1908 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1908 to Wales and its people.

← 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1908 in Wales → 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1908 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

• 3 January - Formal opening of the residence at St Deiniol's Library.
• 22 January - J. Lloyd Williams delivers his paper on Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Songs to the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion.
• 28 January - In a colliery explosion at Ammanford, David Rees Griffiths is seriously injured. His brother is one of two men killed.
• March - Frank Mason, editor of the Tenby Observer, challenges the local council's right to ban him from their meetings. The Admission of the Press Act, 1908 is passed as a result.
• 26 February - In the West Carmarthenshire by-election, the sitting Liberal MP, John Lloyd Morgan, retains the seat in the absence of any other candidates.[1][2]
• 5 March - Edgeworth David leads the party attempting the ascent of Mount Erebus in the Antarctic.[3]
• 18 June - A giant turtle weighing half a ton is pulled from the sea at Pwllheli.
• 16 July - In the Pembrokeshire by-election, brought about by elevation to the peerage of the incumbent Liberal MP, John Wynford Philipps, the seat is retained for the Liberals by Walter Francis Roch.[4]
• 1 September - The barque Amazon sinks off Margam Sands, with the loss of 18 crew.[5]
• November – The North and South Wales Bank is absorbed into the London City and Midland Bank, bringing an end to banknote issue in Wales.[6]
• date unknown
  • The South Wales Miners' Federation becomes affiliated to the Labour Party.
  • The Coal Mines Regulation Act 1908 ("Eight Hours Act") limits the amount of time spent by coal miners underground.
  • John Ballinger becomes first librarian of the National Library of Wales.
  • A factory for making artificial silk opens at Greenfield in north-east Wales.
  • Construction work begins on the lighthouse at Strumble Head.[7]
  • Spa pump room built at Caergwrle.[8]

Arts and literature

• Sydney Curnow Vosper completes his iconic watercolour of Welsh piety, Salem.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales - held in Llangollen
  • Chair - John James Williams, "Ceiriog"[9]
  • Crown - Hugh Emyr Davies

New books

English language

• W. H. Davies - Autobiography of a Super-Tramp
• W. Jenkyn Thomas - The Welsh Fairy Book

Welsh language

• Silyn Roberts - Y Blaid Lafur Anibynnol, ei Hanes a'i Hamcan
• Gwyneth Vaughan - Plant y Gorthrwm
• Eliseus Williams (Eifion Wyn) - Telynegion Maes a Môr

Music

• David Evans becomes professor of the Music department at University of Wales, Cardiff.
• Harry Evans - Dafydd ap Gwilym

Sport

• Boxing
  • 24 February - Jim Driscoll wins the Commonwealth featherweight title.
• Olympics
  • October - At the postponed 1908 Summer Olympics, Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, competes unsuccessfully in the motorboat racing.
• Rugby league
  • 1 January - The first-ever international match is held at Aberdare, where Wales defeat New Zealand 9 - 8. The match was won by a last minute try from former Welsh rugby union international Dai Jones.
  • Aberdare RLFC, Barry RLFC, Mid-Rhondda RLFC and Treherbert RLFC are formed, joining Ebbw Vale and Merthyr Tydfil in competing for the Welsh League, the first Welsh rugby league competition.
• Rugby union
  • Wales win their first Grand Slam and fifth Triple Crown.
  • The selection of players for the 1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia results in a comment by the Welsh Rugby Union that players for future tours should be chosen '...irrespective of the social position of the players.'[10]

Births

• 29 February – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, novelist as Jane Ann Jones (d. 1968)
• 22 March – Martin Davies, art historian (d. 1978)
• 8 May – Bert Day, Wales international rugby union player (d. 1977)
• 29 May – Diana Morgan, playwright and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 5 July – Francis Jones, heraldic expert (d. 1993)
• 10 July – Donald Peers, singer (d. 1973)
• 12 July – Bill Roberts, footballer (d. 1976)
• 15 August – Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, journalist (d. 1987)
• 14 December – Claude Davey, Wales international rugby union player (d. 2001)

Deaths

• 6 January – Lewis Pugh Pugh, lawyer and politician, 70
• 13 January – Caroline Elizabeth Williams, radical and champion of women's rights, 84[11]
• 1 February – Buckley Roderick, Wales international rugby player, 46[12]
• 27 February – Norman Biggs, Wales international rugby player, 37
• 7 March – Richard Edwards, Welsh American educator, 85[13]
• 21 June – Allen Raine, novelist, 71[14]
• 24 August – William Bevan, archdeacon of Brecon, 87[15]
• 4 September – Thomas Judson, Wales international rugby player, (c.) 51
• 19 October
  • Catherine Lynch, alcoholic, 28
  • John Henry Puleston, journalist and politician, 78
• 9 November – Solomon Andrews, entrepreneur, 73
• 1 December – Howell Jones, Wales international rugby player, 26
• 24 December – David John, Mormon leader, 75 (in Utah)

References

1. The Times, 17 February 1908 p9
2. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918; Macmillan Press, 1974 p473
3. Eleanor Jacka; Fred Jacka (1 October 2008). Mawson's Antarctic Diaries. Allen & Unwin. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-74175-609-8.
4. http://www.leighrayment.com/commons.htm
5. Reference Wales. University of Wales Press. 1994. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7083-1234-6.
6. The Bankers', Insurance Managers', and Agents' Magazine. Waterlow & Sons Limited. 1908. p. 693.
7. Douglas Bland Hague (1994). Lighthouses of Wales: Their Architecture and Archaeology. RCAHMW. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-871184-08-2.
8. Town and Country Planning. Town and Country Planning Association. 1969. p. 372.
9. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 3 October 2019.
10. Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams; University of Wales Press (1980), pg 175 ISBN 0-7083-0766-3
11. Anna Louvain Rees (1 March 2017). "A champion of female education and a pioneer on the scholarship front". WalesOnline. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
12. The Law Society's Gazette. The Society. 1907. p. 73.
13. Bradsby, Henry C., ed. (1885). History of Bureau County, Illinois. Chicago, IL: World Publishing Company. p. 512.
14. Jones, Sally Roberts. "Puddicombe , Anne Adalisa (1836–1908)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/35628. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
15. "Church Jones, Henry James". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1897–1919 (January 2018 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription or UK public library membership required)