1958 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1958 to Wales and its people.

← 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1958 in Wales → 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1958 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles (from 26 July)
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – William Morris

Events

• 18 January – Nigel Birch resigns as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
• 5 February – The Wales national football team qualifies for this summer's World Cup in Sweden under the management of Jimmy Murphy.[1]
• 6 February – Manchester United F.C., the English league champions where Jimmy Murphy is also assistant manager, are involved in a plane crash in Munich, West Germany, on the journey home from a European Cup tie in Yugoslavia. Seven United players are among the 21 people who die, but among the survivors is Swansea born winger Kenny Morgans.[2]
• 25 February – The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is launched by Bertrand Russell.
• 2 April – Accidental discovery of the Caernarfon Mithraeum.
• 6 May – Murderer Vivian Teed is hanged by Robert Leslie Stewart in Swansea Prison, the last hanging to take place in Wales.[3]
• 19 June – Wales are knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, losing to Brazil.[4]
• 26 July – At the Empire Games in Cardiff, the Queen announces that her son, The Prince Charles, is to be created Prince of Wales.
• 6 August – Daniel Granville West becomes the first Welsh life peer.
• 18 August
  • Accidental discovery of Brymbo Man (c.2000 BCE).
  • Regional postage stamps of Great Britain are first issued.
• 24 October – Huw T. Edwards announces his resignation from the chair of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire in protest at the decision to flood the Tryweryn valley.
• 13 December – New road bridge across the River Conway at Conway supersedes Telford's suspension bridge.
• Thomas Parry becomes Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Ebbw Vale)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – T. Llew Jones, "Caerllion ar Wysg"[5]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Llywelyn Jones, "Cymod"[6]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Edward Cynolwyn Pugh, "Hunangofiant: Ei Ffanffer ei Hun"[7]

English language

• Tom Beynon – Howell Harris, Reformer and Soldier
• Brenda Chamberlain – The Green Heart
• Paul Ferris – A Changed Man
• Cyril Fox – Pattern and purpose: a study of early Celtic art in Britain
• Peter George – Red Alert[8]
• Emyr Humphreys – A Toy Epic[9]
• Bertrand Russell – Understanding History and Other Essays
• Raymond Williams – Culture and Society[10]

Welsh language

• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Englynion a Chywyddau
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Blas y Cynfyd
• Bobi Jones – Nid yw Dwr yn Plygu
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Cofiant Idwal Jones[11]
• T. Llew Jones – Trysor Plas y wernen and Merched y môr a chwedlau eraill
• Ernest Llwyd Williams – Crwydro Sir Benfro[12]

New drama

• George Fisher – Y Ferch a'r Dewin[13]
• John Gwilym Jones – Lle Mynno'r Gwynt
• Saunders Lewis – Brad

Music

• Daniel Jones – The Country Beyond the Stars (cantata)[14]
• Ian Parrott – Cor Anglais concerto

Film

• Richard Burton stars in the film version of Look Back in Anger.
• Ronald Lewis co-stars in The Wind Cannot Read.
• Release of The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, with location scenes (representing China) filmed around Nantmor near Beddgelert.

Broadcasting

• July – In order to broadcast the British Empire and Commonwealth Games from Cardiff, a broadcasting centre is set up on the bank of the River Taff, near Cardiff Arms Park.

Welsh-language television

• Commercial TV becomes available in Wales, broadcasting some Welsh-language programmes, such as Amser Te.[15]

English-language television

• 30 November – During the live broadcast of the Armchair Theatre play Underground on the ITV network, actor Gareth Jones has a fatal heart attack between two of his scenes.
• Gwlad y Gân / Land of Song, with Ivor Emmanuel and Sian Hopkins

Sports

• British Empire and Commonwealth Games (held in Cardiff):
  • Wales' single gold medal is won by Howard Winstone in the bantamweight boxing competition.
  • Silver medals are won by: John Merriman (6 miles), Malcolm Collins (featherweight boxing), and Robert Higgins (light-heavyweight boxing).
  • Due to being on National Service in the British Army, Swansea fighter Brian Curvis competed in the games for England, winning a bronze medal at welterweight.
• Football – Wales reaches the quarter-finals of the World Cup, being knocked out by a goal from Pelé.
• Gymnastics – Margaret Neale of Cardiff is the British Women's Champion for the second year running.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Howard Winstone

