1915 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1915 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - Edward, Prince of Wales, son of King George V of the United Kingdom
*Princess of Wales - "vacant"
*Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - Dyfed

Events

*26 February - The Welsh Guards regiment is created.
*25 April - At Gallipoli, Able Seaman William Charles Williams helps secure lighters on the "HMS River Clyde" under continuous fire. He is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross - the first such award made to a member of the Royal Navy.
*7 May - When RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German torpedo, notable survivors include David Alfred Thomas, Viscount Rhondda and tenor Gwynn Parry Jones.
*11 September - The first branch of the Women's Institute in Britain opens at Llanfair PG, Anglesey.
*1 October - For his conduct at the Battle of Hooge, Lt. Rupert Price Hallowes of Port Talbot is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
*November - The 38th (Welsh) Division is posted to France.
*Welshmen continue to enlist for military service in World War I, including architect Percy Thomas, who joins the Artists' Rifles.
*Three German prisoners-of-war escape from an internment camp at Llansannan in Gwynedd, but are quickly recaptured.
*The Glamorganshire Canal closes between Abercynon and Pontypridd.
*In the by-election caused by the death of Keir Hardie, Charles Butt Stanton becomes MP for Merthyr.
*Sir James Herbert Cory, 1st Baronet, becomes MP for Cardiff.
*Sir William Rice Edwards becomes surgeon-general of Bengal.

Arts and literature

*Gomer Berry and William Ewart Berry buy "The Sunday Times".
*Clough Williams-Ellis marries Amabel Strachey.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bangor)

*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - T. H. Parry-Williams
*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - T. H. Parry-Williams

New books

*Caradoc Evans – "My People"
*John Gwenogvryn Evans (ed.) - "Poems from the Book of Taliesin, amended and translated"
*Arthur Machen – "The Great Return"
*Eluned Morgan - "Plant yr Haul"
*John Cowper Powys - "Wood and Stone"

Music

*David Roberts - "Y Tant Aur" (2nd edition)

Film

*"The Birth of a Nation" directed by Welsh-descended D. W. Griffith.

port

*Boxing - Llew Edwards wins the British and Commonwealth featherweight titles.

Births

*16 January - David Davies, 2nd Baron Davies of Llandinam (died 1944)
*11 February - Mervyn Levy, artist (died 1996)
*20 February - Mary Jones, actor (died 1990)
*25 March - Dorothy Squires, singer (died 1998)
*4 June - Ernest David Bell, artist and poet (died 1959)
*1 July - Alun Lewis (poet) (died 1944)
*10 September - Geraint Bowen, poet and Archdruid
*22 September - Thomas Williams, politician (died 1986)
*23 September - John Samuel Rowlands, GC (died 2006)
*11 October - T. Llew Jones, writer
*"date unknown"
**Roland Mathias, poet and critic
**Keidrych Rhys, poet and journalist (died 1987)
**John Griffith Williams, writer (died 1987)

Deaths

*19 January - Anna Leonowens, governess who claimed Welsh birth (but was actually born in India)
*25 April - William Charles Williams, VC recipient
*31 July - Billy Geen, Welsh international rugby union player
*26 September - Keir Hardie, MP for Merthyr Tydfil
*30 September - Rupert Price Hallowes, VC recipient
*22 November - Llewellyn John Montfort Bebb, Principal of St David's College, Lampeter
*10 December - David Jenkins, composer
*17 December - John Rhys, philologist
*"date unknown"
**Rachel Davies, Baptist preacher
**David Gwynne-Vaughan, botanist