1948 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1948 to Wales and its people.

← 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1948 in Wales → 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1948 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – David Prosser, Bishop of St David's
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Wil Ifan

Events

• 21 May - Hugh Dalton is appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.[1]
• 24 June - Thomas Williams is created 1st Baron Williams of Ynyshir.
• 1 July - The National Museum of Wales opens the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans to the public, the first open-air museum in the UK (director: Iorwerth Peate).
• 19 October - Opening of the Hoover washing machine factory at Merthyr Tydfil.
• December - Plas Machynlleth given to the people of the town.
• Aneurin Bevan is instrumental in the passing of the Local Government Act and National Assistance Act.
• Ness Edwards joins the Privy Council.
• Creation of the Welsh Joint Education Committee.
• Beginning of nylon manufacture at Pontypool.
• Jim Griffiths becomes Chairman of the Labour Party.
• The Council for Wales and Monmouthshire is established as an advisory body.
• A residential Welsh-medium preparatory school for boys is founded at Llanilar in Cardiganshire.
• Physicist Rhisiart Morgan Davies publishes the results of his work on stress waves.

Arts and literature

• Kingsley Amis becomes a lecturer at the University of Wales, Swansea.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bridgend)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - D. Emrys James,[2]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Euros Bowen, "O'r Dwyrain"[3]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Robert Ivor Parry

English language

• Sir Alfred Thomas Davies - The Lloyd George I Knew[4]
• Jack Jones - Some Trust in Chariots

Welsh language

• Ambrose Bebb - Gadael tir
• Aneirin Talfan Davies - Eliot, Pwshcin, Poe[5]
• William Eames & Megan Ellis - Melin y Ddôl[6]
• Griffith Wynne Griffith - Ffynnon Bethlehem[7]
• Robert David Griffith - Hanes Canu Cynulleidfaol Cymru
• Isaac Daniel Hooson - Y Gwin a Cherddi Eraill
• David James Jones (Gwenallt) - Bywyd a Gwaith Islwyn
• Griffith John Williams - Traddodiad Llenyddol Morgannwg

New drama

• Saunders Lewis - Blodeuwedd[8]

Music

• Arwel Hughes - String Quartet No. 1
• David Wynne - Sonata for violin and piano

Film

• Glynis Johns stars in Miranda.
• Hugh Griffith appears in London Belongs to Me
• Wandering Through Wales[9]

Broadcasting

• 1 March - Welsh Rarebit, previously broadcast during the Second World War, begins its run on the BBC Light Programme.[10]

Sport

• Athletics – Tom Richards finishes second in the marathon at the London Olympics, becoming the first Welshman to win an individual athletics medal at the Olympics.[11]
• Equestrianism
  • Harry Llewellyn is part of the team winning a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London.
  • The only Welsh Grand National to be run at Caerleon is won by Bora's Cottage.[12]
• Rugby Union
  • 21 February – France beats Wales 3–11 at the St Helen's Ground in Swansea.

Births

• 22 January - Roger Williams, politician[13]
• 1 March - Karl Johnson, actor
• 4 March - Shakin' Stevens, singer[14]
• 1 April
  • Dai Davies, footballer
  • Peter Law, politician (d. 2006)[15]
  • J. J. Williams, Wales international rugby union player (d. 2020)
• 2 April - Tom David, Wales international rugby union and league player
• 14 May - Albert Alan Owen, composer
• 18 May - Keith Jarrett, rugby player
• 26 May (in London) - Jenny Randerson, politician
• 4 June (in Glasgow) - Jeff Cuthbert, politician
• 14 June - Ffred Ffransis, political activist
• 16 June - Elan Closs Stephens, educator and broadcasting executive
• 2 August - Andy Fairweather-Low, musician
• 9 August - Jackie Lawrence, politician
• 12 September (in Jamaica) - Neville Meade, heavyweight boxer (d. 2010)
• 24 October - Phil Bennett, rugby player
• 14 November (in London) - Charles, future Prince of Wales
• 25 November - Paul Murphy, politician[16]
• 26 December - Steve Curtis, boxer (d. 1994)
• 28 December - Terry Morgan, civil engineer[17]
• date unknown
  • Alan Llwyd, poet[18]
  • Manon Rhys, writer

