1974 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1974 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...
- 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... - 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 - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
- John MorrisJohn Morris, Baron Morris of AberavonJohn Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon, KG, PC, QC is a retired British politician. He was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1959 to 2001 and Secretary of State for Wales from 1974 to 1979.-Background and education:... - 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...
- Gwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen WilliamsGwilym Owen Williams was Bishop of Bangor from 1957 to 1982 and Anglican Archbishop of Wales from 1971 to 1982.... - 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 :...
- BrinleyBrinley Richards (1904-1981)Brinley Richards was a Welsh language poet and author, who was Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1972 to 1975....
Events
- 23 January - A UFO appears to crash in a remote area of North Wales. This becomes known as the Berwyn Mountain IncidentBerwyn Mountain IncidentThe Berwyn Mountain Incident was an alleged "UFO crash" in Britain. It took place on 23 January 1974 on the Berwyn Mountains in Llandrillo, Merionethshire, North Wales. Both the Berwyn Mountain incident and the similar Rendlesham Forest incident have been called a "British Roswell"...
. - Following the February general electionUnited Kingdom general election, February 1974The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, Elwyn JonesElwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-JonesFrederick Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones CH, PC was a Welsh barrister and Labour politician.-Background and education:...
becomes Lord Chancellor in Harold WilsonHarold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
’s government. - 1 April - NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and MonmouthshireMonmouthshire (historic)Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
are legally transferred from England to Wales. - 22 November - Helen MorganHelen Morgan (Miss World)Helen Morgan is a Welsh model, and the 1974 winner of the Miss United Kingdom and Miss World pageants. Morgan became the first winner to resign, and the second not to finish her reign as Miss World.-Biography:Born in Barry, she worked in a bank...
becomes Miss WorldMiss WorldThe Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
; she is forced to resign after four days when it is discovered that she is an unmarried mother. - Geraint HowellsGeraint HowellsGeraint Wyn Howells, Baron Geraint was a leading Welsh Liberal Democrat politician.Howells was born in Ponterwyd in Cardiganshire. He was the son of David John and Mary Blodwen Howells, both farmers.-Education:...
wins Ceredigion for the Liberals. - Gwynfor EvansGwynfor EvansDr Richard Gwynfor Evans , was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. President of Plaid Cymru for thirty six years, he was the first Member of Parliament to represent Plaid Cymru at Westminster ....
fails to retain 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....
for 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...
in the February election by only 3 votes, but succeeds in the October general electionUnited Kingdom general election, October 1974The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
. - Tredegar HouseTredegar HouseTredegar House in Newport, set in the 90 acre Tredegar Park, is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II country house mansion in the United Kingdom.-History of the Building:...
is bought by NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
Council. - Laura AshleyLaura AshleyLaura Ashley was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She became a household name on the strength of her work as a designer and manufacturer of a range of colourful fabrics for clothes and home furnishings....
opens stores in Paris and San Francisco.
Arts and literature
- Kyffin WilliamsKyffin WilliamsSir John "Kyffin" Williams, KBE, RA was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll on the Island of Anglesey...
is elected to the Royal Academy. - Andrew VicariAndrew VicariAndrew Vicari is a Welsh painter working in France who has established a career painting portraits of the rich and famous. Despite being largely unknown in his own country, Vicari was Britain's richest living painter....
is appointed official painter to the SaudiSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
royal family. - The Cory Brass Band is the first Welsh band to win the British National Championship.
- The BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra achieves full symphony status.
- Foundation of the Welsh Jazz Society.
- Journalist Hugh CudlippHugh CudlippHubert "Hugh" Kinsman Cudlipp, Baron Cudlipp, OBE , was a Welsh journalist and newspaper editor noted for his work on the Daily Mirror in the 1950s and 60s.- Life and career :...
is created Baron Cudlipp of Aldingbourne. - Glyn DanielGlyn DanielGlyn Edmund Daniel was a Welsh scientist and archaeologist whose academic career at Cambridge University specialised in the European Neolithic period. He edited the academic journal Antiquity from 1958–1985...
becomes Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in 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....
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Moses Glyn Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - William George
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Dafydd IfansDafydd IfansDafydd Ifans is a contemporary Welsh language novelist and translator, born in Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, west Wales.-Personal life:...
New books
- Tony ConranTony ConranTony Conran is a Welsh poet and translator of Welsh poetry. His own poetry is written in English but is very much influenced by Welsh language literature and Welsh culture and history. To some extent there are parallels in Conran's writing with that of R. S...
- Spirit Level - 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...
- Marwydos - Gwynfor EvansGwynfor EvansDr Richard Gwynfor Evans , was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. President of Plaid Cymru for thirty six years, he was the first Member of Parliament to represent Plaid Cymru at Westminster ....
- Land of my Fathers - David JenkinsDavid Jenkins (librarian)David Jenkins CBE was the Librarian of the National Library of Wales from 1969 to 1979 and author of an official history of the library.- Biography :...
- T. Gwynn Jones: Cofiant - Bobi JonesBobi JonesEmeritus Professor Robert Maynard Jones , generally known as Bobi Jones, is a Welsh Christian academic, one of the most prolific writers in the history of the Welsh language. A versatile master of poetry, fictional prose and criticism, he is now in his seventies and still producing work of a high...
- Tafod y Llenor - 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,...
- Conundrum - Leslie NorrisLeslie NorrisGeorge Leslie Norris FRSL , was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer. Up to 1974 he earned his living as a college lecturer, teacher and headmaster...
