1948 in Wales explained

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

Incumbents

• 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.
• Elsie Joan Lewis is appointed as the first policewoman in Wales in modern times, in Glamorgan.^[2]
• 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,^[3]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Euros Bowen, "O'r Dwyrain"^[4]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Robert Ivor Parry

New books

English language

• Sir Alfred Thomas Davies – The Lloyd George I Knew^[5]
• Jack Jones – Some Trust in Chariots

Welsh language

• Ambrose Bebb – Gadael tir
• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Eliot, Pwshcin, Poe^[6]
• William Eames & Megan Ellis – Melin y Ddôl^[7]
• Griffith Wynne Griffith – Ffynnon Bethlehem^[8]
• 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^[9]

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^[10]

Broadcasting

• 1 March – Welsh Rarebit, previously broadcast during the Second World War, begins its run on the BBC Light Programme.^[11]

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.^[12]
• 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.^[13]
• Rugby Union
  • 21 February – France beats Wales 3–11 at the St Helen's Ground in Swansea.

Births

• 11 January – Terry Williams, rock drummer
• 22 January – Roger Williams, politician^[14]
• 1 March – Karl Johnson, actor
• 4 March – Shakin' Stevens, singer^[15]
• 1 April
  • Dai Davies, footballer (d. 2021)
  • Peter Law, politician (d. 2006)^[16]
  • J. J. Williams, Wales international rugby union player (died 2020)^[17]
• 2 April – Tommy 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 (in Jamaica; died 2010)^[18]
• 24 October – Phil Bennett, rugby player (died 2022)^[19]
• 14 November (in London) – Charles III (Prince of Wales, 1958–2022)
• 25 November – Paul Murphy, politician^[20]
• 26 December – Steve Curtis, boxer (d. 1994)
• 28 December – Terry Morgan, civil engineer^[21]
• date unknown
  • Alan Llwyd, poet^[22]
  • Manon Rhys, writer
  • Howard Thomas, plant scientist (died 2022)
  • Randolph Thomas, Anglican clergyman

Deaths

• 12 January – Wilfred Bailey, 3rd Baron Glanusk, 56^[23]
• 19 January – Frederick Phillips, hockey player, 63
• 11 February – Evan Davies, politician in Australia, 58^[24]
• 21 February – Tom Pook, Wales international rugby union player, 78
• 8 March – Charlie Thomas, Wales international rugby player
• 9 April – John Daniel Davies, 74^[25]
• 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^[26]
• 22 May – David Delta Evans (Dewi Hiraddug), journalist, author, and Unitarian minister, 82^[27]
• 9 June – Len Trump, Wales international rugby player, 61
• 18 July – John Tywi Jones, Baptist minister and journalist, 78^[28]
• 31 July – Herbert Millingchamp Vaughan, historian, 78^[29]
• 20 August – David John de Lloyd, composer, 65^[30]
• 28 August – Charles Evans Hughes, American politician of Welsh descent, 86
• 4 October – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator, in Swansea, 62^[31]
• 18 October – Isaac Daniel Hooson, poet, 68^[32]
• 17 November – B. B. Mann, Wales international rugby union player, 90

See also

• 1948 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Book: Baines, Edward . Edward Baines (1774–1848) . The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster . I. . 1836 . London, Paris, and New York . Fisher, Son, & Co. .
2. Display in National Emergency Services Museum.
3. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
4. Web site: Winners of the Crown. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
5. Book: Kenneth O. Morgan. Rebirth of a Nation: Wales, 1880-1980. registration. 1981. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-821736-7. 431.
6. Book: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England). The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. 1967. The Society. 7.
7. Book: National Library of Wales. Bibliotheca celtica. 1944. The Library. 211.
8. s2-GRIF-WYN-1883. GRIFFITH, GRIFFITH WYNNE (1883-1967), minister (Presb.) and author. Gomer Morgan Roberts. 4 September 2018.
9. Book: Jane Milling. Baz Kershaw. Peter Thomson. The Cambridge History of British Theatre. 9 December 2004. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-65132-5. 274–.
10. Book: Clifford McCarty. Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970. 2000. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-511473-7. 524.
11. Book: Davies, John . Jenkins, Nigel . The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales . 2008 . University of Wales Press . Cardiff. 978-0-7083-1953-6.
12. Book: Stan Eldon. Life on the Run. 17 June 2015. Andrews UK Limited. 978-0-7223-4553-5. 116.
13. Book: Robin Oakley. Sixty Years of Jump Racing: From Arkle to McCoy. 9 May 2017. Bloomsbury USA. 978-1-4729-3509-0. 121.
14. Book: Charles Roger Dod. Robert Phipps Dod. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. 2009. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 978-0-905702-79-7. 355.
15. Book: Norm N. Nite. Rock on: the illustrated encyclopedia of rock n' roll : the video revolution, 1978-present. registration. 1 September 1985. Harper & Row. 978-0-06-181644-4. 338.
16. Web site: Peter Law. 26 April 2006. Tony Heath. The Guardian. 19 October 2019.
17. Web site: JJ Williams, former Wales and Lions great, dies aged 72. 29 October 2020. 31 October 2020. The Guardian.
18. Web site: Boxing Scene pays tribute to Wales' son, Neville Meade . Paul. Moon . boxingscene.com . 31 March 2010 . 29 May 2024.
19. Web site: Rugby union pays tribute to Phil Bennett, who has died aged 73. The Guardian. 12 June 2022. 14 June 2022.
20. Book: Gordon Gillespie. The A to Z of the Northern Ireland Conflict. 24 September 2009. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-7045-1. 171.
21. Web site: Terence Keith MORGAN. Companies House. 19 October 2019.
22. Book: Thomas Rain Crowe. Writing the wind: a Celtic resurgence : the new Celtic poetry. registration. 1997. New Native Press. 46.
23. s-BAIL-GLA-1700. Bailey family, of Glanusk Park. Watkin William Price. yes. 15 October 2019.
24. Web site: Mr Evan Alexander DAVIES (1889 – 1948). Parliament of New South Wales. 19 October 2019.
25. s2-DAVI-DAN-1874. Davies, John Daniel (1874-1948), editor and author. John William Jones. yes. 19 October 2018.
26. s2-EVAN-DAV-1874. Evans, David (1874-1948), musician. John William Jones. yes. 19 October 2018.
27. s2-EVAN-DEL-1866. EVANS, DAVID DELTA ('Dewi Hiraddug'; 1866-1948), journalist, author and Unitarian minister. Aubrey John Martin. yes. 5 September 2018.
28. s2-JONE-TYW-1870. JONES, JOHN TYWI (1870-1948), Baptist minister and journalist. David Jenkins. yes. 5 September 2018.
29. s2-VAUG-MIL-1870. Vaughan, Herbert Millingchamp (1870-1948), historian and author. William Llewelyn Davies. yes. 19 October 2018.
30. s2-LLOY-JOH-1883. De Lloyd, David John (1883-1948), musician. Selwyn Jones. yes. 15 October 2019.
31. News: Atlantic Flight Pioneer . 1948-10-04 . . 4 . 2023-06-20.
32. s2-HOOS-DAN-1880. Hooson, Isaac Daniel (1880-1948), solicitor and poet. Thomas Parry. Arwyn Lloyd Hughes. yes. 15 October 2019.