1983 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1983 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards
• Archbishop of Wales – Derrick Childs, Bishop of Monmouth (elected)
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Jâms Nicholas

Events

• 5 May - District council elections take place across Wales (and England). The Conservatives regain control of Cardiff City Council.
• 9 June - In the UK General Election.
• The SDP, led by Roy Jenkins, allies with the Liberals and gains fourteen seats.
• Stefan Terlezki becomes MP for Cardiff West.
• Plaid Cymru retains two seats.
• John Marek is elected for Wrexham, becoming the only Czech-speaking MP.
• Geraint Howells retains Ceredigion for the Liberals.
• 21 June - Last coal raised at Tymawr and Lewis Merthyr Colliery.
• September - The Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, heir to the Dutch throne, begins a two-year course of study at Atlantic College.
• 5 September - Marcher Sound is launched on 1260 AM and 95.4 FM (now BBC Radio Wales) from Wrexham, inaugurating the Marcher Radio Group.
• 2 October - Neil Kinnock, 41-year-old MP for Islwyn, replaces Michael Foot as leader of the UK Labour Party.
• The BBC National Chorus of Wales is formed.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llangefni)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Einion Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Eluned Phillips
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Tudor Wilson Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal -

New books

English language

• Walter Hugh Boore - The Odyssey of Dai Lewis
• Rachel Bromwich - Dafydd ap Gwilym: Poems
• Alice Thomas Ellis - The 27th Kingdom
• Emyr Humphreys – The Taliesin Tradition
• Nigel Jenkins - Practical Dreams
• Robert Nisbet - Stories of Sheepskin
• Craig Thomas - Firefox Down

Welsh language

• Marion Eames - Y Gaeaf Sydd Unig
• Donald Evans – Machlud Canrif
• R. Tudur Jones - Ffydd ac Argyfwng Cenedl
• Alan Llwyd - Yn Nydd yr Anghenfil

New drama

• W. S. Jones - Ifas y tryc

Music

• The Alarm - "Sixty Eight Guns" (#17 in the UK Singles Chart)
• Y Cyrff form at Llanrwst
• First Cardiff Singer of the World competition, won by Finnish soprano Karita Mattila
• "Yma o Hyd" is released by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log

Film

• Owen Glendower, Prince of Wales (TV film), starring David Barry

Welsh-language films

• Yr Alcoholig Llon

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Torri Gwynt

English-language television

• QED: Simon's War (about Simon Weston)

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jones
• Boxing - David Pearce of Newport wins the British heavyweight title.

Births

• 11 January
• Rhodri Gomer-Davies, rugby player and reporter
• 14 February - Rhydian Roberts, singer
• 18 February - David Vaughan, footballer
• 5 March - Owain Arthur, actor
• 28 March - Richard Jones, chess master
• 13 April - Nicole Cooke, cyclist
• 12 May - Jamie Tolley, footballer
• 7 June - Gareth Jewell, actor
• 9 June
• Kate Alicia Morgan, beauty queen
• Ryan Watkins, cricketer
• 11 June - Huw Bennett, rugby player
• 19 June - Richard Evans, footballer
• 22 July - Ifan Evans, rugby player
• 6 August - Lloyd Langford, comedian
• 10 August - Richie Pugh, rugby player and coach
• 23 August - James Collins, footballer
• 26 August - Darren Jones, footballer
• 9 October - Rianti Cartwright, half-Welsh actress (in Indonesia)
• 5 November - David Pipe, footballer

Deaths

• 5 January - Amy Evans, singer and actress, 98
• 10 January (in Amsterdam) - Carwyn James, rugby coach, 53
• 31 January - Edwin Williams, dual-code rugby international, 84
• 10 February - Michael Roberts, politician, 55 (collapsed in Parliament)
• 3 March - Percy Morgan, cricketer, 78
• 20 March - Alec Jones, politician, 58
• 23 March - David Wynne, composer, 82
• 16 April - Gladys Morgan, comedienne, 84
• 6 June - Bryn Howells, dual-code rugby player, 72
• 23 June - Emrys Evans, dual-code rugby player, 72
• 31 August - Iorwerth Jones, dual-code rugby player, 80
• 1 September - John Williams, Dean of Llandaff, 76
• 9 September - Edgar Morgan, dual-code rugby international, 87
• 1 October - Ernie Finch, Wales international rugby player, 84
• 8 October - Ron Wynn, footballer, 59
• 24 October - Norman Fender, Wales dual-code rugby international, 73
• 2 November - Tudor Watkins, politician, 80
• 8 November - E. G. Bowen, geographer, 82
• 15 November (in London) - Dai Rees, golfer, 70
• 30 November - Richard Llewellyn, novelist, 76
• 30 December - Ellis Evans, Dean of Monmouth, 75
• date unknown - Mary Vaughan Jones, novelist, 64/65

See also

• 1983 Cardiff City Council election
• 1983 in Northern Ireland

References