1920 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1920 to Wales
and its people
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
- Edward, Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, son of King George V of the United KingdomGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
- vacant - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- Alfred George EdwardsAlfred George EdwardsAlfred George Edwards was elected the first Archbishop of the disestablished Church in Wales.The son of a priest of the Church of England, Edwards was born in Llanymawddwy in Gwynedd. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford before being appointed Warden of Llandovery College in 1875... - ArchdruidArchdruidThe Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
- DyfedEvan Rees (Dyfed)Evan Rees , known by the bardic name Dyfed, was a Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.-Early life:...
Events
- 21 January - Grant of the royal charter founding the University of Wales, SwanseaSwansea UniversitySwansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
. - 31 March - The Welsh Church Act 1914Welsh Church Act 1914The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom under which the Welsh part of the Church of England was separated and disestablished, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales...
comes into force, resulting in the creation of the Church in WalesChurch in WalesThe Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
after disestablishmentDisestablishmentarianismDisestablishmentarianism today relates to the Church of England in the United Kingdom and related views on its establishment as an established church....
, and appointment of the first Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
. The new Diocese of MonmouthDiocese of MonmouthThe Diocese of Monmouth is a diocese of the Church in Wales. Despite the name, its cathedral is located not in Monmouth but in Newport — the Cathedral Church of St Woolos. Reasons for not choosing the title of Newport included the existence of a Catholic Bishop of Newport until 1916...
is created. - September - Report of the departmental committee on the organisation of secondary education in Wales, chaired by William Napier Bruce.
- 9 November - In a notorious murder trial at CarmarthenCarmarthenCarmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, solicitorSolicitorSolicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
Harold GreenwoodHarold Greenwood (solicitor)Harold Greenwood was an English solicitor who was accused and acquitted of murdering his wife by arsenic poisoning. He was tried at Carmarthen Assizes in 1920 and defended by Edward Marshall Hall; his case is a rare example of a legal professional being charged with murder.-Facts:Harold Greenwood,...
is found not guilty of poisoning his wife. - 3 December - Five crew members from the Rhoscolyn lifeboat are lost off LlanddwynYnys LlanddwynYnys Llanddwyn or Llanddwyn Island is a small tidal island off the west coast of Anglesey, North Wales. The nearest town is Newborough.-Geology and geography:...
, AngleseyAngleseyAnglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
. - 21 December - Rhondda West by-election, 1920Rhondda West by-election, 1920The Rhondda West by-election, 1920 was a parliamentary by-election held on 21 December 1920 for the British House of Commons constituency of Rhondda West in Wales....
: William JohnWilliam John (politician)William John was a Welsh Labour Party politician, and a Member of Parliament for thirty years.At the Rhondda West by-election, 1920, he was elected as MP for the safe Labour constituency of Rhondda West, and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1950 general election.In...
retains the seat for Labour after the resignation of William AbrahamWilliam Abraham (Welsh politician)William "Mabon" Abraham was a Welsh trade unionist and Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1920. Although an MP for 35 years, it was as a trade unionist that Abraham is most well known...
. - Mortimer WheelerMortimer WheelerBrigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA , was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century.-Education and career:...
becomes Director of the National Museum of WalesNational Museum CardiffNational Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales...
. - More people are employed in the coal industry in WalesMining in WalesMining in Wales provided a significant source of income to the economy of Wales throughout the nineteenth century and early twentieth century....
in this year than ever before or since. - Opening of the Queen's Dock at Swansea DocksSwansea docksSwansea Docks is the collective name for several docks in Swansea, Wales. The Swansea docks are located immediately south east of Swansea city centre. In the mid-19th century the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper from factories situated in the Tawe valley...
. - Explorer Edgeworth DavidEdgeworth DavidSir Tannatt William Edgeworth David KBE, DSO, FRS, was a Welsh Australian geologist and Antarctic explorer. A household name in his lifetime, David's most significant achievements were discovering the major Hunter Valley coalfield in New South Wales and leading the first expedition to reach the...
and civil servant George Lewis Barstow are knighted. - Hugh Evan-ThomasHugh Evan-ThomasVice Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas GCB, KCMG, MVO was a British Royal Navy officer.During World War I he commanded the 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, flying his flag in HMS Barham, and fought at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May – 1 June 1916.-Background:Evan-Thomas' family came from...
becomes an admiral. - Sale of the Downing Hall estate at WhitfordWhitford, FlintshireWhitford is a village near Holywell in Flintshire, northeast Wales.It is best known as the former home of traveller and writer Thomas Pennant.- External links :*...
, the former home of Thomas PennantThomas PennantThomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and antiquary.The Pennants were a Welsh gentry family from the parish of Whitford, Flintshire, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century...
