1923 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1923 to Wales and its people.

← 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1923 in Wales → 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1923 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Edward
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Alfred George Edwards, Bishop of St Asaph
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Dyfed (outgoing)
  • Cadvan (incoming)

Events

• 1 January – All major railways in Great Britain are amalgamated into the "Big Four" companies under terms of the Railways Act 1921. The Cambrian Railways and a number of smaller lines and their docks in south Wales are merged into the Great Western Railway and the London and North Western Railway and Midland Railway become part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.[1]
• 13 February – The British Broadcasting Company makes its first broadcast in Wales, from "Station 5WA" in Cardiff. Mostyn Thomas opens the programme, singing Dafydd y Garreg Wen and Gwilym Davies becomes the first speaker to broadcast in the Welsh language.[2]
• 7 April – By-election at Anglesey ends in victory for Robert Thomas.
• 26 April – In a mining accident at Trimsaran, nine miners are killed.
• 1 June – The final stage of the Welsh Highland Railway re-opens.[3]
• 14 September – Edward Bevan is enthroned as the first Bishop of the new Anglican Diocese of Swansea & Brecon.[4][5]
• 6 December – In the United Kingdom general election:
  • Ellis William Davies returns to Parliament as MP for Denbigh.
  • David Grenfell is elected unopposed in Gower.
  • Rhys Hopkin Morris gains Ceredigion for the Independent Liberals (from the Liberals).
  • Thomas Henry Parry retains Flintshire for the Liberals with an increased majority.
• December – Agnes Twiston Hughes becomes the first Welsh woman to qualify as a solicitor.[6]
• date unknown
  • Maurice Jones succeeds Gilbert Joyce as Principal of St David's University College, Lampeter.[7]
  • Sir William Henry Hoare Vincent becomes a member of the Council of India.[8]
  • Coal production at Llay Main Colliery in the North Wales Coalfield begins.

Arts and literature

• 5 February – W. H. Davies marries Helen Payne, an ex-prostitute thirty years his junior, at East Grinstead.[9]
• 6 June – Charles Langbridge Morgan marries Hilda Vaughan.
• W. S. Gwynn Williams becomes Director of Music for the Gorsedd of Bards.[10]

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Mold, Flintshire)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – D. Cledlyn Davies, "Dychweliad Arthur"[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Albert Evans Jones, "Yr Ynys Unig"[12]

English language

• Thomas Richards – Religious Developments in Wales (1654–1662)

Welsh language

• Edward Tegla Davies – Gŵr Pen y Bryn[13]
• John Owen – Gwybodaeth y Sanctaidd[14]

Music

Film

• 14 September - G.A. Cheetham, son of cinema pioneer Arthur Cheetham, films the unveiling of the war memorial at Aberystwyth and other scenes of the life of the town, to be shown in local cinemas.
• Ivor Novello appears in The Man Without Desire, The White Rose and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Sport

• Boxing
  • 18 June – Jimmy Wilde loses his world flyweight title and retires from the sport.
• Football
  • 5 March – Wales draw 2–2 in their British Home Championship match against England, played at Ninian Park, Cardiff.
• Rugby union
  • 7 December – Old Penarthians RFC is founded.

Births

• 22 February – Bleddyn Williams, rugby player (died 2009)[15]
• 28 February – John Gwilliam, rugby player (died 2016)
• 3 April – John Ormond, poet and journalist (died 1990)[16]
• 21 April – Ronald Cass, film composer (died 2006)
• 25 April – Paul Whitsun-Jones, actor (died 1974)
• 26 July – Bernice Rubens, novelist (died 2004)[17]
• 19 August – Dill Jones, pianist (died 1984)
• 3 September – Robin Williams, broadcaster and essayist (died 2003)
• 22 September – Dannie Abse, poet (died 2014)[18]
• 30 September – Donald Swann, musician (died 1994)[19]
• 1 October – Trevor Ford, footballer (died 2003)
• 5 October – (in South Africa) Glynis Johns, actress[20]
• 6 November – Donald Houston, actor (died 1991)
• 13 November – Alf Sherwood, footballer (died 1990)
• 21 November – Harry Greene, television D-I-Y expert (died 2013)
• 30 November – John James, historical novelist (died 1993)
• 8 December – Gwilym Prys Davies, Baron Prys-Davies, politician (died 2017)[21]
• 19 December – Elwyn Jones, television writer (died 1982)

