1952 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1952 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 (Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, had not been officially designated with the title) - 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...
- John MorganJohn Morgan (bishop)John Morgan served as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon and subsequently as Bishop of Llandaff , in which post he was also enthroned on 21 September 1949 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 :...
- CynanAlbert 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:...
Events
- 5 July - Six miners are killed in a mining accidentMining accidentA mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
at Point of AyrPoint of AyrPoint of Ayr is the northernmost point of mainland Wales. It is situated immediately to the north of Talacre in Flintshire, at the mouth of the Dee estuary. It is to the southwest of the Liverpool Bay area of the Irish Sea...
colliery in north Wales. - 3 September - Mahmood Hussein MattanMahmood Hussein MattanMahmood Hussein Mattan was a Somali former merchant seaman who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Lily Volpert on 6 March 1952. The murder took place in the Docklands area of Cardiff, Wales and Mattan was mainly convicted on the evidence of a single prosecution witness...
is the last person to be executed at Cardiff Prison. - Opening of ClaerwenClaerwenThe Claerwen reservoir and dam in Powys, Wales, were the last additions to the Elan Valley Reservoirs system built to provide water for the increasingly demanding city of Birmingham, in neighbouring England. Built mainly of concrete, the exterior of the dam face is dressed stone. The dam itself is...
reservoir. - Lake Bala bursts its banks and floods many parts of the Vale of Edeyrnion.
- Following the retirement of Hugh O'NeillHugh O'Neill, 1st Baron RathcavanRobert William Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan PC , known as Sir Hugh O'Neill, Bt, from 1929 to 1953, was an Ulster Unionist member of both the UK Parliament and the Parliament of Northern Ireland....
, David GrenfellDavid GrenfellDavid Rhys Grenfell PC, CBE, LlD was a British Member of Parliament. He represented the Gower constituency for the Labour Party from 1922 to 1959.-Early life:...
becomes Father of the HouseFather of the HouseFather of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
. - 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"...
becomes Principal of Swansea Memorial College.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in AberystwythAberystwythAberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
) - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - John Evans
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Owen Elias Roberts
New books
- Islwyn Ffowc ElisIslwyn Ffowc ElisIslwyn Ffowc Elis was one of Wales's most popular Welsh-language writers.Born Islwyn Ffoulkes Ellis in Wrexham, Elis was educated at the University of Wales colleges of Bangor and Aberystwyth. During World War II he was a conscientious objector and he began writing poetry and prose, winning the...
- Cyn Oeri'r Gwaed - Jack JonesJack Jones (novelist)Jack Jones was a Welsh novelist and playwright who began writing in the 1930s.-Early years:Jack Jones was born in 1884 at Tai-Harri-Blawdd in Merthyr Tydfil, the son of a coal miner. He joined his father to work in the mine aged 12. At the age of 17 he joined the army and was posted to South...
- Lily of the Valley - T. J. MorganT. J. MorganThomas John Morgan , better known as T. J. Morgan, was a Welsh academic.He was born in the village of Glais, near Swansea, and he studied at Swansea University.In 1926, he met his future wife at the National Eisteddfod of Wales...
- Y Treigladau a’u Cystrawen - John Dyfnallt OwenJohn Dyfnallt OwenRev. John Dyfnallt Owen , was a Welsh poet, and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1954 until his death. He was often known simply by his bardic name, "Dyfnallt"....
- Rhamant a Rhyddid - R. Williams ParryR. Williams ParryRobert Williams Parry was one of Wales' most notable poets in the twentieth century.- His life :R. Williams Parry was born in Talysarn, in Dyffryn Nantlle, a first cousin to T.H. Parry-Williams and Sir Thomas Parry...
- Cerddi'r Gaeaf - Bertrand RussellBertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
- The Impact of Science on Society - Richard Vaughan - Moulded in Earth
- Raymond WilliamsRaymond WilliamsRaymond Henry Williams was a Welsh academic, novelist and critic. He was an influential figure within the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the mass media and literature are a significant contribution to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts...
- Drama from Ibsen to Eliot
Recordings
- 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...
records a collection of five of his poems, including Fern HillFern HillFern Hill is a poem by Dylan Thomas, first published in the October, 1945, Horizon magazine, with its first book publication as the last poem in Deaths and Entrances...
and Do not go gentle into that good nightDo not go gentle into that good nightDo not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas . Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, it also appeared as part of the collection "In Country Sleep." Written for his dying father, it is one of...
, along with the short prose A Child's Christmas in WalesA Child's Christmas in WalesA Child's Christmas in Wales is a prose work by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas. Originally emerging from a piece written for radio, the poem was recorded by Thomas in 1952. The story is an anecdotal retelling of a Christmas from the view of a young child and is a romanticised version of Christmases...
for Caedmon AudioCaedmon AudioHarperCollins Audio is a record label that specializes in audio books and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, the name was changed when the label switched to CD-only production. Its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printed Page.Caedmon was formed in 1953 by...
in New York.
