1962 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1962 to Wales and its people.

← 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1962 in Wales → 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1962 in The United Kingdom Scotland

Incumbents

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 1962 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Trefin

Events

• January–April – An outbreak of smallpox spreading from Cardiff infects 45 people and kills 19 in south Wales; 900,000 people in the region are vaccinated against the disease.^[1]
• 12 April – Nine miners are killed and nine injured in an accident at Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, Wales.^[2]
• 15 May – Emlyn Hooson wins the Montgomeryshire by-election brought about by the death of Clement Davies.^[3] In the run-up to the by-election, the "Elvis Rock" is painted with the graffiti "Elis" by supporters of Plaid Cymru candidate Islwyn Ffowc Elis.
• 20 July – The world's first regular passenger hovercraft service is introduced between Rhyl and Wallasey.^[4]
• 4 August – Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, is founded.^[5]
• September – Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, the first Welsh-medium secondary school in south Wales, opens its doors.^[6]
• 19 September – Atlantic College opens its doors for the first time at St Donat's Castle, marking the birth of the pioneering United World College educational movement.^[7]
• 26 October – Richard Thomas and Baldwins's new steelworks at Llanwern near Newport, is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.^[8]
• 28 October – Chepstow Railway Bridge rebuilding completed.
• date unknown
  • Richard Booth opens his first second-hand bookshop at the old fire station in Hay-on-Wye.^[9]
  • Cardiff Zoo opened.^[10]

Arts and literature

• 21 March – Actress Rachel Roberts marries Rex Harrison in Genoa.
• Welsh National Opera launches a training scheme for singers.
• Dick Francis publishes his first thriller, Dead Cert.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llanelli)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Caradog Prichard, "Llef un yn Llefain"^[11]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – D. Emlyn Lewis, Y Cwmwl^[12]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – William Owen, Bu Farw Ezra Bebb^[13]

New books

• Clifford Dyment – The Railway Game
• John Roberts Evans – Ar Drothwy'r Nos
• William Evans (Wil Ifan) – Colofnau Wil Ifan
• Michael Foot – Aneurin Bevan, vol. 1
• Menna Gallie – The Small Mine
• Llewelyn Wyn Griffith – The Adventures of Pryderi
• Oxford Book of Welsh Verse
• Gwyn Thomas – Chwerwder yn y Ffynhonnau
• Norman Thomas – Ask at the Unicorn
• Raymond Williams – Communications

Music

• Dilys Elwyn-Edwards – Caneuon y Tri Aderyn
• Alun Hoddinott – Folksong Suite
• William Mathias – Postlude
• Grace Williams – Four Medieval Welsh Poems for alto, harp and harpsichord
• David Wynne – Cymric Rhapsodies

Film

• Richard Burton and Donald Houston appear in The Longest Day.
• Peter Greenaway makes his first film: Death of Sentiment.
• Jack Howells makes the short documentary Dylan Thomas featuring Richard Burton.

Broadcasting

Welsh-language radio

• 13 February – Saunders Lewis gives the Welsh Home Service’s Annual Lecture, entitled Tynged yr Iaith (The Fate of the Language).

Television

• 14 September – The first transmitter, at Preseli, of the Teledu Cymru – Wales (West and North) Television service comes on air.

English-language television

• 17 September – First edition of the Welsh national news programme BBC Wales Today.

Sport

• Football – John Charles returns to Leeds United from several years playing for Italian clubs.
• Golf – Brian Huggett wins the Dutch Open championship.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Ivor Allchurch^[14]

Births

• 5 January – Geraint Williams, footballer
• 11 January – Chris Bryant, politician
• 16 January – Bethan Gwanas, Welsh-language writer
• 25 May - Martin Goldsmith, footballer
• 27 June – Michael Ball, singer
• 22 August – Iolo Williams, naturalist and TV presenter
• 28 August – David Melding, politician
• 15 September – Kevin Allen, actor, comedian and film director
• 22 July – Arthur Emyr, rugby union player and television presenter and executive
• 22 August – Iolo Williams, naturalist and broadcaster
• 5 September – Peter Wingfield, actor
• 15 October – Mark Ring, rugby union player
• 24 October – Jonathan Davies, rugby union and league player
• 11 November - Chris Sander, footballer
• 12 December – John Jones, record producer
• 31 December – Chris Hallam, wheelchair athlete
• date unknown
  • Fiona Bennett, composer
  • Sioned Wiliam, broadcaster, writer and producer

