1946 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1946 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...
– David Lewis Prosser - 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
- 12 July – The Coal Industry Nationalisation ActCoal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act of 1946 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It received Royal Assent on 12 July 1946, and provided for the nationalization of the entire British coal industry. It established the National Coal Board which acted as the managing authority for coal...
is passed by ParliamentParliament of the United KingdomThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. - August
- Arthur Horner becomes General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers.
- Stocks of captured Nazi GermanNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
bombs filled with Tabun (nerve agent)Tabun (nerve agent)Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic chemical substance. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor. It is classified as a nerve agent because it fatally interferes with normal functioning of the mammalian nervous system...
begin to be transferred from LlanberisLlanberisLlanberis is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, lying on the southern banks of Llyn Padarn in Snowdonia. It takes its name from Saint Peris, an early Welsh saint.According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llanberis was 1,954...
to open storage at RAF LlandwrogRAF LlandwrogRAF Llandwrog was opened in January 1941 as a RAF Bomber Command airfield for training gunners, radio operators and navigators. It was located at Llandwrog, 4 nautical miles southwest of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, and it remains in civil operation today as Caernarfon Airport.-World War II:It was...
.
- November – The highest ever temperature for this month in the UK is recorded at PrestatynPrestatynPrestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
: 71°F (21.7°C). - December - George IsaacsGeorge IsaacsGeorge Alfred Isaacs JP DL was a British politician and trades unionist who served in the government of Clement Attlee....
inaugurates the first RemployRemployRemploy Ltd is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people. It was established in 1945 under the terms of the 1944 Disabled Persons Act, and opened its first factory in Bridgend, Wales, in 1946...
factory, in BridgendBridgendBridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, with the aim of offering work to disabled ex-servicement. - A pneumoconiosisPneumoconiosisPneumoconiosis is an occupational lung disease and a restrictive lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust, often in mines.-Types:Depending upon the type of dust, the disease is given different names:...
research unit is established at LlandoughLlandoughLlandough is a village and southern suburb of Cardiff, in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.- Location :...
Hospital near CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, in recognition of the damage being caused to miners' health.
Arts and literature
- In the absence of a Prince of Wales, The Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptiveHeir PresumptiveAn heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the throne, is admitted to the GorseddGorseddA gorsedd plural gorseddau, is a community or coming together of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is occasionally spelled gorsedh , or goursez in Brittany....
. - The Welsh National OperaWelsh National OperaWelsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
is founded.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Mountain AshMountain Ash, WalesMountain Ash is a town and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, deep in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. Mountain Ash is situated in the Cynon Valley and has a population of 7,039...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Geraint BowenGeraint Bowen (poet)Geraint Bowen was a Welsh language poet.He was the nephew of Carmarthenshire minister David Bowen, and the brother of poet Euros Bowen. He was a Welsh nationalist, and during the Second World War was a conscientious objector, undertaking farming...
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Rhydwen WilliamsRhydwen WilliamsRobert Rhydwenfro Williams, known as Rhydwen Williams , was a Welsh poet, novelist and Baptist minister. His work is mainly written in his native Welsh language, and is noted for adapting the established style and context of Welsh poetry from a rural and bygone age to that of a modern industrial...
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Jenkins
New books
- Pennar DaviesPennar DaviesWilliam Thomas Pennar Davies was a Welsh clergyman and author.Born simply William Thomas Davies, in Mountain Ash , the son of a miner, he took the name "Pennar" "as a sign of his identification with the native culture of Wales"...
– Cinio'r Cythraul - 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...
– The Earth Gives All and Takes All - Thomas Rowland HughesThomas Rowland HughesThomas Rowland Hughes , was a Welsh novelist, dramatist and poet He was the son of a quarryman from Llanberis, Caernarvonshire , in northern Wales...
– Chwalfa - Emyr HumphreysEmyr HumphreysEmyr Humphreys is a leading Welsh novelist, poet and author. He was born at Prestatyn in Flintshire, and attended University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He registered as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of the Second World War...
– Little Kingdom - Albert Evans-JonesAlbert Evans-JonesSir Cynan Evans-Jones CBE , more commonly known within Wales by his bardic name of Cynan, was a Welsh poet and dramatist.-Early life:...
(Cynan) – Ffarwel Weledig - John Gwilym Jones – Y Goeden Erin
- Dylan ThomasDylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
– Deaths and EntrancesDeaths and EntrancesDeaths and Entrances is a volume of poetry by Dylan Thomas, first published in 1946. Many of the poems in this collection dealt with the effects of World War II, which had ended only a year earlier. It became the best-known of his poetry collections.... - Gwyn ThomasGwyn Thomas (novelist)Gwyn Thomas was a Welsh writer who has been called 'the true voice of the English-speaking valleys'.-Early life:...
– The Dark Philosophers
Sport
- BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
– Wales stages its first-ever world title fight, in which lightweight Ronnie JamesRonnie JamesRonnie James , former British Lightweight boxing champion. Born in Swansea, Wales, James had over 130 professional bouts winning 114 of them, 61 through knockout...
is defeated by Ike WilliamsIke Williams (boxer)Ike Williams was a former lightweight world boxing champion. Williams was known for his great right hand, and was named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time as well as Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1948.-Professional Career:During his career, Williams faced and...
.
Births
- 15 January – Roger DavisRoger Davis (cricketer)Roger Clive Davis is a former county cricketer who played for Glamorgan for 13 years as an all-rounder. While having a quiet career from his debut in 1964 until 1970, he then enjoyed five years of greater success, including scoring over 1,000 runs in the 1975 season, before a rapid decline in 1976...
