1950 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1950 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
• Wil Ifan (outgoing)
• Cynan (incoming)

Events

• 23 February – 1950 United Kingdom general election: For the first time ever, the Labour Party contests all Parliamentary seats in Wales. Following the election, Wales has 27 Labour MPs, 4 Liberals, 3 Conservatives and one National Liberal/Conservative.
• The University of Wales seat is abolished at the dissolution, W. J. Gruffydd having been the last holder.
• Roderic Bowen is re-elected for Cardiganshire, with the largest Liberal majority in the country.
• David Ormsby-Gore, the future Lord Harlech, becomes MP for Oswestry.
• Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, following the abolition of his Llandaff and Barry constituency, is elected MP for Leicester North East.
• Roy Jenkins, whose Southwark seat has been abolished, is elected for Birmingham Stechford.
• Elwyn Jones becomes MP for West Ham South.
• Following the election, Ness Edwards becomes Postmaster-General. During his time in the office, he introduces the greetings telegram.
• Abertillery's Labour MP, George Daggar, dies on 14 October, to be replaced by Llywelyn Williams.
• 12 March – Llandow air disaster: 80 of the 83 people on board an Avro Tudor V aircraft are killed when it crashes on approach to Llandow in Glamorgan, making it the world's worst air disaster at this time.
• 30 March – William Havard is elected Bishop of St David's.
• 1 June – The Welsh Air Service, the world's first scheduled helicopter service, begins operating between Cardiff, Wrexham and Liverpool.
• 27 August – Six people are killed in a rail collision at Penmaenmawr railway station.
• 9 September – In Swansea, following heavy rain, three houses collapse, killing seven people.
• Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones opens in Amlwch on Anglesey as Britain's first purpose-built comprehensive school.
• Maes Hyfryd and Bryn Teg housing estates at Beaumaris, designed by Colwyn Foulkes, are built.
• Glanllyn is acquired as a permanent site for meetings of Urdd Gobaith Cymru.
• In the Honours lists
• Physicist Ezer Griffiths is awarded the O.B.E.
• Agriculturist Thomas James Jenkin is awarded the C.B.E.
• Industrialist Herbert Henry Merrett is knighted.
• Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, becomes President of University College, Cardiff.

Arts and literature

• 21 February – Dylan Thomas arrives in the United States, his first visit to America.
• The first Welsh Drama Festival is held.
• American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith visits the UK to take photographs of working-class life; three of those published are of the South Wales valleys.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caerphilly) (first "all-Welsh" Eisteddfod)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym Tilsley
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Euros Bowen
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld

New books

English language

• Sir Leonard Twiston Davies – Welsh furniture: an introduction
• Kathleen Freeman – Greek City States
• Llewelyn Wyn Griffith – The Welsh
• Elisabeth Inglis-Jones – Peacocks in Paradise
• Thomas Jones (T. J.) – Welsh Broth
• Richard Llewellyn – A Few Flowers for Shiner
• V. E. Nash-Williams – The Early Christian Monuments of Wales
• Harold Henry Rowley – The Growth of the Old Testament
• Bertrand Russell – Unpopular Essays
• Raymond Williams – Reading and Criticism

Welsh language

• Ambrose Bebb – Machlud yr Oesoedd Canol
• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Blodeugerdd o englynion
• Edward Morgan Humphreys – GwÅ·r enwog gynt
• Edgar Phillips – Caniadau Trefîn
• Arthur Wade-Evans – Coll Prydain
• David Pryse Williams – Canmlwyddiant Libanus ... braslun o'r hanes
• William Crwys Williams – Pedair Pennod

Music

• Harry Parr Davies – Dear Miss Phoebe (musical)
• Arwel Hughes – Dewi Sant (Saint David) (oratorio)
• Grace Williams – Three Traditional Ballads
• W. S. Gwynn Williams – Breuddwyd Glyndwr

Film

• Glyn Houston makes his film debut in The Blue Lamp, which also stars Meredith Edwards and guest stars Tessie O'Shea.
• Ray Milland stars in Copper Canyon and A Woman of Distinction.

Sports

• Boxing
• 13 September – Eddie Thomas beats Cliff Curvis at St Helens to become British welterweight champion.
• Football
• 27 October – Wales international Trevor Ford becomes the most expensive footballer in British history after joining Sunderland for £30,000.
• Rugby union – Wales win their fourth Grand Slam.
• Bowls – The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association is founded.

Births

• 23 January – John Greaves, Welsh bass player and songwriter
• 7 February – Dai Havard MP, politician
• 16 February (in Nairobi) – Peter Hain MP, politician
• 11 March – Terry Cooper, footballer
• 18 March – Lorraine Barrett AM, politician
• 27 March – Terry Yorath, footballer and football manager
• 3 May – Mary Hopkin, singer
• 5 May (in Saint Kitts) – Pat Thomas, boxer
• 24 May – Geoff Ellis, cricketer
• 26 May – Myron Wyn Evans, chemist (died 2019)
• 2 June – Jonathan Evans MEP, businessman and politician
• 14 June – Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 25 August (in Dublin) – Brian Gibbons AM, politician
• 8 September – Martyn Woodroffe, swimmer
• 10 September – Tich Gwilym, guitarist (d. 2005)
• 11 October – Robert Pugh, actor
• 16 November – Chris O'Brien, rugby league player
• 28 November – Meic Povey, screenwriter, playwright and actor (d. 2017)
• 8 December – Stephen Richards, judge
• 10 December – John Parsons, footballer

Deaths

• 23 January – Jack Rhapps, dual-code international rugby player, 73
• 13 February – Rees Howells, missionary and founder of the Bible College at Swansea, 70
• 28 February – David Lewis Prosser, Archbishop of Wales, 81
• 9 March – Timothy Evans, wrongly executed for murder, 35
• 15 March – Sir Wilfrid Lewis, judge
• 12 April – Joe Rees, rugby union player, 56
• 29 April – Wallace Watts, Wales international rugby union player, 80
• 15 May – David Edwardes Davies, Bishop of Bangor, 70
• 21 June – General Sir Henry ap Rhys Pryce, officer in the Indian Army, 75
• 23 June – Joseph Harry, minister and poet, 86
• 29 June – H. A. Gwynne, author and newspaper editor, 84
• 2 July – Henry Haydn Jones MP, politician, 86
• 5 July – John Hughes, footballer, 73
• 30 August – Morgan Morgan-Owen, footballer, 73
• 30 August – Ralph Hancock, landscape gardener, 57
• 19 September – David Jones, archdeacon of Carmarthen, 75
• 14 October – George Daggar MP, politician, 71
• 28 October – Alis Mallt Williams, novelist, 83
• 21 November – Hugh Emyr Davies, poet, 72

See also

• 1950 in Northern Ireland

References