1909 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1909 to Wales and its people.

← 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1909 in Wales → 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1909 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – George (later George V)
• Princess of Wales – Mary
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfed

Events

16 January: Edgeworth David

• January – Noah Ablett is a founding member of the Plebs' League at Ruskin College, Oxford.[1]
• 1 January – John Ballinger becomes first librarian of the National Library of Wales which is being set up in Aberystwyth, initially in temporary premises in the former Assembly Rooms.[2]
• 16 January – Edgeworth David is a member of the expedition which successfully reaches the Magnetic South Pole.
• 2 July – Thirty-six men are killed when a trench collapses during construction of the Alexandra Dock part of Newport Docks.
• 26 July–7 August - The National Pageant of Wales is held at Cardiff Castle.[3]
• 30 August – RMS Mauretania (1906) calls at Fishguard.
• October – Monthly rainfall of 56.5 inches (1,440 mm) is measured at Llyn Llydaw, Snowdonia - a British record.
• 29 October – A mining accident at Darren Colliery, New Tredegar, kills 26 men.
• December – Thomas "Toya" Lewis is awarded the Albert Medal by Edward VII for his heroism in rescuing survivors of the Newport Dock collapse on 2 July.[4]
• date unknown
  • King's Dock, part of Swansea Docks, is opened.[5]
  • First coal raised from Penallta Colliery.
  • The first mines rescue station in south Wales is opened at Aberaman.
  • The Bryn Eglwys slate quarry, the Abergynolwyn estate and village and Talyllyn Railway are purchased by Henry Haydn Jones.
  • Thomas Rees becomes principal of Bala-Bangor Theological College.
  • Completion of Berw Bridge over the River Taff above Pontypridd, the longest reinforced concrete span in the U.K. at this date (116 feet (35 m)); it is designed by L. G. Mouchel to Hennebique patents and built by Watkin Williams and Page.[6][7]
  • Clark's Pies originates in Cardiff.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales – held in London
  • Chair – T. Gwynn Jones, "Gwlad y Bryniau"[8]
  • Crown – W. J. Gruffydd

New books

English language

• John Gwenogvryn Evans (ed.) – Facsimile of the Chirk Codex
• Edward Thomas – The South Country
• Arthur Wade-Evans – Welsh Mediaeval Law[9]

Welsh language

• Emrys ap Iwan – Homilïau vol. 2 (posthumous)
• Hugh Brython Hughes – Tair Cwpan Aur[10]

Music

• Evan Thomas Davies – Ynys y Plant

Sport

• Boxing

Freddie Welsh

• • 23 August – Freddie Welsh wins the European lightweight title (at Mountain Ash).
  • 8 November – Freddie Welsh wins the British lightweight title, and becomes the first boxer to be awarded a Lonsdale Belt (in London).
  • 20 December – Thomas Thomas is awarded the first Lonsdale Belt at middleweight.
• Sport of athletics
  • 23 August – Welshman Fred 'Tenby' Davies beats Irishman Bert Day to become world champion over the half-mile distance (at Pontypridd).
• Rugby league
  • Aberdare RLFC, Barry RLFC and Mid-Rhondda RLFC fold after just one season. The first Welsh League competition is won by Ebbw Vale.
• Rugby union
  • Wales win their second Grand Slam.

Births

• 4 January – Glyndwr Michael, vagrant whose body is used as Maj. William Martin, RM, in Operation Mincemeat (died 1943)
• 29 January – George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy (died 1997)[11]
• 14 February – Harry Peacock, Wales rugby union player (died 1996)
• 20 February – Bill Roberts, Wales international rugby union player (died 1969)
• 5 March – Howard Thomas, radio and television producer (died 1986)
• 10 March – Glen Moody, boxer (died 1989)
• 30 March – Dai Thomas, Wales national rugby player (date of death unknown)
• 1 April – George Ewart Evans, folklorist and oral historian (died 1988)
• 11 May – Aneirin Talfan Davies, writer and publisher (died 1980)[12]
• 11 June – Ronnie Boon, Wales rugby union player (died 1998)
• 12 June – Mansel Thomas, composer and conductor (died 1986)[13]
• 16 July – Eddie Jenkins footballer (died 2005)
• 28 July – Jack Morley, Wales and British Lions rugby player (died 1972)
• 25 August – Arwel Hughes, composer (died 1988)[14]
• 30 September – Arthur Probert, politician (died 1975)
• 1 October – Jim Lang, Wales rugby union player (died 1991)
• 24 October – Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones, politician (died 1989)[15]
• 25 October – Walter Vickery, Wales national rugby player (died 2000)
• 7 November – Eirene White, politician (died 1999)[16]
• 29 November – Goronwy Rees, journalist and academic (died 1979)[17]
• 14 December – Ronald Welch, historical novelist (died 1982)
• date unknown
  • Isaac Davies (Eic Davies), dramatist (died 1993)
  • Evan Roberts, botanist (died 1991)