Deaths

• 12 January – Wilfred Bailey, 3rd Baron Glanusk, 56[19]
• 19 January – Frederick Phillips, hockey player, 63
• 11 February – Evan Davies, politician in Australia, 58[20]
• 21 February – Tom Pook, Wales international rugby union player, 78
• 8 March – Charlie Thomas, Wales international rugby player
• 9 April – John Daniel Davies, 74[21]
• 25 April – Arthur Boucher, Wales international rugby union player, 77
• 30 April – David Daniel, Wales international rugby union player, 77
• 17 May – David Evans, organist and composer, 74[22]
• 22 May – David Delta Evans (Dewi Hiraddug), journalist, author, and Unitarian minister, 82[23]
• 9 June – Len Trump, Wales international rugby player, 61
• 18 July – John Tywi Jones, Baptist minister and journalist, 78[24]
• 31 July – Herbert Millingchamp Vaughan, historian, 78[25]
• 20 August – David John de Lloyd, composer, 65[26]
• 28 August – Charles Evans Hughes, American politician of Welsh descent, 86
• 4 October – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator, in Swansea, 62
• 18 October – Isaac Daniel Hooson, poet, 68[27]
• 17 November – B. B. Mann, Wales international rugby union player, 90

References

1. Baines, Edward (1836). The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster. Vol. I. London, Paris, and New York: Fisher, Son, & Co.
2. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
3. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
4. Kenneth O. Morgan (1981). Rebirth of a Nation: Wales, 1880-1980. Oxford University Press. pp. 431. ISBN 978-0-19-821736-7.
5. Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England) (1967). The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. The Society. p. 7.
6. National Library of Wales (1944). Bibliotheca celtica. The Library. p. 211.
7. Gomer Morgan Roberts. "GRIFFITH, GRIFFITH WYNNE (1883-1967), minister (Presb.) and author". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
8. Jane Milling; Baz Kershaw; Peter Thomson (9 December 2004). The Cambridge History of British Theatre. Cambridge University Press. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-0-521-65132-5.
9. Clifford McCarty (2000). Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970. Oxford University Press. p. 524. ISBN 978-0-19-511473-7.
10. Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
11. Stan Eldon (17 June 2015). Life on the Run. Andrews UK Limited. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-7223-4553-5.
12. Robin Oakley (9 May 2017). Sixty Years of Jump Racing: From Arkle to McCoy. Bloomsbury USA. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4729-3509-0.
13. Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (2009). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. p. 355. ISBN 978-0-905702-79-7.
14. Norm N. Nite (1 September 1985). Rock on: the illustrated encyclopedia of rock n' roll : the video revolution, 1978-present. Harper & Row. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-06-181644-4.
15. Tony Heath (26 April 2006). "Peter Law". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
16. Gordon Gillespie (24 September 2009). The A to Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict. Scarecrow Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-8108-7045-1.
17. "Terence Keith MORGAN". Companies House. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
18. Thomas Rain Crowe (1997). Writing the wind: a Celtic resurgence : the new Celtic poetry. New Native Press. p. 46.
19. Watkin William Price. "Bailey family, of Glanusk Park". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
20. "Mr Evan Alexander DAVIES (1889 - 1948)". Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
21. John William Jones. "Davies, John Daniel (1874-1948), editor and author". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
22. John William Jones. "Evans, David (1874-1948), musician". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
23. Aubrey John Martin. "EVANS, DAVID DELTA ('Dewi Hiraddug'; 1866-1948 ), journalist, author and Unitarian minister". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
24. David Jenkins. "JONES, JOHN TYWI (1870-1948 ), Baptist minister and journalist". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
25. William Llewelyn Davies. "Vaughan, Herbert Millingchamp (1870-1948), historian and author". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
26. Selwyn Jones. "De Lloyd, David John (1883-1948), musician". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
27. Thomas Parry; Arwyn Lloyd Hughes. "Hooson, Isaac Daniel (1880-1948), solicitor and poet". Welsh Biography Online. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

See also

• 1948 in Northern Ireland