1959 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1959 to Wales and its people.

← 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1959 in Wales → 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1959 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

Events

Flag of Wales approved in 1959

• 1 January – The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (informally known as the "Welsh Cavalry") is formed.
• February – The Queen makes the red dragon on a green and white background the official flag of Wales.[1][2]
• 4 May – Aneurin Bevan is elected deputy leader of the Labour Party.
• 6 August – Huw T. Edwards leaves the Labour Party for Plaid Cymru in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
• 8 October – At the UK general election:
  • Newly elected MPs include John Morris (Aberavon); Donald Box (Cardiff North); Ifor Davies (Gower) and Geraint Morgan (Denbigh).
  • Poet Waldo Williams stands as a Plaid Cymru candidate.
  • Hugh Dalton retires from Parliament.
• The Local Government Commission for Wales is set up, chaired by Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans.
• Sir William Jones resigns from the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the appointment of Henry Brooke.
• Will Paynter becomes Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain).
• Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, sells his holdings in Kemsley Newspapers to Roy Thomson.
• Gilbern Sports Cars begin production of their kit cars at Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan.[3]

Arts and literature

Shirley Bassey

• 8 January – Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (last December) by appearing together in Eighty in the Shade, a play written especially for them, in London.
• 9 January – Shirley Bassey is the first Welsh singer to hit number one in the UK pop charts, with "As I Love You".[4]
• December – Actress Siân Phillips marries Peter O'Toole in Dublin.[5]
• Literature Wales is established as The Academi.
• Harry Secombe is voted Show Business Personality of the Year.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Tom Huws
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen

New books

English language

• Menna Gallie – Strike for a Kingdom
• Edgar Phillips – Edmund Jones, "The Old Prophet"
• Bertrand Russell – My Philosophical Development

Welsh language

• Albert Evans-Jones – Cerddi Cynan, y casgliad cyflawn[6]
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Gwreiddiau
• Kate Roberts – Te yn y Grug

Music

• Grace Williams – All Seasons shall be Sweet

Film

• Rachel Thomas, Meredith Edwards and Megs Jenkins appear with John Mills and Hayley Mills in Tiger Bay.
• Hugh Griffith wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Ben-Hur.

Broadcasting

• Statistics show that 50% of households in Wales have television licences.
• The BBC Third Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Lili Lon (children's programme)
• Trysor o Gân (Treasury of Song)

English-language television

• Ivor the Engine (children's programme)

Sports

• Athletics – The Welsh Games are held for the first time.
• Boxing – Former world flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde is elected to the American Boxing Hall of Fame.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Graham Moore

Births

• 25 February – Mike Peters, musician[7]
• 21 March – Colin Jones, boxer
• 24 April – Paula Yates, television presenter (died 2000)[8]
• 3 May – Eddie Niedzwiecki, footballer
• 8 May – Jillian Evans MEP, politician[9]
• 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, comedian
• 20 May – Annabel Giles, model
• 28 May – Steve Strange, born Steven Harrington, pop singer (died 2015)[10]
• 18 June – Jocelyn Davies AM, politician
• 5 September – Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
• 7 November – Richard Barrett, composer
• 26 November – Dai Davies MP, politician
• date unknown – Paul Henry, poet

Deaths

William Nantlais Williams, died 18 June

• 1 January – Dan Jones, Wales international rugby player, 83
• 13 January – Henry Weale, Victoria Cross recipient, 61
• 3 February – Sir Evan Williams, 1st Baronet, industrialist, 87[11]
• 21 February – Kathleen Freeman, classical scholar, 61[12]
• 24 February – Sid Judd, international rugby player, 30
• 3 March – Billy Bancroft, rugby and cricket player, 88
• 21 April – David Bell, writer and curator, 43[13]
• 26 May – Thomas Baker Jones, Wales international rugby player, 96[14]
• 18 June – Nantlais Williams, poet and preacher, 84[15]
• 2 July – Ivor Davies, rugby player, 67[16]
• 7 July – Frank Williams, Wales international rugby player, 49
• 23 July – George Davies, international rugby player, 83
• 5 August – D. W. Davis, Governor of Idaho, 86
• 9 August – John Hart Evans, rugby player, 78[17]
• 6 September – Edmund Gwenn, actor, 83
• 15 October – Thomas Wynford Rees, army officer, 61[18]
• 23 October – Anthony Windham Jones, rugby player, 80[19]
• 16 November – Fanny Winifred Edwards, teacher and writer, 83[20]
• 17 November – David Owen Morgan, zoologist, 66
• 27 November – Grenville Morris, footballer, 81
• 10 December – W. R. Davies, US academic of Welsh descent, 66 (heart attack)[21]
• 28 December – David Brazell, singer, 84[22]
• 30 December – Dick Duckfield, cricketer, 52[23]

See also

• 1959 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Barraclough, E.M.C. (1965). Flags of the World.
2. "Welsh Flag (House of Commons Debates 600 cc121-2W – Written Answers)". Hansard. 1959-02-23. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
3. Georgano, Nick (2000). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
4. "Shirley Bassey - As I Love You". BBC Wales Music. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
5. Illustrated Weekly of Pakistan. Pakistan Herald Publications. 1969. p. 67.
6. Russell Davies (15 June 2015). People, Places and Passions: A Social History of Wales and the Welsh 18701948. University of Wales Press. p. 637. ISBN 978-1-78316-239-0.
7. "The Alarm singer Mike Peters of Prestatyn". Daily Post. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
8. "Paula Yates". The Telegraph. 18 September 2000. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
9. "Jill Evans". European Parliament. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
10. Pierre Perrone (13 February 2015). "Steve Strange: Lead singer with Visage and club owner who became the leading light of the 1980s New Romantic movement". The Independent. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
11. Graeme Holmes. "Williams, Evan (1871-1959), BARONET and colliery owner". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
12. Roland Glyn Mathias. "Freeman, Kathleen ('Mary Fitt'; 1897-1959), classical scholar and writer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
13. Thomas Parry. "Bell, Ernest David (1915-1959), artist and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
14. "Newport RFC player profiles". Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
15. Gomer Morgan Roberts. "WILLIAMS, WILLIAM NANTLAIS (1874-1959), minister (Presb.), editor, poet and hymn writer". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
16. "Ivor Davies: Wales". en.espn.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
17. Jack Evans rugby union Scrum.com
18. David Glanville Rosser. "Rees, Thomas Wynford ('Dagger'; 1898-1959), major-general". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
19. Windham Jones player profile Scrum.com
20. Arwyn Lloyd Hughes, Llandaf. "Edwards, Fanny Winifred (1876–1959)". The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
21. "Davies Leaves Inspiration"; The Spectator, December 17, 1959
22. Huw Williams. "Brazell, David (1875-1959), singer". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
23. "Dick Duckfield". Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2019.