1908 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1908 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

*Prince of Wales - George, Prince of Wales, son of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
*Princess of Wales - Mary of Teck
*Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales - Dyfed

Events

*3 January - Formal opening of the residence at St Deiniol's Library.
*28 January - In a colliery explosion at Ammanford, David Rees Griffiths is seriously injured. His brother is one of two men killed.
*March - Frank Mason, editor of the "Tenby Observer", challenges the local council's right to ban him from their meetings. The Admission of the Press Act, 1908 is passed as a result.
*5 March - Edgeworth David leads the party attempting the ascent of Mount Erebus in the Antarctic.
*1 September - The barque "Amazon" sinks off Margam Sands, with the loss of 18 crew.
*The South Wales Miners' Federation becomes affiliated to the Labour Party.
*The Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1908 ("Eight Hours Act") limits the amount of time spent by coal miners underground.
*John Ballinger becomes first librarian of the National Library of Wales.
*A factory for making artificial silk opens at Greenfield in north-east Wales.
*Construction of the lighthouse at Strumble Head.

Arts and literature

*

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales - held in Llangollen
**Chair - John James Williams
**Crown - Hugh Emyr Davies

New books

*W. H. Davies - "Autobiography of a Super-Tramp"
*Silyn Roberts - "Y Blaid Lafur Anibynnol, ei Hanes a'i Hamcan"
*Gwyneth Vaughan - "Plant y Gorthrwm"
*Eliseus Williams (Eifion Wyn) - "Telynegion Maes a Môr"

Music

*David Evans becomes professor of the Music department at University of Wales, Cardiff.
*Harry Evans - "Dafydd ap Gwilym"

port

*Boxing
**24 February - Jim Driscoll wins the Commonwealth featherweight title.
*Olympics
**October - At the postponed 1908 Summer Olympics, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, competes unsuccessfully in the motorboat racing.
*Rugby League
**1 January - The first-ever international match is held at Aberdare, where Wales defeat New Zealand 9 - 8. The match also saw the Northern Hemisphere's first dual code international rugby player, Welsh forward Dai Jones.
*Rugby union
**Wales win their first Grand Slam.

Births

*22 March - Martin Davies, art historian (d. 1978)
*5 July - Francis Jones, heraldic expert (d. 1993)
*10 July - Donald Peers, singer (d. 1973)
*15 August - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, journalist (d. 1987)

Deaths

*21 June - Allen Raine, novelist
*"date unknown"
**Solomon Andrews, entrepreneur
**Caroline Elizabeth Williams, author