1944 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1944 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales
• Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor (died 7 May)
• David Prosser, Bishop of St David's (elected)
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Crwys

Events

• 22 January - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas reports for the BBC from the Battle of Anzio.
• 23 January - An RAF Halifax bomber crashes in the Elan Valley, killing nine crew.
• 28 March - Cardiff Blitz: Nine people are killed in an air raid on Cardiff.
• 11 April - An RAF Lancaster bomber crashes near Llanwrtyd Wells, killing eight crew.
• 16 August - Lt. Tasker Watkins leads a bayonet charge at Barfour in Normandy, winning the Victoria Cross for his courage.
• 17 October - The first "Welsh Day" debate takes place in the House of Commons (UK).
• 11 November - A US Dakota C-47 with four crew crashes into cliffs above Llyn Dulyn.
• 10 December - American Liberty ship Dan Beard is torpedoed off Strumble Head, resulting in the deaths of 29 crew.
• 20 December - An American B-24 Liberator plane crashes into the sea off Anglesey, killing eight crew.
• Plaid Cymru transfers its head office from Caernarfon to Cardiff.
• Morgan Phillips becomes Secretary of the Labour Party (UK), a position he will hold until 1961.
• Sir Thomas Williams Phillips becomes permanent secretary of the new government ministry created to implement the national insurance system.
• Sir David Brunt is awarded the royal medal of the Royal Society for his work in meteorology.
• Politician Goronwy Owen and naval architect Llewellyn Soulsby are knighted.

Arts and literature

• 2 October - Dylan Thomas is best man at the wedding of his friend and fellow poet Vernon Watkins in London - but fails to turn up.
• BBC commentator Alun Williams marries Perrie Hopkin Morris, daughter of Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llandybie)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - D. Lloyd Jenkins
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - J. M. Edwards
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld

New books

English language

• Rhys Davies – Black Venus
• Fred Hando - The Pleasant Land of Gwent
• Jack Jones - The Man David
• Alun Lewis - The Last Inspection
• Sir Percy Emerson Watkins - A Welshman Remembers
• Sir Ifor Williams - Lectures on early Welsh Poetry

Welsh language

• Thomas Rowland Hughes - William Jones
• Edward Morgan Humphreys - Ceulan y Llyn Du
• T. H. Parry-Williams - O'r Pedwar Gwynt

New drama

• James Kitchener Davies - Meini Gwagedd
• Emlyn Williams - The Druid's Rest

Music

• Harry Parr Davies - Jenny Jones (musical)
• Grace Williams - Sea Sketches

Film

• The Halfway House, starring Mervyn Johns, Glynis Johns and Rachel Thomas, is set in Wales.

Broadcasting

• August - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas reports on the liberation of Paris for BBC radio.
• Launch of the Noson Lawen series on BBC radio.

Visual arts

• Polish-born expressionist painter Josef Herman begins 11 years living and working in Ystradgynlais.

Sport

• Boxing - Syd Worgan beats Tommy Davies for the vacant Welsh featherweight title.
• Football - The first post-war match between Wales and England ends in a 1 - 0 victory for Wales.

Births

• 21 January – Peter Rodrigues, footballer
• 17 February – Karl Jenkins, composer
• 1 March – Dai Morgan Evans, English-born archaeologist (died 2017)
• 6 March – Billy Raybould, Wales international rugby player
• 12 March – Tammy Jones, singer
• 24 March
• Mary Balogh, novelist
• Steve Jones, biologist
• 31 March – Myfanwy Talog, actress (died 1995)
• 4 April – Ronnie Rees, footballer
• 8 April – Hywel Bennett, actor (died 2017)
• 15 April – Dave Edmunds, rock musician
• 16 April – Llew Smith, politician (died 2021)
• 5 May
• Roger Rees, actor (died 2015 in the United States)
• John Rhys-Davies, actor
• 20 May – Kathrin Thomas, magistrate
• 3 June – Dilwyn John, footballer.
• 11 June – Alan Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport, politician
• 16 June – Brian Protheroe, English-born singer and actor of Welsh parentage
• 7 July – Glenys Kinnock, English-born politician (died 2023)
• 7 July – Angharad Rees, actress (died 2012)
• 31 July
• Endaf Emlyn, TV presenter, musician and director
• Betty Williams, politician
• 3 September – John Cooper, serial killer
• 9 October – Desmond Barrit, actor
• 21 October – Mandy Rice-Davies, socialite (died 2014)
• 6 November – Gerallt Lloyd Owen, poet (died 2014)
• 14 November – Eurfyl ap Gwilym, economist and politician
• 29 November – Gareth Wardell, politician
• 18 December – (Roger) Deke Leonard, rock musician (died 2017)
• 24 December – Meirion Pennar, translator and son of Pennar Davies (died 2010)

Deaths

• 8 January - John Newell Evans, Welsh-born farmer and politician in Canada, 97
• 11 January - Richard Powell, Wales international rugby player, 79
• 5 March - Alun Lewis, poet, 28 (accidentally shot)
• 20 March - William Retlaw Williams, lawyer and historian, 80 or 81
• 31 March - Talfryn Evans, cricketer, 29
• 7 May - Charles Green, Bishop of Monmouth, Bishop of Bangor and Archbishop of Wales, 79
• 17 May - John Lloyd Morgan, lawyer and MP, 83
• 24 May - Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet, politician, 83
• 27 May - Griffith Hartwell Jones, academic, 85
• June - Dai Davies, footballer, 63/64
• 16 June - David Davies, 1st Baron Davies, philanthropist and MP, 64
• 25 June - James Atkin, Baron Atkin, judge, 76
• 5 August - Maurice Turnbull, cricketer, 38 (killed in action)
• 5 August - Ethel Lina White, crime novelist, 68
• 20 September - Oliver Morris, rugby player and footballer, 27 (killed in action)
• 21 September - Bob Jones, rugby union player, 69
• 25 September - David Davies, 2nd Baron Davies, 29 (killed in battle)
• 30 September- David Harris Davies, Wales international rugby union player, 66
• 5 October - Laura Evans-Williams, singer, 61
• 27 October - Clem Lewis, rugby player, 54
• 19 November - Watkin Williams, Bishop of Bangor, 99
• 8 December - Sir William Jenkins, MP for Neath, 73

See also

• 1944 in Northern Ireland

References