1962 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1962 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Trefin

Events

• January–April – An outbreak of smallpox spreading from Cardiff infects 45 people and kills 19 in south Wales; 900,000 people in the region are vaccinated against the disease.
• 12 April – Nine miners are killed and nine injured in an accident at Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, Wales.
• 15 May – Emlyn Hooson wins the Montgomeryshire by-election brought about by the death of Clement Davies. In the run-up to the by-election, the "Elvis Rock" is painted with the graffiti "Elis" by supporters of Plaid Cymru candidate Islwyn Ffowc Elis.
• 20 July – The world's first regular passenger hovercraft service is introduced between Rhyl and Wallasey.
• 4 August – Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, is founded.
• September – Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, the first Welsh-medium secondary school in south Wales, opens its doors.
• 19 September – Atlantic College opens its doors for the first time at St Donat's Castle, marking the birth of the pioneering United World College educational movement.
• 26 October – Richard Thomas and Baldwins's new steelworks at Llanwern near Newport, is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
• 28 October – Chepstow Railway Bridge rebuilding completed.
• date unknown
• Richard Booth opens his first second-hand bookshop at the old fire station in Hay-on-Wye.
• Cardiff Zoo opened.

Arts and literature

• 21 March – Actress Rachel Roberts marries Rex Harrison in Genoa.
• Gwyn Thomas becomes a full-time writer and produces his first stage play, The Keep.
• Welsh National Opera launches a training scheme for singers.
• Dick Francis publishes his first thriller, Dead Cert.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llanelli)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Caradog Prichard, "Llef un yn Llefain"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – D. Emlyn Lewis, Y Cwmwl
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen, Bu Farw Ezra Bebb

New books

• Clifford Dyment – The Railway Game
• Michael Foot – Aneurin Bevan, vol. 1
• Menna Gallie – The Small Mine
• Llewelyn Wyn Griffith – The Adventures of Pryderi
• The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse
• Norman Thomas – Ask at the Unicorn
• Raymond Williams – Communications

Welsh language

• John Roberts Evans – Ar Drothwy'r Nos
• William Evans (Wil Ifan) – Colofnau Wil Ifan
• Gwyn Thomas – Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau

Music

• Dilys Elwyn-Edwards – Caneuon y Tri Aderyn
• Alun Hoddinott – Folksong Suite
• William Mathias – Postlude
• Grace Williams – Four Medieval Welsh Poems for alto, harp and harpsichord

Film

• Richard Burton and Donald Houston appear in The Longest Day.
• Peter Greenaway makes his first film: Death of Sentiment.
• Jack Howells makes the short documentary A Tribute to Dylan Thomas featuring Richard Burton. The film wins an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject in the following year.

Broadcasting

Welsh-language radio

• 13 February – Saunders Lewis gives the Welsh Home Service’s Annual Lecture, entitled Tynged yr Iaith (The Fate of the Language).

Television

• 14 September – The first transmitter, at Preseli, of the Teledu Cymru – Wales (West and North) Television service comes on air.

English-language television

• 17 September – First edition of the Welsh national news programme BBC Wales Today.

Sport

• Football – John Charles returns to Leeds United from several years playing for Italian clubs.
• Golf – Brian Huggett wins the Dutch Open championship.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Ivor Allchurch

Births

• 5 January – Geraint Williams, footballer
• 11 January – Chris Bryant, politician
• 16 January – Bethan Gwanas, Welsh-language writer
• 25 May - Martin Goldsmith, footballer
• 27 June – Michael Ball, singer
• 28 August – David Melding, politician
• 15 September – Kevin Allen, actor, comedian and film director
• 22 July – Arthur Emyr, rugby union player and television presenter and executive
• 22 August – Iolo Williams, naturalist and TV presenter
• 5 September – Peter Wingfield, actor
• 15 October – Mark Ring, rugby union player
• 24 October – Jonathan Davies, rugby union and league player
• 11 November - Chris Sander, footballer
• 31 December – Chris Hallam, wheelchair athlete (died 2013)
• date unknown
• Fiona Bennett, composer
• Sioned Wiliam, broadcaster, writer and producer

Deaths

• 18 January – Iolo Aneurin Williams, journalist, author and politician, 71
• 26 January – George Jeffreys, founder of the Elim Pentecostal Church, 72
• 11 February – John Edward Daniel, theologian, chairman of Plaid Cymru, 59 (road accident)
• 14 February – Ezer Griffiths, physicist, 73
• 27 February – Albert Rhys Williams, Welsh-American journalist, labour organiser, and publicist, 78
• 23 March – Clement Davies, politician, 80
• April – Edgar Morgan, rugby union player, 80
• 25 April – Herbie Baxter, Glamorgan cricketer, 79
• 30 April – Charles Williams, Anglican priest and academic, 55
• 11 May – Eliot Crawshay-Williams, politician and author, 82
• 16 June – Edgar Rees Jones, barrister and politician, 83
• 24 June – Thomas Richards, historian, 84
• 3 August - Edgar Phillips, poet and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod, 72
• 23 August - Robert Bye, VC recipient, 72
• 23 September - Margaret Jane Gordon (Lady Gordon), singer, 82
• 5 November <small>(in London)</small> – Percy Cudlipp, journalist, 56
• 30 November – Lewis Pugh Evans, Victoria Cross recipient, 81
• 15 December – Charles Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor, politician, 63
• 17 December – Lonza Bowdler, Wales international rugby union player, 61
• 21 December – Gary Hocking, motorcycle road racer, 25 (racing accident)

See also

• 1962 in Northern Ireland

References