Deaths

January:Frederick Courtenay Morgan

• 3 January – Robert Bird, politician, 69
• 8 January – Frederick Courtenay Morgan, politician, 74[18]
• 9 January – Erasmus Jones, Welsh-American minister and author, 91[19]
• 5 February – W. R. M. Wynne, politician, landowner, collector of manuscripts, 68[20]
• 9 March – David Thomas (Dewi Hefin), poet, 80[21]
• 29 March – Catherine Prichard, poet, 66[22]
• April – Ivor James, educationist[23]
• 19 April – J. S. Pughe, Welsh-born American political cartoonist, 39[24]
• 31 May – Thomas Price, Premier of South Australia, 57[25]
• 9 June – Walter Rice Evans, Wales international rugby player[26]
• 2 July – Sir Arthur Cowell-Stepney, landowner and politician, 74[27]
• 1 August – General Sir Hugh Rowlands, VC recipient, 81[28]
• 23 September – Thomas Edward Lloyd, politician, 89[29]
• 22 October – David Rogers, politician in Canada, 79
• 9 November – Montague Guest, politician, son of Lady Charlotte Guest, 70[30]
• 10 November – George Essex Evans, Welsh-Australian poet, 46 (complications arising from gall bladder surgery)[31]
• 11 December – Ludwig Mond, industrialist, 70[32]
• 13 December – Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, shipping magnate, 64 [33]

References

1. Kenneth O. Morgan (1981). Rebirth of a Nation: Wales, 1880-1980. Oxford University Press. pp. 150. ISBN 978-0-19-821736-7.
2. Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England) (1982). The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. The Society. p. 151.
3. Paul Ward (15 April 2004). Britishness since 1870. Routledge. p. 204. ISBN 1-134-60042-9.
4. "History". Newport Harbour Commissioners.
5. Stephen Hughes; Stephen R. Hughes; Paul Rupert Reynolds (1992). A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of the Swansea Region. RCAHMW. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-871184-01-3.
6. Roger Cragg (1997). Wales and West Central England. Thomas Telford. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-0-7277-2576-9.
7. Thomas, Keith (2010). Civil Engineering Heritage – Wales. Andover: Phillimore. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-86077-638-0.
8. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 3 October 2019.
9. James, Mary Auronwy. "Wade-Evans, Arthur Wade (Arthur Wade Evans); 1875–1964; clergyman and historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
10. Idwal Lewis. "Hughes, Hugh (Brython) (1848-1913), school-teacher and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
11. Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (1997). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Limited. p. 355.
12. Alan Llwyd. "Davies, Aneirin Talfan (1909-1980), poet, literary critic, broadcaster and publisher". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
13. Gilmore-James, Terence. "Thomas, Mansel Treharne (1909-1986), Composer, Conductor, BBC Wales Head of Music". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
14. Maggie Humphreys; Robert Evans (1 January 1997). Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland. A&C Black. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7201-2330-2.
15. Who's Who in European Politics. Bowker-Saur. December 1990. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-86291-911-5.
16. Lena Jeger (27 December 1999). "Baroness White of Rhymney". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
17. John Harris (2001). Goronwy Rees. University of Wales Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7083-1677-1.
18. William Paget; Mary Paget (1985). Man of the valleys: the recollections of a South Wales miner. A. Sutton. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-86299-244-6.
19. Robert (Bob) Owen. "Jones, Erasmus (1817-1909), novelist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
20. "Death of Mr W.R.M. Wynne". Aberystwyth Observer. 11 February 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
21. Griffiths, Griffith Milwyn. "Thomas, David (Dewi Hefin; 1828–1909), poet". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
22. Enid Pierce Roberts. "Pryse, Robert John (1807-1889), man of letters". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
23. Bye-gones, Relating to Wales and the Border Counties. 1909. p. 56.
24. "Obituary Notes: John S. Pughe", The New York Times, April 20, 1909. Accessed May 12, 2017.
25. "Death of the Hon. T. Price". The Border Watch. XLIX (4729). South Australia. 2 June 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 23 July 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
26. Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed & Official Classes. Kelly's Directories. 1921. p. 597.
27. "BARONET FOUND DEAD. - Body in Railroad Station Believed to be That of Sir Arthur Cowell-Stepney. - View Article" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 July 1909. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
28. William Alister Williams. "Rowlands, Sir Hugh (1828-1909), general, first Welshman to be awarded the Victoria Cross". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
29. "The Late Mr T.E. Lloyd". Cambrian News. 8 October 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
30. The Bystander: An Illustrated Weekly, Devoted to Travel, Literature, Art, the Drama, Progress, Locomotion. 1909. p. 311.
31. Who's who in Australia. The Herald. 1922. p. 305.
32. Helmut Werner (16 December 2008). Landmarks in Organo-Transition Metal Chemistry: A Personal View. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-387-09848-7.
33. Hugh Chisholm (1911). The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Encyclopaedia Britannica. p. 498.