1956 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - "vacant" (Charles, Prince of Wales, had not been officially designated with the title)
*Princess of Wales - "vacant"
*Archbishop of Wales - John Morgan
*Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - Dyfnallt

Events

*Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales - Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.
*Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
*2 April - Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
*24 April - A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
*22 November - In an accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.
*The Gower peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
*Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished.

Arts and literature

*Welsh language periodical "Y Faner" is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.
*The "New Scientist" is founded by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)

*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Mathonwy Hughes
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - "withheld"
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Ray Evans

New books

*Huw T. Edwards - "Tros y Tresi"
*Islwyn Ffowc Elis - "Yn Ôl i Leifior"
*Kate Roberts - "Y Byw sy'n Cysgu"
*Bertrand Russell - "Portraits from Memory and Other Essays"
*Waldo Williams - "Dail Pren"

Music

*Grace Williams - "Symphony No. 2"

Film

*Richard Burton stars in "Alexander the Great"; William Squire also appears.
*Glynis Johns stars in "The Court Jester".
*Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.

Broadcasting

*The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

*Granada Television begins producing produced up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh, to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.

English-language television

*June - First televised English-language play produced in Wales, "Wind of Heaven".

port

*Rugby Union
**Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
**24 March - Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
*BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Joe Erskine

Births

*7 January - Johnny Owen, boxer
*7 April - Christine Chapman AM, politician
*3 November - Carl Harris, international footballer
*4 November - Nia Griffith MP, politician
*23 December - Robert Gwilym, actor

Deaths

*4 January - Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71
*19 May - Peter Freeman, politician, 67
*8 June - Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82
*5 July - Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
*11 June - Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89
*22 November - Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68
*16 December - Nina Hamnett, artist, 66
*11 October - David James Davies, economist and politician, 63