1938 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1938 to Wales and its people.

← 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1938 in Wales → 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1938 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor[1]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – J.J.

Events

• 14–19 January – A storm causes extensive damage in Aberystwyth; the promenade and pier are largely destroyed by 90 mph winds.[2]
• 8 May – William Ormsby-Gore succeeds his father as Baron Harlech.
• October – The first scheduled night flight in the UK begins operating between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare.
• 23 November – Opening of the Temple of Peace and Health in Cathays Park, Cardiff.[3]
• Mining comes to an end at Dolaucothi Gold Mines.[4]
• The excavation of Llantwit Major Roman Villa by V. E. Nash-Williams, begins (continues to 1948).[5]
• Opening of RNAD Trecwm.

Arts and literature

• April – Augustus John resigns from the Royal Academy.[6]
• September – Ivor Novello appears in Henry V at Drury Lane Theatre, produced by Lewis Casson.[7]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Cardiff)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym R. Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Edgar H. Thomas
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Elena Puw Morgan[8]

New books

In English

• Idris Davies – Gwalia Deserta[9]
• Ness Edwards – History of the South Wales Miners Federation
• Richard Hughes – In Hazard
• Jack Jones – Bidden to the Feast
• Edith Picton-Turbervill – Myself When Young[10]
• William Plomer (ed.) – Kilvert's Diary, 1870-1879

In Welsh

• Richard Bennett – Methodistiaeth Caersws
• Tom Beynon – Gwrid ar Orwel ym Morgannwg
• Edward Tegla Davies – Stori Sam[11]
• Edward Morgan Humphreys – Dirgelwch Gallt Y Ffrwd[12]
• Ifor Williams (ed.) – Canu Aneirin

New drama

• James Kitchener Davies – Susannah
• Charles Langbridge Morgan – The Flashing Stream[13]
• Emlyn Williams – The Corn is Green[14]

Music

• Tudor Davies plays the lead in the first English-language production of Verdi's Don Carlos, at Sadler's Wells.

Film

• Naunton Wayne appears as Caldicott in The Lady Vanishes.

Broadcasting

• 1 March – BBC Radio broadcasts the world première of Arwel Hughes's latest composition, Tydi a Roddaist.

Sport

• Empire Games
  • Wales win three medals at the 1938 Empire Games, Denis Reardon, (middleweight boxing), Jim Alford (1 mile run) and Jeanne Greenland (110 yard backstroke).
• Rugby union
  • 5 February – Scotland beat Wales 8–6 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Births

• 6 January – William Edwards, politician (d. 2007)
• 22 January – Brook Williams, actor (d. 2005)[15]
• 20 April – Andrew Vicari, portrait painter (d. 2016)[16]
• 25 April – John Davies, historian (d. 2015)
• 14 May – Clive Rowlands, rugby player and coach
• 25 May – Trevor Peck, footballer (d. 2014)
• 31 May – John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK[17]
• 13 June – Gwynne Howell, bass[18]
• 6 July – Tony Lewis, cricketer
• 23 July – Meic Stephens, literary editor (d. 2018)[19]
• 6 August – Rees Davies, historian (d. 2005)
• 12 September – Richard Booth, bookseller (d. 2019)[20]
• 9 October – Denzil Davies, politician (d. 2018)[21]
• 1 November – Delwyn Williams, politician
• 4 December – Richard Meade, equestrian (d. 2015)[22]
• 15 December – Michael Bogdanov, theatre director (d. 2017)[23]

Deaths

• 3 February – James Bevan, First Wales rugby union captain, 81
• 9 February – Dick Hellings, Wales international rugby player, 63
• 30 March – Jack Elliott, Wales international rugby player, 66
• 16 April – Sir William Price, industrialist
• 8 May – George Ralph Charles Ormsby-Gore, 3rd Baron Harlech, 83
• 28 May – Alfred Brice, Wales international rugby player, 66
• 23 June – Allen Clement Edwards, politician, 69[24]
• 22 July – Giotto Griffiths, Wales international rugby player, 73
• 22 October (in Dublin) – Sir John Purser Griffith, civil engineer, 90
• 4 November – John Thomas Job, minister, hymn-writer and poet, 71
• 28 November – Reginald Arthur (Reggie) Gibbs, shipowner and rugby footballer, 56
• 29 December (at sea) – Eluned Morgan, writer, 68
• date unknown – Gwynfil Evans (Barry Western), novelist[25]

See also

• 1938 in Northern Ireland

References

1. C. J. Litzenberger; Eileen Groth Lyon (2006). The Human Tradition in Modern Britain. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7425-3735-4.
2. "Aberystwyth's great storm of 1938". BBC. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
3. Cardiff (Wales). City Council. Development Committee (1960). The City and Port of Cardiff; the Official Handbook: "Cardiff Blue Book.". E.J. Burrow. p. 38.
4. Council for British Archaeology; Cadw (Organization : Great Britain) (1992). The Welsh industrial heritage: a review : based upon the proceedings of a joint Cadw/CBA conference held in Cardiff, 5 December 1986. Council for British Archaeology. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-872414-13-3.
5. Cardiff Naturalists' Society (1937). Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society. p. 33.
6. T. S. Eliot (15 January 2019). Letters of T. S. Eliot Volume 8: 1936–1938. Faber & Faber. p. 918. ISBN 978-0-571-31639-7.
7. Helen Grime (6 October 2015). Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Twentieth-Century Actress. Routledge. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-317-32095-1.
8. Elena Puw Morgan (1999). Y graith. Gwasg Gomer. ISBN 978-1-85902-745-5.
9. Edward Larrissy (2016). The Cambridge Companion to British Poetry, 1945-2010. Cambridge University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-107-09066-8.
10. David Greer (1997). A Numerous and Fashionable Audience: The Story of Elsie Swinton. Thames Publishing. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-905210-93-3.
11. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 129.
12. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 272.
13. Colin Chambers (14 May 2006). The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre. A&C Black. p. 513. ISBN 978-1-84714-612-0.
14. Roberta M. Milgram (1991). Counseling Gifted and Talented Children: A Guide for Teachers, Counselors, and Parents. ABC-CLIO. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-89391-773-9.
15. Harris M. Lentz III (24 October 2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-7864-5210-1.
16. "Andrew Vicari". The Valleys Heroes. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
17. A. T. Lane (1995). Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 778. ISBN 978-0-313-29900-1.
18. Trevor Herbert; Peter Stead (2001). Hymns and Arias: Great Welsh Voices. University of Wales Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7083-1699-3.
19. Sam Adams (5 July 2018). "Meic Stephens obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
20. "Obituary: Richard Booth died on August 20th". The Economist. 29 August 2019.
21. Julia Langdon (15 October 2018). "Denzil Davies obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
22. Victoria Spicer (12 January 2015). "Richard Meade obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
23. Michael Coveney (18 April 2017). "Michael Bogdanov obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
24. The Law Journal. Law journal. 1938. p. 17l.
25. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 190.