Births

• 4 January – Gary Jones, actor
• 1 March – Ian Love, footballer
• 2 March – Ian Woosnam, golfer[16]
• 8 March – Wayne Hughes, footballer
• 16 April – Caryl Parry Jones, singer
• 30 April – Claire Curtis-Thomas, politician[17]
• 8 May – Aneirin Hughes, actor
• 17 May – Paul Whitehouse, actor, writer and comedian[18]
• 3 July – Siân Lloyd, television presenter
• 18 July – Chris Ruane, politician[19]
• 19 July – Angharad Tomos, author
• 3 September (in Totnes) – Tamsin Dunwoody, politician
• 16 September – Neville Southall, footballer
• 4 October – Anneka Rice, television presenter[20]
• 24 November – Robin Llywelyn, novelist
• date unknown – Cerith Wyn Evans, conceptual artist

Deaths

• 31 January – Edgar Long, Wales international rugby player
• January/February – William Beynon, Canadian oral historian, of Welsh parentage, 69/70[21]
• 6 February – Charles Langbridge Morgan, novelist and dramatist, 64[22]
• 11 February – Ernest Jones, psychoanalyst, 79[23]
• 18 February – Rhisiart Morgan Davies, physicist, 55[24]
• 2 April – Tudor Davies, singer, 65[25]
• 3 April – John Strand-Jones, Wales international rugby union player
• 19 April – Billy Meredith, footballer, 83
• 28 April – Joseph Booth, rugby player, 84/85[26]
• 18 July – Ernie Jenkins, Wales international rugby player, 77
• 20 July (in London) – Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, political campaigner and businesswoman, 75[27]
• 29 August – Harry Beadles, international footballer, 60
• 25 September – Henry Arthur Evans, politician, 60
• 9 October – Sven Hansen, ship-owner, 82[28]
• 30 October – Tommy Vile, Welsh international rugby player, 76
• 4 November – Dick Jones, Welsh international rugby player, 78
• 30 November (in Manchester) – Gareth Jones, actor, 33
• November – Ivor Lewis, Welsh-Canadian artist, 76[29]
• 13 December – Rose Davies, teacher, feminist, and labour activist, 66[30]
• date unknown – Evan Edwards, footballer, 59/60

See also

• 1958 in Northern Ireland

References

3. "Vivian Teed - the last man hanged in Wales". www.capitalpunishmentuk.org. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
5. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
6. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
7. "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
8. Peter Bryant; Peter George (1958). Red Alert. Ace Books, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-59654-582-3.
9. "BBC - North West Wales Arts -Emyr Humphreys". BBC Wales. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
10. Mulhern, Francis (January–February 2009). "Culture and Society, Then and Now". New Left Review. New Left Review. II (55).
11. National Library of Wales (1969). Annual Report - National Library of Wales. p. 39.
12. National Library of Wales; Meic Stephens (1 January 1973). A reader's guide to Wales: a selected bibliography. National Book League. p. 38.
13. Meic Stephens (1998). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. University of Wales Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-7083-1383-1.
14. Randel Don (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-674-37299-3.
15. TWW
16. Andy Farrell (2 April 1997). "Famous five on the 40th fairway". The Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
17. "Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas". Endole. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
18. Comic Paul tells of talent change Wales on Sunday – 28 October 2007
19. Valerie Passmore (2005). Dod's Parliamentary Companion: Guide to the General Election, 2005. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. p. 341. ISBN 978-0-905702-57-5.
20. Screen International Film and TV Year Book. Screen International, King Publications Limited. 1990. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-900925-21-4.
21. B.C. Indian Authority Dies" (obituary for William Beynon). Vancouver, B.C., Province, February 11, 1958, p. 28.
22. The Encyclopedia Americana. Americana Corp. 1980. p. 451.
23. Davies, Thomas Gruffydd (2001). "Jones, Alfred Ernest". In Roberts, Brynley F. (ed.). The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Aberystwyth, Wales: National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
24. Melfyn Richard Williams. "Davies, Rhisiart Morgan (1903-1958), scientist and professor of physics". The Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Aberystwyth, Wales: National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
25. Gerald Norris (June 1981). A musical gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland. David & Charles. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-7153-7845-8.
26. Fred Booth player profile Scrum.com
27. Jones, Evan David. "Thomas, Margaret Haig, Viscountess Rhondda (1883-1958), author, editor and chairperson of companies". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
28. Obituary, The Times, 16 October 1958
29. Ontario Reports: Reports of Cases Determined in the Courts of Ontario. Canada Law Book. 1966.
30. Neil Evans, "(Florence) Rose Davies" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press 2011): accessed 1 April 2016; doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70090