Deaths

• 18 January – Iolo Aneurin Williams, journalist, author and politician, 71^[15]
• 26 January – George Jeffreys, founder of the Elim Pentecostal Church,^[16] 72
• 11 February – John Edward Daniel, theologian, chairman of Plaid Cymru, 59 (road accident)^[17]
• 14 February – Ezer Griffiths, physicist, 73
• 27 February – Albert Rhys Williams, Welsh-American journalist, labour organiser, and publicist, 78
• 23 March – Clement Davies, politician, 80
• April – Edgar Morgan, rugby union player, 80
• 25 April – Herbie Baxter, Glamorgan cricketer, 79
• 30 April – Charles Williams, Anglican priest and academic, 55^[18]
• 11 May – Eliot Crawshay-Williams, politician and author, 82^[19]
• 16 June – Edgar Rees Jones, barrister and politician, 83^[20]
• 24 June – Thomas Richards, historian, 84^[21]
• 3 August - Edgar Phillips, poet and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod, 72
• 23 August - Robert Bye, VC recipient, 72
• 23 September - Margaret Jane Gordon (Lady Gordon), singer, 82^[22]
• 5 November (in London) – Percy Cudlipp, journalist, 56^[23]
• 30 November – Lewis Pugh Evans, Victoria Cross recipient, 81^[24]
• 15 December – Charles Rhys, 8th Baron Dynevor, politician, 63^[25]
• 17 December – Lonza Bowdler, Wales international rugby union player, 61
• 21 December – Gary Hocking, motorcycle road racer, 25 (racing accident)

See also

• 1962 in Northern Ireland

References

1. "1962 south Wales smallpox outbreak memories recorded". BBC News. BBC. 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
2. British Museum. Dept. of Printed Books (1969). General Catalogue of Printed Books: Ten-year Supplement, 1956-1965. Readex Microprint Corporation. p. 340.
3. Vacher, Thomas Brittain (1963). Vacher's Parliamentary Companion. A.S. Kerswill. p. 93.
4. BPI. Transportation. BPI Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-81-8497-243-6.
5. Llafur: Journal of Welsh Labour History. Llafur. 1987. p. 87.
6. The Economist. Economist Newspaper Limited. 1985. p. 294.
7. "UWC Atlantic College". Retrieved 2015-12-16.
8. Metallurgia: The British Journal of Metals. Kennedy Press. 1962. p. 57.
9. Balch, Oliver (2019-08-22). "Richard Booth obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
10. . The Bartlett Society. Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
11. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
12. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
13. "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
14. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
15. Donald Moore. "Williams, Iolo Aneurin (1890-1962), journalist, author and art historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
16. "Come to Elim" – Healing and Revival
17. Jones, Robert Tudur. "Daniel, John Edward (1902–1962), college lecturer and inspector of schools". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
18. "The Rev. C. S. C. Williams – Chaplain of Merton". The Times. 3 May 1962. p. 19.
19. Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. A. & C. Black. 2002. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7136-6125-5.
20. Tanner, Duncan (2006). Debating nationhood and governance in Britain, 1885–1945: perspectives from the 'four nations'. Manchester University Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-7190-7166-6.
21. Gwilym Beynon Owen. "Richards, Thomas (1878-1962), librarian and historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
22. Martha Rutledge (1983). "Gordon, Margaret Jane (1880–1962)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
23. David Glanville Rosser. "Cudlipp, Percy (1905-1962), journalist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
24. Christopher Evans. "Evans, Lewis Pugh (1881-1962), soldier and public figure, Brigadier General, VC, CB, CMG, DSO". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
25. Christopher Dignam. "Rhys, Walter Fitzuryan 7th. Baron Dynevor (1873-1956), nobleman and politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 30 June 2019.