1969 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1969 to Wales and its people.

← 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1969 in Wales → 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1969 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Secretary of State for Wales – George Thomas
• Archbishop of Wales – Glyn Simon, Bishop of Llandaff[1]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • E. Gwyndaf Evans (outgoing)[2]
  • Tilsli (incoming)[3]

Events

• 1 April – Registration of births and deaths in the Welsh language is allowed for the first time.[4]
• May – Deep mining of slate at Oakeley Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog, ceases.[5]
• 22 May – Engineer Morien Morgan becomes Director of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, Hampshire, having been knighted in the New Year Honours.[6]
• 1 June – The South Wales Constabulary is created by merging the police forces of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.
• 11 June – The Prince of Wales' new standard is flown for the first time.
• 20 June – Llandudno Cable Car opened, the longest gondola lift system in the UK.
• 30 June – Two members of the Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Movement for the Defence of Wales) are killed whilst placing a bomb outside government offices in Abergele in an attempt to disrupt the following day's events.[7]
• 1 July
  • The Prince of Wales, is invested with his title at Caernarfon Castle.[8][9][10]
  • Six members of the Free Wales Army are convicted in Swansea of public order and firearms offences; three are imprisoned.
• 3 July – Swansea is granted city status.
• 25 July – The Development of Tourism Act 1969 paves the way for creation of the Wales Tourist Board.
• 22 August – Closure of Dinorwic slate quarry.
• November – Clashes between police and anti-apartheid protesters occur when the touring South African rugby team play Swansea.[11] A silent protest takes place at an Ebbw Vale match.
• December – Serious damage at Lluest-wen Reservoir requires emergency evacuation and repairs.

Arts and literature

• Dafydd Iwan co-founds Sain Recordiau Cyf, which would become the major Welsh-language record label.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Flint)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – James Nicholas
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Rowlands
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Emyr Jones

New books

• Glyn Mills Ashton – Angau yn y Crochan
• Pennar Davies – Meibion Darogan
• Rhys Davies – Print of a Hare's Foot
• T. Glynne Davies – Hedydd yn yr Haul
• R. F. Delderfield – Come Home, Charlie, and Face Them
• Raymond Garlick – A Sense of Europe
• Glyn Jones – The Dragon Has Two Tongues
• T. J. Morgan – Dydd y Farn Ac Ysgrifau Eraill
• Dennis Selby – Sanctity: or There's No Such Thing as a Naked Sailor
• John Griffith Williams – Pigau'r Sêr

Drama

• Urien Wiliam – Cawl Cennin

Poetry

• John Fitzgerald – Cadwyn Cenedl
• D. Gwenallt Jones – Y Coed
• Gwilym R. Jones – Cerddi
• John Ormond – Requiem and Celebration
• Penguin Book of Welsh Verse

Albums

• Amen Corner – Explosive Company (album)
• Blonde on Blonde – Contrasts (album)
• Man – 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle

Singles

• Huw Jones – Dŵr ("Water") (protest song)

Classical music

• Jeffrey Lewis – Mutations I
• Mansel Thomas – Mini-Variations on a Welsh Theme
• David Wynne – Cymric Rhapsody no. 2

Film

English-language films

• Richard Burton stars in Anne of the Thousand Days.
• Hywel Bennett stars in The Virgin Soldiers.

Broadcasting

• Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) publishes a pamphlet entitled Broadcasting in Wales: To Enrich or Destroy Our National Life?

English-language television

• Philip Madoc has roles in Manhunt!, The Avengers, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Champions and The Detective, among others.

Welsh-language television

• Miri Mawr (children's)

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Tony Lewis
• Cricket – Glamorgan win the County Championship.
• Rugby union – Wales win the Five Nations Championship and take the Triple Crown.
• football – Cardiff City win the Welsh Cup.

