1958 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1958 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

*January 18 - Nigel Birch resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
*February 25 - The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is launched by Bertrand Russell.
*May 6 - Murderer Vivian Teed is hanged in Swansea - the last execution to take place in Wales.
*July 26 - At the Empire Games in Cardiff, the Queen announces that her son, Prince Charles, is to be created Prince of Wales.
*August 6 - Daniel Granville West becomes the first Welsh life peer.
*Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.

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

*Brenda Chamberlain - "The Green Heart"
*Aneirin Talfan Davies - "Englynion a Chywyddau"
*Islwyn Ffowc Elis - "Blas y Cynfyd"
*Cyril Fox - "Pattern and purpose: a study of early Celtic art in Britain"
*Peter George - "Red Alert"
*Bobi Jones - "Nid yw Dwr yn Plygu"
*D. Gwenallt Jones - "Cofiant Idwal Jones"
*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"
*Saunders Lewis - "Brad"

Music

*Daniel Jones - "The Country Beyond the Stars" (cantata)

Film

*Richard Burton stars in the film version of "Look Back in Anger".

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.

English-language television

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

ports

*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).
*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

*January 4 - Gary Jones, actor
*March 2 - Ian Woosnam, golfer
*April 30 - Claire Curtis-Thomas, politician
*July 3 - Siân Lloyd, television presenter
*July 18 - Chris Ruane, politician
*July 19 - Angharad Tomos, author
*September 3 - Tamsin Dunwoody, politician
*October 4 - Anneka Rice, television presenter
*November 24 - Robin Llywelyn, novelist
*"date unknown" - Caryl Parry Jones, singer

Deaths

*February 1 - Ernest Jones, psychoanalyst, 79
*February 6 - Charles Langbridge Morgan, novelist and dramatist, 64
*April 19 - Billy Meredith, footballer, 83
*July 20 - Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, political campaigner and businesswoman, 75
*September 25 - Henry Arthur Evans, politician, 60
*October 9 - Sven Hansen, ship-owner, 82
*October 30 - Tommy Vile, Welsh international rugby player, 76
*November 24 - Dick Jones, Welsh international rugby player 78
*November 28 - Gareth Jones, actor, 33
*"date unknown" - Ivor Lewis, Welsh-Canadian artist, 76