1959 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Minister of Welsh Affairs – Henry Brooke
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

Events

• 1 January – The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry") is formed.
• February – The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.
• 4 May – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
• 6 August – Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
• 8 October – At the UK general election:
• Newly elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
• Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
• Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
• The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
• Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
• Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain).
• Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.
• Gilbern Sports Cars begin production of their kit cars at Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.

Arts and literature

• 8 January – Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (last December) by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them, in London.
• 9 January – Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK singles chart, with "As I Love You".
• December – Actress Siân Phillips marries Peter O'Toole in Dublin.
• Literature Wales is established as The Academi.
• Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Tom Huws
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen

New books

English language

• Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
• Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
• Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development

Welsh language

• Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
• Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug

Music

• Grace Williams – All Seasons shall be Sweet

Film

• Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
• Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

Broadcasting

• Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
• The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Ar Lin Mam (children's programme)
• Trysor o Gân (Treasury of Song)

English-language television

• Ivor the Engine (children's programme)

Sports

• Athletics – The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
• Boxing – Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Graham Moore

Births

• 30 January – Cynthia Carter, journalist, author and academic
• 25 February – Mike Peters, rock singer (died 2025)
• 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
• 24 April – Paula Yates, television presenter (died 2000)
• 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
• 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician
• 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
• 28 May – Steve Strange, born Steven Harrington, pop singer/promoter (died 2015)
• 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
• 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
• 7 November – Richard Barrett, composer
• 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician
• date unknown – Paul Henry, poet

Deaths

• 1 January – Daniel Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient, 61
• 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet, industrialist, 87
• 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61
• 24 February – Sid Judd, international rugby player, 30
• 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
• 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator, 43
• 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96
• 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84
• 2 July – Ivor Davies, rugby player, 67
• 7 July – Frank Williams, Wales international rugby player, 49
• 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
• 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
• 9 August – John Hart Evans, rugby player, 78
• 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61
• 23 October – Anthony Windham Jones, rugby player, 80
• 16 November – Fanny Winifred Edwards, teacher and writer, 83
• 17 November – David Owen Morgan, zoologist, 66
• 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
• 10 December – W. R. Davies, US academic of Welsh descent, 66 (heart attack)
• 28 December – David Brazell, singer, 84
• 30 December – Dick Duckfield, cricketer, 52

See also

• 1959 in Northern Ireland

References