Broadcasting
- 12 March - Tommy CooperTommy CooperThomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
's TV series, It's Magic, begins its run. - 15 August - The WenvoeWenvoeWenvoe is a Welsh village between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross in the suburbs of Cardiff.-History:...
television transmitter enters service. - 26 August - Hit radio series Welsh RarebitWelsh Rarebit (radio programme)Welsh Rarebit was a Welsh radio variety show broadcasted from Cardiff by the BBC. First transmitted in 1938 by the Welsh Home Service, it became the main English language entertainment programme from the BBC in Wales during Second World War...
transfers to television.
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...
- WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
win their fifth Grand SlamGrand Slam (Rugby Union)In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
. - Summer Olympics1952 Summer OlympicsThe 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
- Harry LlewellynHarry LlewellynSir Harry Morton Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, CBE was a British equestrian champion. He was born in Aberdare, South Wales, the son of a colliery owner, Sir David Llewellyn, 1st Baronet.- Background :...
wins a gold medal in the team showjumping competition, riding Foxhunter.
Births
- 9 January – Mike WatkinsMike WatkinsMichael "Spikey" John Watkins is a former Welsh rugby union player who won four caps for as a hooker. He played club rugby for Cardiff and Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby captain - 24 January – Tony Villars, footballer
- 22 March – David JonesDavid Jones (Welsh politician)David Ian Jones MP , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Clwyd West.-Early life:...
, politician - 16 April – Bob HumphrysBob HumphrysGeorge Robert Humphrys was a Welsh broadcaster, chiefly known as a sports presenter on BBC Wales.-Biography:...
, sports broadcaster (d. 2008) - 21 April - Cheryl GillanCheryl GillanCheryl Elise Kendall Gillan is a British Conservative Party politician. She is currently the Secretary of State for Wales, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chesham and Amersham in Buckinghamshire....
, politician - 5 May – Andrew DaviesAndrew Davies (politician)Andrew Davies, AM is a Welsh Labour politician, who represents the constituency of Swansea West in the National Assembly for Wales. Davies was born in Hereford to Welsh parents; his mother is from Llandeilo and his father from Holywell, Flintshire...
AM, politician - 12 June – Jed WilliamsJed WilliamsJohn Ellis Dowell Williams, known as Jed Williams , was a Welsh jazz journalist and the founder and artistic director of the Brecon Jazz Festival....
, jazz journalist - 7 September – Irene JamesIrene JamesIrene James AM is a Welsh Labour politician who has represented the constituency of Islwyn in the National Assembly for Wales since 2003....
AM, politician - 18 October – Hilary Bevan JonesHilary Bevan JonesHilary Susan Bevan Jones is a British television producer, who has worked on several acclaimed drama programmes, including the multi-award-winning State of Play . She entered the television industry in 1979, when she gained a job as an assistant floor manager at BBC Television Centre...
, television producer - 17 November – David EmanuelDavid Emanuel (fashion designer)David Emanuel is a Welsh fashion designer who is, perhaps, best known for having designed the wedding dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981.-Early years:Born and brought up in Bridgend , David Emanuel excelled in music...
, fashion designer - 20 November – Karen SinclairKaren SinclairKaren Sinclair AM is a Welsh Labour politician, who has represented the constituency of Clwyd South since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999. Born and brought up in Wrexham, north Wales, Sinclair has lived in Llangollen for over twenty years.-Education and professional...
, politician - date unknown
- Robert MinhinnickRobert MinhinnickRobert Minhinnick is a Welsh poet, essayist, novelist and translator.Minhinnick was born in Neath, and now lives in Porthcawl. He studied at University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and University of Wales, Cardiff. An environmental campaigner, he co-founded the charities Friends of the Earth and...
, poet
- Robert Minhinnick
Deaths
- 3 March – John Emlyn Emlyn-JonesJohn Emlyn Emlyn-JonesJohn Emlyn Emlyn-Jones was a Welsh Liberal Party politician and shipowner.-Education and shipping:Emlyn-Jones had a private education in Cardiff, France, Spain and Italy before making his reputation in the shipping industry. In 1911 he went into partnership with E. Williams as shipowners...
, ship-owner and politician, 63 - 25 April – Sir Milsom Rees, surgeon, 86
- 25 August – James Kitchener DaviesJames Kitchener DaviesJames Kitchener Davies , also known as J. Kitchener Davies, was a Welsh poet and playwright who wrote mostly in the Welsh language...
, poet, dramatist, and nationalist, 50 - 23 October – Windham Wyndham-Quin, 5th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, politician, 95
- 28 October – William Morris HughesBilly HughesWilliam Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
, Prime Minister of Australia - 28 November – Ernie GeorgeErnie GeorgeErnest "Ernie" Edward George was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for a variety of teams, but is most associated with Pontypridd and Cardiff...
, Wales international rugby player - 2 December – Tom JacksonTom Jackson (rugby player)Thomas Henry "Tom" Jackson was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea and international rugby for Wales.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 82 - 15 December (in London) – Sir William Goscombe John, sculptor, 92
- 26 December (in London) – Lyn HardingLyn HardingLyn Harding was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio...
, actor, 85 - 31 December – John Cledwyn DaviesJohn Cledwyn DaviesJohn Cledwyn Davies was a Welsh Liberal Party politician, educationist and lawyer.-Education:Davies was educated at Llanrwst Grammar School, University College, Bangor and London University where he gained his MA degree.-Career:...
, politician, 83