK pop charts, with "As I Love You".

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)

*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - T. Llew Jones
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Tom Huws
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - William Owen

New books

*Albert Evans-Jones - "Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn"
*Menna Gallie - "Strike for a Kingdom"
*D. Gwenallt Jones - "Gwreiddiau"
*Edgar Phillips - "Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet" "
*Kate Roberts - "Te yn y Grug"
*Bertrand Russell - "My Philosophical Development"

Music

*Grace Williams - "All Seasons shall be Sweet"

Film

*Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in "Tiger Bay".
*Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Ben-Hur".

Broadcasting

*Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
*The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

*"Lili Lon" (children's programme)

English-language television

*"Ivor the Engine" (children's programme)

ports

*Athletics - The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
*Boxing - Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
*BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Graham Moore

Births

*25 February - Mike Peters, musician
*21 March - Colin Jones, boxer
*3 May - Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
*8 May - Jillian Evans MEP, politician
*17 May - Paul Whitehouse, comedian
*20 May - Annabel Giles, model
*28 May - Steve Strange, singer
*18 June - Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
*5 September - Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
*26 November - Dai Davies MP, politician

Deaths

*13 January - Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient
*3 February - Sir Evan Williams, Baronet, industrialist
*21 February - Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar
*3 March - William John Bancroft, rugby and cricket player
*21 April - David Bell, artist and poet
*18 June - Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher
*23 July - George Davies, international rugby player
*5 August - D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho
*6 September - Edmund Gwenn, actor
*27 November - Grenville Morris, footballer
*28 December - David Brazell, singer