.
Arts and literature
- Edward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla Davies was a Methodist minister and a popular Welsh language writer, born at Llandegla-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, north Wales....
becomes editor of Y Winllan. - Ifan ab Owen EdwardsIfan ab Owen EdwardsSir Ifan ab Owen Edwards , was a Welsh academic, writer and film-maker, best known as the founder of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh League of Youth....
becomes editor of the children’s paper, Cymru’r Plant, originally launched by his father Owen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan Edwards was a Welsh historian, educationalist and writer. He is often known as O. M. Edwards....
. - Controversy arises when T. H. Parry-WilliamsT. H. Parry-WilliamsSir Thomas Herbert Parry-Williams was a Welsh poet, author and academic.Parry-Williams was born at Rhyd Ddu, Caernarfonshire. He was educated at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Jesus College, Oxford , the University of Freiburg and the Sorbonne...
is appointed to the new Chair of Welsh Language at the University of WalesUniversity of WalesThe University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
. - Margaret Haig ThomasMargaret Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess RhonddaMargaret Haig Mackworth, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda was a Welsh peeress and active suffragette.In 1908 she joined the Women's Social and Political Union , and became secretary of the WSPU's Newport branch...
launches the periodical Time and Tide.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
(held in Barry)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - James Evans
New books
- Caradoc EvansCaradoc EvansDavid Caradoc Evans , was a Welsh story writer, novelist and playwright. Caradoc met and later married the Countess Helene Marguerite Barcynska, who wrote romantic novels under the name Oliver Sandys...
- My Neighbours - John Jenkins (Gwili)John Jenkins (Gwili)John Jenkins , known by his bardic name of Gwili, was a Welsh poet and theologian, and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1932 to 1936.-Early life and education:...
- Poems - Thomas Mardy Rees - Difyrwch Gwyr Morgannwg
- Thomas Frederick ToutThomas Frederick ToutThomas Frederick Tout, F.B.A. was a 19th- and 20th-century British historian of the medieval period.-Early life:...
- The Captivity and Death of Edward of Caernarvon
Music
- Evan Thomas Davies becomes the first director of music at University of Wales, BangorBangor UniversityBangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
. - Margaret Hughes sings at the Aeolian Hall under her stage name of "Leila MeganeLeila MeganeLeila Megane was a Welsh mezzo-soprano opera singer.Born Margaret Jones in Bethesda, Wales, she married T. Osborne Roberts , a composer. She sang in Paris, Milan, Rome, New York, and London....
".
Broadcasting
- March 22 - A full duplex commercial service begins operating from the TowynTowynTowyn , is a seaside resort in the County Borough of Conwy, Wales.It is located between Rhyl, in Denbighshire, and Abergele in Conwy. According to the 2001 Census, together with neighbouring Kinmel Bay , it had a population 7,864, of which 10.7% could speak Welsh...
radio receiving station, and C. S. FranklinCharles Samuel FranklinCharles Samuel Franklin , who published as C. S. Franklin, was a noted British radio pioneer.Franklin was born in London, the youngest of a family of 13, and educated at Finsbury Technical College in Finsbury, England, under Silvanus P. Thompson. After graduation in 1899 he joined the Marconi...
develops an improved anti-interference antenna design.
Sport
- Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
- 17 January - In a 19-5 win over England, Jerry SheaJerry SheaJeremiah "Jerry" Shea was a Welsh international dual-code rugby centre who played club rugby for Newport and Pill Harriers under the rugby union code and later represented Wigan Wasps as a rugby league player. Shea was an all round athlete, and was an accomplished swimmer and professional boxer...
achieves the first international scoring "Full House"; try, penalty goal, conversion and drop goal. A feat not repeated until 1950. - 17 February - Wales beat France 6–5 at the Stade ColombesStade Olympique Yves-du-ManoirThe Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
in Paris
- 17 January - In a 19-5 win over England, Jerry Shea
Births
- 16 January - Walley BarnesWalley BarnesWalley Barnes was a Welsh footballer and broadcaster. He played for Arsenal, being part of their championship-winning side in 1947-48, and he captained the Welsh national side.-Early career:...
, footballer (d. 1975) - 23 February - Ron BerryRon BerryRonald Anthony "Ron" Berry was a Welsh author of novels and short stories. Born in the Rhondda Valleys where he remained for most his life, his books reflect the working class of the industrial valleys though his vision is more optimistic and there is less concern for politics and religion which...
, writer (died 1997) - 25 March - Arthur LeverArthur Lever (footballer)Arthur Richard Lever nicknamed "Buller", was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.-Career:...
