1917 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1917 to Wales and its people.

← 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1917 in Wales → 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1917 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Edward
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfed

Events

• 6 February – Psychoanalyst Ernest Jones marries composer Morfydd Llwyn Owen.
• 6 July – Aqaba falls to a joint force of Arab irregulars and the supporters of Auda Abu Tayi, largely thanks to the efforts of T. E. Lawrence.
• 15 July – Poet Hedd Wyn posts his awdl "Yr Arwr" ("The Hero") as his entry for the poetry competition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales on the same day as he marches off with the 15th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers towards the Battle of Passchendaele in which he will be killed a fortnight later. On September 6 at the ceremony of Chairing of the Bard at the Eisteddfod, held at Birkenhead, the empty druidical chair which Hedd Wyn, as winner, should have occupied is draped in a black sheet, "The festival in tears and the poet in his grave." Contralto Laura Evans-Williams sings I Blas Gogerddan instead of the traditional chairing song. This becomes known as "The Eisteddfodd of the Black Chair."
• 17 July – Prince Louis of Battenberg is created Marquess of Milford Haven.[1]
• 18 July – The Rotary Club opens its first branch in Wales, at Cardiff.[2] It is followed on 28 September by a branch at Llanelli.[3]
• 25 August – The steamship Cymrian is torpedoed by a German U-boat off Porthcawl, resulting in the deaths of 10 crew.
• September – Hugh Evan-Thomas is promoted to vice-admiral.
• 10 September – Oakdale Workmen's Institute is officially opened.[4]
• 28 October – The steamship Eskmere is torpedoed by a German U-boat in St Bride's Bay, resulting in the deaths of 20 crew.[5]
• 7 December – The steamship Earl of Elgin is torpedoed by a German U-boat in Caernarfon Bay, resulting in the deaths of 18 crew.[6]
• 15 December – The steamship Formby is torpedoed by a German U-boatnorth west of Bardsey Island, resulting in the deaths of 35 crew.[7]
• 27 December – The steamship Adela is torpedoed by a German U-boat off the Skerries, Anglesey, resulting in the deaths of 24 crew.[8]
• date unknown
  • Josiah Towyn Jones becomes a Junior Lord of the Treasury and government Whip.
  • Margaret Haig Thomas becomes Director of the Women's Department of the Ministry of National Service.[9]
  • Trade unionist Ness Edwards is imprisoned as a conscientious objector.[10]
  • St Winefride's Well at Holywell temporarily dries up as a result of mining activity.

Arts and literature

• Papur Pawb ceases publication.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Birkenhead)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Hedd Wyn, "Yr Arwr"[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – William Evans (Wil Ifan)

New books

• A. G. Prys-Jones – Welsh Poets
• Moelona – Bugail y Bryn
• Mary Edith Nepean – Gwyneth of the Welsh Hills

Music

• Tenor Ifor Owen Thomas goes to study under Jean de Reszke in Paris.

Film

Sport

• Boxing: on 28 May Freddie Welsh is knocked out at the Manhattan Athletic Club, losing his world lightweight title after three years as champion.

Births

• 9 January – Haydn Tanner, Wales rugby international and captain (died 2009)
• 21 January – Stan Richards, footballer (died 1987)
• 29 March – Gwyn Jones, physicist (died 2006)
• 21 April – Megs Jenkins, actress (died 1998)
• 22 April – Leo Abse, lawyer and politician (died 2008)
• 10 May – Bill Tamplin, Wales rugby international and captain (died 1989)
• 10 June – Meredith Edwards, actor (died 1999)
• 10 September – William Marsh, cricketer (died 1978)
• 11 September – Albert Young, footballer (died 2013)
• 8 October – Ronnie James, British champion boxer (died 1977)
• 24 October – Denys Val Baker, British writer and promoter of Celtic culture (died 1984)
• 27 October – Dylan Thomas, poet (died 1953)
• 26 November – Gerald James, actor (died 2006)
• 3 December – Esyllt T. Lawrence, feminist writer (died 1995)

Deaths

• 31 January – Henry Bracy, tenor, 71
• 2 February – Frederick William Harris, coalowner, 84
• 28 February – Richard Lloyd, uncle of Lloyd George, 82
• 2 April – Bryn Lewis, Wales international rugby player, 26 (killed in action)[12]
• 9 April – Edward Thomas, Anglo-Welsh poet, 39 (killed in action)
• 8 June – George Dobson, Wales international rugby union player
• 9 June – Thomas McKenny Hughes, geologist, 84[13]
• 31 July
  • Ellis Humphrey Evans ("Hedd Wyn"), poet, 30 (killed in action)
  • James Llewellyn Davies, VC recipient, 31 (killed in action)
• 28 August – Dai Westacott, Wales international rugby union player, 35 (killed in action)[12]
• 20 November – Richard William Leslie Wain, VC recipient, 20 (killed in action)
• 21 November – Rhys Jones Huws, poet, 55
• 25 November – John Williams, choirmaster, 61[14]
• 1 December – Thomas Harry Basil Webb, son of Sir Henry Webb, 1st Baronet, 19 (killed in action)
• 14 December – Phil Waller, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 28 (killed in action)[12]
• 25 December – Richard Jones Berwyn, colonist and writer, 54[15]

References

1. T. A. Heathcote (22 January 2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet, 1734–1995: A Biographical Dictionary. Pen and Sword. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-4738-1270-3.
2. Rotary International (July 1939). The Rotarian. Rotary International. p. 54.
3. Rotary International (February 1918). The Rotarian. Rotary International. p. 58.
4. Historical Buildings – St Fagans: National History Museum – Oakdale Workmen's Institute. Accessed 28 September 2013
5. "Eskmere". Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
6. "Earl of Elgin". Uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
7. "Formby". Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
8. "Adela". Uboat.net. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
9. John Bourne (June 2002). Who's Who in World War I. Routledge. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-134-76752-6.
10. Frank C. Roberts (1961). Obituaries from the Times. Newspaper Archive Developments Limited. p. 238.
11. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 3 October 2019.
12. Robin Turner (25 May 2014). "World War One: The Wales rugby internationals who died on the battlefield". WalesOnline. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
13. Frederick John North. "HUGHES, THOMAS MCKENNY (1832-1917), geologist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
14. Robert David Griffith. "WILLIAMS, JOHN (1856-1917), teacher of singing and choral conductor". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
15. Richard Bryn Williams. "BERWYN, RICHARD JONES (1836-1917), colonist and man of letters". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 8 February 2019.