1943 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1943 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...
- vacant - 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...
- Charles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell Green was the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Monmouth and subsequently Bishop of Bangor during which time he also served as Archbishop of Wales... - 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 :...
- CrwysWilliam Williams (Crwys)William Williams , better known by his bardic name of "Crwys", was a Welsh poet in the Welsh language. He served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1939 to 1947....
Events
- 29 January - In the by-election for 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...
seat vacated by Ernest EvansErnest Evans (politician)Ernest Evans was a Liberal Party politician from Wales.-Family and education:Ernest Evans was born at Aberystwyth, the son of Evan Evans, the Clerk to the Cardiganshire County Council and his wife Annie Davies...
, there are three notable candidates. W. J. GruffyddWilliam John GruffyddProfessor William John Gruffydd was a Welsh academic, poet, writer, and politician.-Family and Education:...
, a former vice-president of Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
who had subsequently joined the Liberal Party, triumphs over Plaid's Saunders LewisSaunders LewisSaunders Lewis was a Welsh poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic, and political activist. He was a prominent Welsh nationalist and a founder of the Welsh National Party...
. One of the other candidates is Alun Talfan DaviesAlun Talfan DaviesSir Alun Talfan Davies QC was a Welsh lawyer, writer and publisher, the brother of Aneirin Talfan Davies.He was born at Gorseinon near Swansea, brought up a Presbyterian, and educated at Gowerton grammar school. He read Law at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and at Gonville and Caius...
. - 23 October - David Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd GeorgeDavid Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
marries his secretary, Frances StevensonFrances StevensonFrances Stevenson, Countess Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, CBE was the mistress, personal secretary, confidante and second wife of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George....
. - Sir Percy ThomasPercy ThomasSir Percy Edward Thomas OBE , was an award-winning British architect based in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president ....
is elected President of R.I.B.A. for the second time - the second person ever to achieve this.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in CaernarfonCaernarfonCaernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - David Emrys James
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Dafydd Owen
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld
New books
- Idris DaviesIdris DaviesIdris Davies was a Welsh poet. He was born in Rhymney, near Caerphilly in South Wales, the Welsh-speaking son of colliery chief winderman Evan Davies and his wife Elizabeth Ann. Davies became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English...
- The Angry Summer: A Poem of 1926 - Rhys John Davies - Pobl a Phethau
- Sir Emrys EvansEmrys EvansSir David Emrys Evans was a Welsh classicist and university principal.-Life:Evans, from Clydach, Glamorgan, was educated at University College, Bangor and then at Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a B. Litt. degree. He taught at the secondary school in Pentre from 1918, before becoming...
- Ewthaffron: Criton (translation from PlatoPlatoPlato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
) - William Evans (Wil Ifan)William Evans (Wil Ifan)William Evans , better known by his bardic name of Wil Ifan, was a Welsh poet who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1947 to 1950....
- A Quire of Rhymes - R. T. Jenkins - Orinda
- Alwyn D. Rees - Adfeilion
Music
- Arwel HughesArwel HughesArwel Hughes OBE , was a Welsh orchestral conductor and composer.Hughes was born in Rhosllannerchrugog near Wrexham and was educated at Ruabon Grammar School and at the Royal College of Music, where he studied with Ralph Vaughan Williams and C. H. Kitson...
- Antiomaros - W. S. Gwynn WilliamsW. S. Gwynn WilliamsWilliam Stanley Gwynn Williams was a musician and composer, also lecturer, author, editor and broadcaster on the history of British and in particular Welsh music. He was prominent in the foundation of the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen in 1947 and become its first musical director.W. S...
- Tosturi Duw (God's Mercy)
Broadcasting
- Wynford Vaughan-ThomasWynford Vaughan-ThomasLewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a British newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father....
reports from a bomber over BerlinStrategic bombing during World War IIStrategic bombing during World War II is a term which refers to all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature between 1939 and 1945 involving any nations engaged in World War II...
for BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
Births
- 13 January – Lorna SageLorna SageLorna Sage was a Welsh-born academic, as well as an award-winning literary critic and author, known widely for her contribution to the consideration of women's writing.-Biography:...
, academic, literary critic and writer (died 2001) - 1 February - Rosemarie FranklandRosemarie FranklandRosemarie Frankland was a Welsh beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World titles before becoming an actress.-Biography:...
, beauty queen (died 2000) - 11 February – Win GriffithsWin GriffithsWinston James Griffiths, known as Win Griffiths, is a politician in the United Kingdom, and ex-member of Parliament for Bridgend for the Labour Party. He was first elected in 1987, having previously been a member of the European Parliament. He stood down from Parliament in 2005. He is now...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, politician - 3 March (in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) – Aeronwy ThomasAeronwy ThomasAeronwy Bryn Thomas-Ellis translator of Italian poetry, was the second child and only daughter of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife, Caitlin Macnamara.-Early life:...
, literary figure - 1 April (in DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
) – Dafydd WigleyDafydd WigleyDafydd Wigley, Baron Wigley is a Welsh politician. He served as Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Caernarfon from 1974 until 2001 and as an Assembly Member for Caernarfon from 1999 until 2003. He was leader of the Plaid Cymru party from 1991 to 2000...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, politician - 9 April – Clive SullivanClive SullivanClive A. Sullivan MBE was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. A Great Britain and Wales international winger, he played with both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also played for Oldham, and Doncaster...