, international footballer (died 2004) - 12 April - The Cox TwinsThe Cox TwinsThe Cox Twins, Frank and Fred, , were British entertainers in the Music Hall tradition. They were identical twin brothers....
, music hall entertainers - 5 May - Sir Glanmor WilliamsGlanmor WilliamsSir Glanmor Williams was one of Wales's most eminent historians.Sir Glanmor was born in Dowlais, into a working-class family, and was educated at Cyfarthfa Castle School. He studied at Aberystwyth alongside Alun Lewis and Emyr Humphreys, becoming a specialist in the early modern period of Welsh...
, historian (died 2006) - 13 May - Gareth MorrisGareth MorrisGareth Charles Walter Morris was a British flautist. He was the principal flautist of a number of London orchestras including the Boyd Neel Orchestra before joining the Philharmonia Orchestra. He was the principal flautist of this orchestra for 24 years and Professor of the Flute at the Royal...
, flautist, brother of Jan MorrisJan MorrisJan Morris CBE is a Welsh nationalist, historian, author and travel writer. She is known particularly for the Pax Britannica trilogy, a history of the British Empire, and for portraits of cities, notably Oxford, Venice, Trieste, Hong Kong, and New York City.With an English mother and Welsh father,...
(d. 2007) - 6 September - Trevor Morris, football player and manager (d.2003)
- 7 September - Harri WebbHarri WebbHarri Webb was an Anglo-Welsh poet, journalist and Welsh nationalist.Harri Webb was born on 7 September 1920 at 45 Ty Coch Road on the outskirts of Swansea, but before he was two the family moved to Catherine Street, much nearer the city centre...
, poet (died 1994) - 8 October - Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
, science fiction novelist of Welsh ancestry (died 1986) - 31 October - Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, jockey and crime novelist - 10 November - Peter PhilpPeter PhilpDenis Alfred Peter Philp , was a Welsh dramatist and antiques expert, best known for his television series, Collectors' Club....
, antiques expert and dramatist (d. 2006) - 11 November - Roy JenkinsRoy JenkinsRoy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
, politician (died 2003) - 20 November - Len BlythLen BlythLeonard 'Len' Blyth was a Welsh international rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Swansea. He captained Swansea and played in three international games for Wales which saw him become a Grand Slam winner....
, Wales international rugby player - 2 December - George EdwardsGeorge Edwards (Welsh footballer)George Edwards was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.-Club career:Born in Treherbert, Edwards began his football career at Swansea Town as an amateur and made his debut in the Football League at the end of the 1938–39 season...
, international footballer (died 2008) - 18 December - Merlyn Rees, politician (died 2006)
- date unknown
- Menna GallieMenna GallieMenna Patricia Humphreys Gallie was a Welsh novelist and translator.She was born in Ystradgynlais. She married the philosopher W. B...
, novelist and translator (died 1990)
- Menna Gallie
Deaths
- 11 January - Pryce Pryce-JonesPryce Pryce-JonesSir Pryce Pryce-Jones was a Welsh entrepreneur who was one of the first to succeed in the mail order business.-Life history:...
, entrepreneur, 85 - 12 February - Anna Thomas (Morfydd Eryri), Eisteddfod reformer
- 11 March - Daniel James (Gwyrosydd)Daniel James (Gwyrosydd)Daniel James , also known by his bardic name of Gwyrosydd, was a Welsh poet and hymn-writer, best known for writing the words to the popular hymn, "Calon Lân".-Early life:Daniel James came from Treboeth in Swansea...
, poet, 73 - 5 May - Robert Bryan, poet and composer, 61
- 15 May - Owen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan Edwards was a Welsh historian, educationalist and writer. He is often known as O. M. Edwards....
, historian and educationist, 61 - 5 June - Rhoda BroughtonRhoda BroughtonRhoda Broughton was a novelist.-Life:Rhoda Broughton was born in Denbigh in North Wales on 29 November 1840. She was the daughter of the Rev. Delves Broughton youngest son of the Rev. Sir Henry Delves-Broughton, 8th baronet. She developed a taste for literature, especially poetry, as a young girl...
, novelist - 9 August - Samuel Walker GriffithSamuel GriffithSir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
, PM of Queensland, 75 - 1 September - Frederick Rutherfoord HarrisFrederick Rutherfoord HarrisDoctor Frederick Rutherfoord Harris was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as a Member of Parliament between 1900 and 1906....
, politician - 30 November - John MeredithJohn Meredith (rugby player)John Meredith was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and won four caps for Wales. Outside rugby, Meredith later became a literary adjudicator in Eisteddfodau.-Rugby career:...
, Wales national rugby player