Deaths

• 9 January – Richard John Lloyd Price, squire of Rhiwlas, 79
• 22 February – John Jenkins, Prime Minister of South Australia, 71
• 6 March – General Sir Owen Thomas, politician, 64
• 19 March – Evan Rees (Dyfed), poet, 73[22]
• 1 April – Georgiana Rolls, Baroness Llangattock, socialite, benefactor and collector, 86[23]
• 4 May – J. Brynach Davies (Brynach), poet, 49
• 27 May – Charles Lewis, rugby player, 70[24]
• 18 July – Thomas Arthur Lewis, teacher, lawyer and politician, 41[25]
• 12 October – John Cadvan Davies, poet and hymn-writer, 77[26]
• date unknown – Edward Bowen, footballer, 64/65

See also

• 1923 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Bonavia, Michael R. (1980). The Four Great Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-7842-7.
2. Prior, Neil (13 February 2013). "Broadcasting in Wales: 90 years since BBC went on air". BBC. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
3. Johnson, Peter (May 2009). "The Greatest Little Train". Steam Railway. Bauer Publishing (362): 41–45.
4. Ian S. Markham; J. Barney Hawkins, I.V.; Justyn Terry; Leslie Nuñez Steffensen (13 March 2013). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion. John Wiley & Sons. p. 521. ISBN 978-1-118-32086-0.
5. Ecclesiastical News. New Bishop Enthroned. The Times Saturday, 15 September 1923; pg. 11; Issue 43447; col C
6. The Law Times. Office of The Law Times. 1924. pp. 156–470.
7. J. Gwynn Williams (1 December 1997). The University of Wales, 1839-1939. University of Wales Press. p. 406. ISBN 9780708314364.
8. Aparna Basu (2001). G.L. Mehta, a Many Splendoured Man. Concept Publishing Company. p. 70. ISBN 978-81-7022-891-2.
9. Barbara Hooper (2004). Time to Stand and Stare: A Life of W.H. Davies, the Tramp-poet. Peter Owen. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7206-1205-9.
10. Emrys Cleaver (1968). Musicians of Wales: An Account of the Lives and Work of the Major Musicians of Wales in the Nineteenth Century and Into the Twentieth. John Jones. p. 90.
11. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
12. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
13. R. M. Jones, Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg 1902-1936, page 430 (in Welsh)
14. Gomer Morgan Roberts. "Owen, John (1864-1953), minister (Presb. C.W.) and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
15. "Bleddyn Williams: Welshrugby player". The Times. London. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
16. M. Wynn Thomas (1997). John Ormond. University of Wales Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7083-1406-7.
17. Cunningham, Valentine (2008). "Rubens, Bernice (1923-2004)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/94398. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
18. William D. Rubinstein; Michael Jolles; Hilary L. Rubinstein (22 February 2011). The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4039-3910-4.
19. Smith, Lyn (1993). Swann's Way: A Life in Song. London: Arthur James Limited. p. 297. ISBN 0-85305-329-4.
20. British Film and Television Yearbook. British and American Film Press. 1956. p. 178.
21. Julia Langdon (13 April 2017). "Lord Prys-Davies obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
22. Rhys, James Ednyfed (1959). "Rees, Evan (Dyfed; 1850 - 1923), Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and archdruid of Wales". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
23. Flight International. IPC Transport Press Limited. 1924.
24. Williams, Moelwyn Idwal. "Lewis, Charles Prytherch (1853–1923), Welsh Rugby footballer and Oxford 'triple Blue'". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
25. The Times obituary, 20 July 1923, p. 12
26. Edward Tegla Davies. "DAVIES, JOHN CADVAN (Cadvan; 1846 - 1923), Wesleyan minister". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 6 January 2019.