1977 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1977 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....
Events
- The Welsh Health Common Services Authority is created.
- 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...
becomes President of the European Commission. - Moss EvansMoss EvansArthur Mostyn Evans , better known as Moss Evans, was the general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union , then the largest general trade union in the United Kingdom, from 1978 until 1985....
is elected leader of the Transport and General Workers Union. - Operation JulieOperation JulieOperation Julie was a UK police investigation into the production of LSD by two drug rings during the mid-1970s. The operation, involving 11 police forces over a two-and-a-half year period, resulted in the break-up of one of the largest LSD manufacturing operations in the world...
results in the break-up of a drugs ring centred on Llanddewi Brefi and the recovery of 1.5 kg of LSD. - Mount Stuart Primary School, 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...
, appoints the first black female head teacher in Wales.
Awards
- Ian ParrottIan ParrottIan Parrott , who retired from the Gregynog Chair of Music at Aberystwyth in 1983, is a prolific Anglo-Welsh composer and writer on music. His distinctions include the first prize of the Royal Philharmonic Society for his symphonic poem Luxor, and commissions by the BBC and Yale University, and for...
receives the John Edwards Memorial Award from the Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music. - Jonathan PryceJonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
wins a Tony award for his performance on Broadway in The Comedians.
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Donald EvansDonald Evans (Welsh poet)Donald Evans is a Welsh poet, who writes in the Welsh language.Evans comes from Talgarreg in Ceredigion. Between 1966 and 1972 he produced the periodical Y Cardi. He won the "double" of crown and chair twice, once at the 1977 National Eisteddfod of Wales and again in 1980. In 2006 he was awarded...
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Donald EvansDonald Evans (Welsh poet)Donald Evans is a Welsh poet, who writes in the Welsh language.Evans comes from Talgarreg in Ceredigion. Between 1966 and 1972 he produced the periodical Y Cardi. He won the "double" of crown and chair twice, once at the 1977 National Eisteddfod of Wales and again in 1980. In 2006 he was awarded...
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Robert Gerallt Jones
New books
- Käte Bosse-GriffithsKäte Bosse-GriffithsKäte Bosse-Griffiths was a German born Egyptologist who after moving to Wales became a writer in the Welsh language.-Early history:...
- Byd y Dyn Hysbys - Jane Edwards - Dros Fryniau Bro Afallon
- Alice Thomas Ellis - The Sin Eater
- Donald EvansDonald Evans (Welsh poet)Donald Evans is a Welsh poet, who writes in the Welsh language.Evans comes from Talgarreg in Ceredigion. Between 1966 and 1972 he produced the periodical Y Cardi. He won the "double" of crown and chair twice, once at the 1977 National Eisteddfod of Wales and again in 1980. In 2006 he was awarded...
- Egin - Raymond GarlickRaymond GarlickRaymond Garlick was an Anglo-Welsh poet and editor. Garlick was born in London, but grew up in Llandudno, and studied English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor. Whilst there, he converted to Roman Catholicism, although no longer a practising Catholic...
- Incense - Owain OwainOwain OwainOwain Owain was a Welsh novelist, short story writer and poet. He also founded Tafod y Ddraig which became the Welsh Language Society's main voice from its birth in the 1960s to the present day....
- Mical - Ellis Peters - A Morbid Taste for Bones (first in the Brother Cadfael series of novels)
- R. J. Rowlands - Cerddi R. J. Rowlands y Bala
- Craig ThomasCraig Thomas (author)David Craig Owen Thomas was a Welsh author of thrillers, most notably the Mitchell Gant series.-Background:...
- FirefoxFirefox (novel)Firefox is a thriller novel written by Craig Thomas and published in 1977. The Cold War plot involves an attempt by the CIA and MI5 to steal a highly advanced experimental Soviet fighter aircraft. The chief protagonist is fighter pilot turned spy Mitchell Gant... - Gwyn ThomasGwyn Thomas (poet)Professor Gwyn Thomas , is a Welsh poet, academic and a former National Poet for Wales.Raised in Tanygrisiau and Blaenau Ffestiniog, Thomas was educated at Ysgol Sir Ffestiniog, University of Wales, Bangor and Jesus College, Oxford; Prof Thomas is presently Emeritus Professor of Welsh at the...
- Cadwynau yn y Meddwl - Gwyn Alf Williams - Goya and the Impossible Revolution
Music
- Injaroc - Halen Y Ddaear
- 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...
- Carlo a Chaneuon Eraill, I'r Gad
Film
- Richard BurtonRichard BurtonRichard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
receives his sixth Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards for his role in Equus.
Sport
- AthleticsAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
- The first UK championships are held at CwmbranCwmbranCwmbrân is a new town in Wales. Today forming part of the county borough of Torfaen and lying within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, Cwmbrân was established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. Cwmbrân means Crow...
. - BilliardsEnglish billiardsEnglish billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated, is a hybrid form of carom and pocket billiards played on a billiard table. Billiards is less well known as "the English game", "the all-in game" and "the common game".The game is for...