Births

• 6 January – Nicholas A'Hern, race walker
• 20 January – Nicky Wire, musician
• 5 February – Michael Sheen, actor[12]
• 10 February – Francesca Rhydderch, novelist and academic
• 13 February – Gareth Abraham, footballer
• 21 February – James Dean Bradfield, musician[13]
• 24 February – Gareth Llewellyn, rugby player
• 1 March – Dafydd Ieuan, musician
• 11 April – Cerys Matthews, singer[14]
• 4 June – Julie Gardner, television producer
• 26 July – Tanni Grey-Thompson, born Carys Grey, wheelchair athlete
• 4 August – Tony Roberts, footballer
• 4 September – Sasha, DJ and record producer[15]
• 8 September – Gary Speed, footballer and national manager (died 2011)
• 25 September – Catherine Zeta-Jones, actress[16]
• 8 October – David Abruzzese, footballer
• 23 October – Chris Fry, footballer
• 6 December – Anthony Davies, snooker player
• date unknown – Dyfed Wyn-Evans, operatic baritone

Deaths

• 20 January – Roy Evans, footballer, 25 (car crash)
• 14 February – Ernest Roberts, judge, 78[17]
• 10 March – Jimmy Wilde, boxer, 76[18]
• 27 March – David Lloyd, tenor, 56[19]
• 31 March – Percy Jones, Wales international rugby player, 82
• 5 April – Mal Griffiths, footballer, 50
• 15 April – Cowboy Morgan Evans, Texan rodeo rider of Welsh descent, 66
• 4 May – Albert Stock, Wales international rugby player, 72
• 21 May – Ben Beynon, Welsh rugby union international and Swansea Town player, 75
• 28 May – Rhys Williams, actor, 71
• 7 July – William David Davies, theologian, 72[20]
• 19 August – Percy Thomas, architect, 85[21]
• 1 October – Dai Richards, footballer, 62
• 18 October – Emrys Hughes, politician, 75[22]
• 21 November – D. B. Wyndham-Lewis, author, 78
• 7 December
  • Bill Roberts, Wales international rugby union player, 60
  • (in London) Hugh Williams, dramatist, 65
• 20 December – Eleanor Evans, singer, 76

See also

• 1969 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Who was who. A. & C. Black. 1971. p. 728.
2. Reference Wales. University of Wales Press. 1994. ISBN 978-0-7083-1234-6.
3. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 589.
4. Halsbury's Statutes of England. 1985.
5. Isherwood, J. G. (1980). Candles to Caplamps: the Story of Gloddfa Ganol. Gloddfa Ganol.
6. Flight International. IPC Transport Press Limited. January 1969.
7. Shipton, Martin (2008-11-20). "'Militants' key role in coming of devolution left ignored deliberately'". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
8. John S. Ellis (2008). Investiture: Royal Ceremony and National Identity in Wales, 1911-1969. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-2000-6.
9. "From the Archives (July 2, 1969): Charles crowned Prince of Wales". The Hindu. 2019-07-02. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
10. Furness, Hannah (2019-07-01). "Prince Charles celebrates 50th anniversary of investiture as Prince of Wales - with cake". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
11. Martin Polley (11 September 2002). Moving the Goalposts: A History of Sport and Society in Britain since 1945. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-134-76688-8.
12. Editors of Chase's Calendar of Events (14 October 2011). Chases Calendar of Events, 2012 Edition. McGraw Hill Professional. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-07-176673-9.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
13. Graham Betts (2006). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2006. Collins. p. 522. ISBN 978-0-00-720077-1.
14. Europa Europa Publications (2008). International Who's Who in Popular Music 2008. Routledge. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-85743-454-5.
15. Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. London: Virgin. p. 340. ISBN 9780753504277.
16. "Catherine Zeta Jones: a profile". The Daily Telegraph. 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
17. Evan David Jones. "Roberts, Sir Ernest Handforth Goodman (1890-1969), judge". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
18. Peter Stead; Gareth Williams (2008). Wales and Its Boxers: The Fighting Tradition. University of Wales Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7083-1915-4.
19. Huw Williams. "Lloyd, David George (1912-1969), singer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
20. Gomer Morgan Roberts. "Davies, William David [P.] (1897-1969), minister (Presb.), college tutor and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
21. Norman Percy Thomas. "Thomas, Sir Percy Edward (1883-1969), architect and planning consultant". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
22. John Graham Jones. "Hughes, Emrys (1884-1969), politician, journalist and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2019.