- Mountains, Polecats, Pheasants - John OrmondJohn OrmondJohn Ormond , was a Welsh poet and filmmaker.Ormond was born in Dunvant, near Swansea, and was educated at Swansea University.He joined the staff of Picture Post in 1945. He returned to Swansea in 1949 and, in 1957, began what was to be a distinguished career with BBC Wales as a director and...
- Definition of a Waterfall - Goronwy ReesGoronwy ReesGoronwy Rees was a Welsh journalist, academic and writer. He was educated at the University of Oxford.He was during the 1930s a Marxist intellectual, and in contact with the Cambridge Five spy ring through Guy Burgess. Right at the end of his life he admitted spying for the USSR for a short time,...
- Brief Encounters - Alun RichardsAlun RichardsAlun Morgun Richards was a Welsh novelist, best known for his novel Ennal's Point, about the work of a lifeboat crew in South Wales.Richards was born in King Edward Avenue, Caerphilly...
- Dai Country - 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...
- A Crown for Branwen
Music
- Andy Fairweather-LowAndy Fairweather-LowAndrew Fairweather Low is a Welsh guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. He was a founding member of 1960s British pop band, Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.-Early career:Fairweather Low first found fame as a...
- Spider Jiving (album) - Alun HoddinottAlun HoddinottAlun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.-Life and works:...
- The Beach of Falesá (opera)
Broadcasting
- 30 September - Independent radio station Swansea SoundSwansea SoundSwansea Sound is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Swansea and surrounding areas, aimed at a core 40+ demographic. Swansea Sound was the first local radio station in Wales, and has won several awards, including the number one regional station in South Wales....
comes into operation.
English-language television
- Richard Burton is banned from BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
productions after complaints about his derogatory comments about Winston Churchill and others in power during World War II. - Windsor DaviesWindsor DaviesWindsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
makes his first appearance as Sergeant Major Williams in It Ain't Half Hot MumIt Ain't Half Hot MumIt Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...
.
Sports
- CurlingCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
- The Welsh Curling Association is formed. - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Brian HuggettBrian HuggettBrian George Charles Huggett, MBE is a Welsh professional golfer. In 2006 he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame....
wins the Portuguese Open. - SnookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
- Ray ReardonRay ReardonRay Reardon, MBE is a retired Welsh snooker player. He dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning six World Championships in that decade...
is World Professional Champion for the third time. - BBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearBBC Wales Sports Personality of the YearThe BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru Wales...
- Gareth EdwardsGareth EdwardsGareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
Births
- 5 January - Iwan ThomasIwan ThomasIwan Gwyn Thomas MBE is a sprinter who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games in the 400 m, and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas is the current UK record holder at 400 m with a time of 44.36 seconds and is a former European and Commonwealth games champion...
, athlete - 30 January - Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, actor - 3 May
- Barry JonesBarry Jones (boxer)Barry Jones was a professional boxer from Cardiff, Wales. Jones was WBO super featherweight champion, but lost his title when his license was revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control after an anomaly was discovered during a brain scan....
, boxer - Kelly JonesKelly JonesKelly Jones is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky" vocals...
, musician
- Barry Jones
- 29 May - Jenny WillottJenny WillottJennifer Nancy Willott is a British politician and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central since the 2005 general election. She is the first woman and the first Liberal Democrat to represent her seat....
, politician - 5 September - Becky MorganBecky MorganBecky Morgan is a Welsh professional golfer who plays mainly on the U.S. based LPGA Tour but is also a member of the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...
, golfer - 18 October - Robbie SavageRobbie SavageRobert William "Robbie" Savage is a football pundit and former Welsh professional footballer who played predominantly as a midfielder. During his career he captained Derby County, and also played for the Welsh national team. He now presents 606 on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside...
, footballer - 24 October - David EvansDavid Evans (squash player)David Evans is a squash player from Wales. He won the British Open in 2000, beating Paul Price of Australia in the final 15-11, 15-6, 15-10. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 3 in February 2001....
, squash player - 4 November – Matthew RhysMatthew RhysMatthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
, actor - date unknown - Owen SheersOwen SheersOwen Sheers is a Welsh poet, author, playwright, actor and TV presenter.-Biography:Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji in 1974 and brought up in Abergavenny, South Wales...
, poet and actor (in Suva, Fiji)
Deaths
- 3 April - Desmond DonnellyDesmond DonnellyDesmond Louis Donnelly was a British politician, author and journalist who was a member of four different political parties during the course of his career, and moved between parties on five occasions.- Origins :...
, politician - 13 May - Islwyn EvansIslwyn EvansHaydn Islwyn Evans was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby union for Swansea and Llanelli. Evans was capped four times for Wales, all during the 1922 Five Nations Championship.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player - 29 August - Harold Arthur HarrisHarold Arthur HarrisProfessor Harold Arthur Harris was educated at Oxford High School, and went on to study at Jesus College, Oxford...
, academic (in Oxford) - 9 September - Neil McBrideNeil McBrideNeil McBride was a British Labour Party politician.He was Member of Parliament for Swansea East from a by-election in 1963 until his death shortly before the October 1974 general election...
, MP for Swansea East - 28 October - David JonesDavid Jones (poet)David Jones CH was both a painter and one of the first generation British modernist poets. As a painter he worked chiefly in watercolor, painting portraits and animal, landscape, legendary and religious subjects. He was also a wood-engraver and designer of inscriptions. As a writer he was...
, poet and artist (in Harrow) - 29 December - William Charles FullerWilliam Charles FullerWilliam Charles Fuller VC 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.-Early life:...
, Victoria Cross recipient