- Clive EvertonClive EvertonClive Everton , is a Welsh veteran BBC snooker commentator, journalist and author. He began his BBC career on the radio, but has been commentating on the television from the 1978 World Championship through to the present...
reaches the semi-finals of the World Championship. - 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...
- Johnny OwenJohnny OwenJohnny Owen was a professional boxer from Wales. His fragile appearance earned him many epithets, including ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’. During his brief career, he held the Bantamweight Championships of Great Britain and Europe and became the first ever Welsh holder of the...
wins the British bantamweight title. - DartsDartsDarts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
- Wales wins the Home International Series and the first Darts World Cup. - FencingFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
- Wales wins the Quadrangular Tournament. - 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 the Triple CrownTriple Crown (Rugby Union)In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
. - Long-distance swimmingLong-distance swimmingThe distances that distinguish long distance swimming from ordinary swimming are those distances that are longer than are typically swum in pool competitions. When a given swim calls more on endurance than outright speed, the more likely it is to be considered a long distance swim...
- David Jones of Port Talbot becomes the first Welshman to swim the Bristol Channel. - Formation of the Welsh Hang Gliding Association and the Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers.
Births
- 3 February - Mike PowellMike Powell (Glamorgan cricketer)Michael John Powell is a Welsh cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He has played for Glamorgan since 1996, playing in the first team since 1997...
, cricketer - 4 March - Gareth WyattGareth WyattGareth Wyatt is a Welsh rugby union player who has won two caps for the Wales national rugby union team.-Education:...
, rugby player - 18 March - Alex JonesAlex Jones (presenter)Charlotte Alexandra "Alex" Jones is a Welsh television presenter, from Ammanford, best known for co-presenting BBC's The One Show since August 2010.-Early life:...
, TV presenter - 12 April - Jason PriceJason PriceJason Jeffrey Price is a Welsh footballer. He can play as a right sided midfielder or as a forward. He currently plays for Morecambe-Career:Price enjoyed spells with Swansea City, Brentford, Tranmere Rovers and Hull City....
, footballer - 6 July - Craig HandleyCraig HandleyCraig Handley is a Welsh film writer, director, producer and script editor. He is the creator of the upcoming web-series, Bleedout. Handley was born in Merthyr Tydfil and attended Cyfarthfa High School...
, screenwriter - 11 September - Matthew StevensMatthew StevensMatthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005...
, snooker player
Deaths
- 10 February – Grace WilliamsGrace Williams-Biography:Williams was born in Barry, near Cardiff, Wales.She was educated at Barry County School, and won a scholarship to Cardiff University . She then went to the Royal College of Music, London, where she was taught by Ralph Vaughan Williams...
, composer, 70 - 22 February - Hubert William LewisHubert William LewisHubert William Lewis 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.-Details:...
, Victoria Cross recipient, 80 - 5 March - Tom PryceTom PryceThomas Maldwyn Pryce was a Welsh racing driver, famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death...
, Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing driver, 27 - 22 April – Ryan DaviesRyan DaviesRyan Davies was a popular Welsh entertainer of the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in the Carmarthenshire village of Glanamman in the Black Mountain, Wales, and was educated in Bangor and at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His first professional appearance was in the National Eisteddfod of...
, entertainer, 40 - 12 June - 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...
, British champion boxer, 59 - 27 June - Hubert DayHubert DayHubert Day was a rugby hooker who played rugby union for Newport and rugby league for Salford. He was awarded five caps for Wales under union rules and was part of the Welsh side that won the 1931 Five Nations Championship...
, Wales international rugby union player, 69 - 26 July - Sir Ben Bowen ThomasBen Bowen ThomasSir Ben Bowen Thomas was a Welsh civil servant and university President. He served as Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Education from 1945 to 1963, and was President of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1964 to 1975...
, civil servant and academic, 78 - 10 August - Watcyn ThomasWatcyn ThomasWatcyn Thomas was a Welsh rugby union player who captained Wales in the early 1930s.Thomas was born in Llanelli and educated at Llanelli County School and at University College, Swansea. While still at school he was the first captain of the newly formed Welsh Secondary Schools XV in 1924. He then...
, rugby player, 71 - 27 September - Llewelyn Wyn GriffithLlewelyn Wyn GriffithLlewelyn Wyn Griffith was a Welsh novelist, born in Llandrillo yn Rhos, Clwyd. A captain in the 15th Royal Welch Fusiliers during First World War, he is best known for his memoir, Up to Mametz, which he wrote in the early 1920s, although the work was not published until 1931.-Other works:*Spring...
, author of Up to Mametz, 87 - date unknown
- (at Colchester) - Hugh Iorys HughesHugh Iorys HughesHugh Iorys Hughes was a civil engineer and unsung hero of World War II who advised on the design of the Mulberry harbours used in Operation Overlord....
, engineer, 75 - Thomas Ifor ReesThomas Ifor ReesThomas Ifor Rees was a Welsh diplomat, author and translator, born at 'Bronceiro' near the hamlet of Rhydypennau in Ceredigion in Wales.Rees served as British Ambassador to Bolivia up to his retirement in 1949....
, diplomat - Jac L. Williams, educationist
- (at Colchester) - Hugh Iorys Hughes