1972 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1972 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
• Tilsli (outgoing)
• Brinli (incoming)

Events

• 1 January – Welsh rugby captain John Dawes is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List.
• 30 January – Opening to rail traffic of the new Britannia Bridge linking Anglesey with mainland Wales (following the destruction of the previous bridge by a fire).
• March/April – The "Miners' Tramway" underground at Llechwedd Slate Caverns, Blaenau Ffestiniog, opens to the public.
• 3 May – Leslie Harvey, guitarist of Stone the Crows, is fatally electrocuted while performing at Swansea's Top Rank Suite.
• 13 September – Hypermarkets make their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after debuting in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opens a hypermarket in Caerphilly.
• 26 October – Passage of the Local Government Act 1972, which will reorganise and simplify local government in Wales and Monmouthshire from 1974.
• 11 December – Rhoose Airport is opened by The Duke of Edinburgh.
• date unknown
• Sir Morien Morgan becomes Master of Downing College, Cambridge.
• The island of Flat Holm is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
• The communities of Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt cease to exist, following the closedown of local industry; the residents are moved into Llanelli.
• Llyn Brianne regulating reservoir on the River Towy is completed; its dam is the UK's tallest, standing at a height of 300 ft (91 m).

Arts and literature

• Writer James Morris becomes Jan Morris.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Haverfordwest)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Dafydd Owen, "Preselau"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Rowlands, "Dadeni"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Rowlands, "Ysgrifau yr Hanner Bardd"
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal – Urien Wiliam

New books

English language

• Alexander Cordell – The Fire People
• A. H. Dodd – Life in Wales
• Emyr Humphreys – National Winner
• Richard Jones The Tower is Everywhere
• Roland Mathias – Absalom in the Tree
• Edith Pargeter – A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury
• Will Paynter – My Generation (autobiography)
• Goronwy Rees – A Chapter of Accidents
• Ifor Williams – The beginnings of Welsh poetry

Welsh language

• Marion Eames – Y Rhandir Mwyn
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Eira Mawr
• Bobi Jones – Allor Wydn
• David Tecwyn Lloyd – Lady Gwladys a Phobl Eraill
• Gerallt Lloyd Owen – Cerddi'r Cywilydd
• Kate Roberts – Gobaith a Storïau Eraill

Drama

• Gwyn Thomas – Amser Dyn sef Darnau o Einioes

Music

• Badfinger – Straight Up (album)
• John Cale – The Academy in Peril (album)
• Dafydd Iwan – Yma Mae 'Nghân (album)
• Mary Hopkin – Live At The Royal Festival Hall (album)
• Tom Jones – Close Up (album)

Film

• The film of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood appears, with Richard Burton, Glynis Johns, Ryan Davies and many other Welsh stars.
• Hywel Bennett stars with Hayley Mills in Endless Night.

Welsh-language films

• The Song We Sing Is About Freedom

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Gwrando ar fy Nghan with singer Heather Jones
• Teliffant with Myfanwy Talog and Huw Ceredig
• Nol Mewn 5 Munud with Huw Ceredig

English-language television

• Kenneth Griffith's reputation is underlined with a four-part documentary series about the Boer War, Sons of the Blood.
• Anthony Hopkins wins acclaim for his first starring role on television in BBC2's adaptation of War and Peace.
• Glyn Houston appears as Bunter opposite Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, in the first of several TV serials based on the stories of Dorothy L. Sayers.

Sport

• Chess – Wales competes in the World Chess Olympiad at Skopje, Yugoslavia.
• Cricket – Tony Lewis captains England on his Test debut in Delhi, India.
• Rugby union
• 25 March – Derek Quinnell makes his debut for Wales against France.
• 31 October – Llanelli RFC defeat the New Zealand All Blacks 9–3 at Stradey Park in front of 26,000 supporters.
• The Welsh Sports Association is established.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Richard Meade

Births

• 27 January
• Nathan Blake, footballer
• Wynne Evans, tenor
• March - Helen Raynor, dramatist and screenwriter
• 23 March – Joe Calzaghe, boxer
• 10 April – Chris Corcoran, comedian
• 18 April – Mike Bubbins, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, presenter and podcaster
• 7 June – Sian Lloyd, television news presenter
• 5 July – Nia Roberts, actress
• 20 August – Scott Quinnell, rugby player
• 24 August – Jason Bowen, footballer
• 4 September – Guto Pryce, musician
• 23 September – Julian Winn, cyclist
• 3 October – Josie d'Arby, actress and television presenter
• 4 November – Tim Vincent, television presenter
• 27 December – Colin Charvis, rugby player

Deaths

• 17 January – Stan Davies, footballer, 73
• 4 February – Sir Charles Robert Harington, chemist, 74
• 25 February – S. O. Davies, politician, 85
• 27 February – Will James, dual-code rugby player, 69
• 7 March – Jack Morley, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 62
• 10 March – Gwynfor Davies, cricketer, 63
• 20 March – Dudley Lloyd-Evans, First World War flying ace, 76 or 77
• 28 March – James Edward Nichols, geneticist, 69
• 10 April – Ormond Jones, footballer, 61
• 28 May – The Duke of Windsor, Prince of Wales 1910–1936), 77
• 14 June (at Goathurst) – Glyn Simon, Archbishop of Wales (1968–71), 69
• 9 July – Sir Henry Morris-Jones, doctor, soldier and politician, 87
• 10 July – Emrys Jones, actor, 56 (heart attack)
• 12 August – Reg Anderson, cricketer, 58
• 28 September – Tom Roberts, Wales international rugby union player, 75?
• 19 October
• David Hughes, opera singer, 47 (heart failure)
• Fred Keenor, footballer, 78
• 6 November – Hilary Marquand, economist and MP, 70
• 13 November – Glyn Prosser, dual-code rugby player, 64
• 30 November – Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player, 75
• 4 December – Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, politician and judge, 68
• unknown date
• Sam Davies, Wales international footballer, 77 or 78
• Lillian Griffith, sculptor, 94 or 95

See also

• 1972 in Northern Ireland

References