, cricketer - 31 January – Bobby WindsorBobby WindsorRobert William Windsor , known as Bobby and nicknamed "The Duke", is a former rugby union player who gained 28 rugby union caps for Wales as a hooker between 1973 and 1979...
, rugby player - 20 February – Mike Roberts, Wales and British Lion rugby player
- 21 March – Timothy DaltonTimothy DaltonTimothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
, actor - 2 April – Dai LlewellynDai LlewellynSir David St Vincent "Dai" Llewellyn, 4th Baronet was a Welsh socialite. He was born in Aberdare, the son of 1952 Summer Olympics gold medallist showjumper Sir Harry Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet and the Hon Christine de Saumarez, who was the daughter of the 5th Baron de Saumarez, a family from Guernsey...
, socialite (d. 2009) - 5 April – Russell DaviesRussell DaviesRobert Russell Davies , known as Russell Davies, is a British journalist and broadcaster. He presents a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 which spotlights popular song, as well as Brain of Britain on Radio 4.-Background:...
, journalist and broadcaster - 13 April – Della JonesDella JonesDella Jones , is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well-known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten.-Life and career:Della Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales...
, mezzo-soprano - 19 May – Androw Bennett, writer
- 14 June – Glyn BerryGlyn BerryGlyn Berry was a Canadian diplomat killed in a car bomb attack in Afghanistan. He was the first Canadian diplomat to be killed while on duty in Afghanistan. Two other civilians were killed in the incident and ten people were wounded, including three Canadian soldiers, MCpl. Paul Franklin, Pte....
, diplomat - 6 August – Ron Davies, politician
- 3 October – Richie MorganRichie MorganRichard Leslie "Richie" Morgan is a former Welsh professional footballer and manager.-Career:Morgan was playing for Cardiff Corinthians before signing for Cardiff City in 1966. The majority of his time playing at Ninian Park was spent as understudy to club stalwart Don Murray...
, professional footballer and manager - 18 October – Dafydd Elis-ThomasDafydd Elis-ThomasDafydd Elis Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, PC, AM, is a Welsh politician and was the Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales until 2011...
, politician - 26 November – Brian HibbardBrian HibbardBrian Hibbard is a Welsh actor and singer, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original Flying Pickets.Hibbard was born in Ebbw Vale, and after various job including teacher, steel worker, barman and chimney sweep, he formed the Flying Pickets with a group of other actors who had practised...
, actor and singer - 27 November – Kim HowellsKim HowellsKim Scott Howells is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Pontypridd from 1989 to 2010, and held a number of ministerial positions within the Government.-Biography:...
, politician - 9 December- Mervyn DaviesMervyn DaviesThomas Mervyn "Merv the Swerve" Davies , is a former Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8.Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School....
, rugby player - date unknown – Tony Curtis (Welsh poet)Tony Curtis (Welsh poet)Tony Curtis FRSL is an Anglo-Welsh poet.Curtis was born in Carmarthen and educated at the University of Wales, Swansea. He subsequently studied for the MFA degree at Goddard College, Vermont, becoming the only British writer ever to graduate from that course.His debut in print was Three Young...
Deaths
- 23 January – William Evans, Wales dual code international rugby player, 62
- 25 April – Arthur JenkinsArthur Jenkins (politician)Arthur Jenkins was a Welsh trade unionist and Labour Party politician.Jenkins was a coal miner's agent who studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Ruskin College, Oxford, before becoming Vice-President of the South Wales Miners Federation...
, MP for Pontypool - 14 March – Reg ThomasReg Thomas (athlete)Reginald "Reg" Heber Thomas was a Welsh athlete who competed in several Olympic and Empire Games in the 1930s, but suffered various injuries.He was born in Pembroke and died in Brownshill....
, athlete, 39 - 25 May – Ernest RhysErnest RhysErnest Percival Rhys was an English writer, best known for his role as founding editor of the Everyman's Library series of affordable classics. He wrote essays, stories, poetry, novels and plays...
("Mr Everyman"), writer, 86 - 1 June – Arthur Griffith-BoscawenArthur Griffith-BoscawenLieutenant-Colonel Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen PC was a British Conservative Party politician whose career was cut short by losing a string of Parliamentary elections....
, politician, 80 - 15 July – William Cope, 1st Baron CopeWilliam Cope, 1st Baron CopeWilliam Cope, 1st Baron Cope , known as Sir William Cope, Bt, between 1928 and 1945, was a Welsh Conservative Party politician, who was also notable as an international rugby union player for Wales...
, politician, 75 - 12 August – Alfred Augustus Mathews, vicar and Wales international rugby player, 82
- 4 November – Bill MorrisBill Morris (rugby player)William "Bill" Morris was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played for club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales. He was the uncle of Welsh boxer Gipsy Daniels.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 77 - 5 November – Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de WaldenThomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de WaldenThomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, 4th Baron Seaford , was a British peer, landowner, writer and patron of the arts. He was also a motorboat racer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.-Biography:...
, author and patron of the arts in Wales, 66 - 24 November – Sydney NichollsSydney NichollsSydney 'Sid' Herbert Nicholls was an English-born dual code rugby forward who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and in his later years league rugby with Hull. Nicholls won four caps for Wales and was part of the Welsh team that beat the first touring Southern Hemisphere team the...
, Wales rugby international player, 78 - 6 December – Charles Butt Stanton 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, 73 - date unknown – Morris Williams, publisher, husband and collaborator of Kate Roberts