, rugby league footballer (died 1985) - 16 April – Ruth MadocRuth MadocRuth Madoc is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Gladys Pugh in the 1980s BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!, and as Daffyd Thomas's mother in the second series of Little Britain.-Early life:...
, actress and singer - 26 April – Leon PownallLeon PownallLeon Pownall was a Welsh Canadian actor and director.He was born in Wrexham in Wales and came to Hamilton, Ontario with his family in 1957...
, actor and director - 27 April – Gwyn ProsserGwyn ProsserGwynfor Matthews Prosser is a British Labour Party politician, who was Member of Parliament for Dover from 1997 to 2010.-Early life and education:...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, politician - 2 August – Alun MichaelAlun MichaelAlun Edward Michael is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth since 1987. He was formerly First Minister of Wales and leader of the Welsh Labour Party from 1999 to 2000.-Education:Michael was born at Bryngwran Anglesey, son of...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, politician - 17 August – John HumphrysJohn HumphrysDesmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
, TV and radio journalist - 24 August – Dafydd IwanDafydd IwanDafydd Iwan , is a Welsh folk singer and politician. He was the president of Plaid Cymru .Dafydd Iwan Jones was born in Brynaman in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and is the elder brother of politician Alun Ffred Jones. He spent most of his youth in Bala in Gwynedd before attending the University of...
, musician and politician - 10 September – Shân Legge-BourkeShân Legge-BourkeElizabeth Shân Josephine Legge-Bourke LVO is a Welsh landowner....
, landowner - 16 November – Val LloydVal LloydValerie "Val" Lloyd AM is a Welsh Labour politician, who has represented the constituency of Swansea East at the National Assembly for Wales since 2001.-Education:...
AM, politician - 28 December – Joan RuddockJoan RuddockJoan Mary Ruddock is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewisham Deptford since 1987. She is a feminist and is the wife of Frank Doran, the Labour MP for Aberdeen North...
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, politician - date unknown
- John BeardJohn Beard (artist)John Beard is a Welsh artist and painter born in Aberdare, Wales, he is now based in Sydney, Lisbon and London. -Life and art:John Beard won the Welsh National Art Scholarship in 1962 at just 19 years of age...
, artist - Elinor BennettElinor BennettElinor Bennett is a Welsh harpist.Bennett was born in Llanidloes, Wales. As a harpist, she is one of the foremost performers in the world. She has recorded twelve solo albums, and is one of the organisers of the Wales International Harp Festival. She also runs an annual 'Harp College'...
, harpist - Karl FrancisKarl FrancisKarl Francis is a Welsh film and television director, producer and screenwriter, associated with left-wing political causes. His work is inspired by the likes of Chris Marker and Ken Loach and has included output in both the English and Welsh languages.-Biography:Francis was born in Bedwas in...
, filmmaker - Sir Terry MatthewsTerry MatthewsSir Terence Hedley Matthews OBE, FIEE, FREng is a Welsh business magnate, serial high tech entrepreneur, and Wales's first billionaire....
, entrepreneur
- John Beard
Deaths
- 9 January – William Llewellyn ThomasWilliam Llewellyn ThomasWilliam Llewellyn Thomas was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Newport, international rugby for Wales and invitational rugby for the Barbarians...
, Wales international rugby player, 70 - 12 January – Selwyn BiggsSelwyn BiggsSelwyn Hanam Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Norman played international rugby for Wales, though they never played in the same match for Wales together. Biggs was described at the time...
, Wales international rugby player and Glamorgan cricketer, - 31 January – Sir Robert Armstrong-JonesRobert Armstrong-JonesSir Robert Armstrong-Jones, CBE was a Welsh physician and psychiatrist. He was the grandfather of the Earl of Snowdon.He was born Robert Jones in Ynyscynhaearn, Caernarvonshire, the son of a Congregational minister...
, physician, 85 - 1 March (in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) – Clara Novello DaviesClara Novello DaviesClara Novello Davies was a well-known Welsh singer, teacher and conductor.Clara Novello Davies was born in Cardiff to Jacob, a miner, and Margaret Davies and named after Clara Novello, a famous soprano . Her father, leader of the church choir, taught her to play the harmonium...
, singer, 71 - 23 March – Commander John Wallace LintonJohn Wallace LintonCommander John Wallace Linton VC, DSO, DSC was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, VC, 37 - 28 March – Ben Davies, operatic tenor, 85
- 12 April – Arthur Lloyd James, phonetician
- 17 April – Alice Gray Jones (Ceridwen Peris), author, 90
- 8 September – Dai LewisDai LewisDavid 'Dai' Henry Lewis was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 76 - 15 September – David SamuelDavid Samuel (rugby player)David Samuel was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and international rugby for Wales. He is most notable as being a member of the very first Welsh Triple Crown winning team, in 1893....
, Wales international rugby player - 24 September – Billy DouglasBilly Douglas (rugby player)William 'Billy' Douglas was a Welsh rugby union back who played club rugby for Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Douglas was also a rugby referee, and officiated over four international matches.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 80 - 15 October – Sir Thomas Artemus Jones, lawyer, 72
- 29 October – Frank HancockFrank HancockFrancis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the...
, Wales international rugby union international, 84 - 10 December – Ivor MorganIvor MorganIvor Morgan was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and county rugby for Glamorgan.-Club career:...
, Wales international rugby union player, 59 - 27 December – Arthur O'BreeArthur O'BreeArthur O'Bree was an Indian-born English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Glamorgan. He was born in Maharashtra and died in Baragwanath, South Africa....
, Glamorgan cricketer, 57