1939 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1939 to Wales and its people.
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Incumbents
- Prince of Wales - vacant
- Princess of Wales – vacant
- Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor[1]
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
Events
- March–November - Aneurin Bevan is temporarily expelled from the Labour Party.
- 27 April - Ely Racecourse in Cardiff closes.[2]
- 1 June - The submarine HMS Thetis sinks during trials in Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey. At least 98 men are lost.[3]
- Late August - Most paintings evacuated from the National Gallery in London to Wales.
- 3 September - World War II
- Declaration of war by the United Kingdom on Nazi Germany following the German invasion of Poland on 1 September.[4]
- Jimmy Young, temporarily resident in Wales, attempts to join the army; on being rejected as too young, he joins the Royal Air Force instead.
- October - Construction at M. S. Factory, Valley in Flintshire of tunnels for storage of chemical weapons begins.
- The first war-time civilian evacuees arrive in Wales.
- Vickers-Armstrong opens an aircraft factory at Broughton, Flintshire, later taken over by De Havilland.[5]
- The Urdd establishes Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd, the first-ever Welsh-medium primary school, at Aberystwyth. In its first year the school consists of just seven pupils and one teacher, Norah Isaac.
- A government report shows that seven of the thirteen Welsh counties have the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the whole of England and Wales.
- George Maitland Lloyd Davies becomes President of the pacifist group Heddychwyr Cymru.
- Talybont Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons is completed to supply Newport.
Arts and literature
- August - For the first time ever, both chair and crown are withheld at the National Eisteddfod.
- 4 October - Poets Lynette Roberts and Keidrych Rhys marry.[6]
- John Roberts Williams becomes editor of Y Cymro.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Denbigh)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - John Gwilym Jones
English language
- B. L. Coombes - These Poor Hands
- Richard Llewellyn - How Green Was My Valley
- Howard Spring - Heaven Lies About Us
Welsh language
- D. Gwenallt Jones - Ysgubau'r Awen
- David James Jones - Hanes Athroniaeth: Y Cyfnod Groegaidd
- Moelona - Ffynnonlloyw
- Caradog Prichard - Terfysgoedd Daear
Music
- William Ifor Jones makes his debut as conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.
- Ivor Novello - The Dancing Years
- Grace Williams - Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon
Film
- Ray Milland stars in Hotel Imperial and Beau Geste.
- Sheep Dog, featuring the shepherd Tom Jones of Treorchy[7]
Welsh language film
- Efaciwis a Ricriwtio (World War II propaganda film)
Broadcasting
- At the outbreak of war, the BBC was to transmit a unified service, including programs in the Welsh language. One of the few Welsh-language broadcasts to survive is a daily bulletin of world news at 5 pm. It was broadcast before the daily news in English at 6pm.[8]
- The BBC radio comedy series It's That Man Again begins its ten-year run. From 1940 to 1943 it will be broadcast from the BBC Wales studios in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, north Wales, where the BBC's Light Entertainment Department is temporarily based.
Sports
- Rugby union
- 4 February – Leslie Manfield (one of only four players to represent Wales both before and after World War II) gains his first senior cap in the match between Wales and Scotland.
Births
- 11 January - Phil Williams, politician (died 2003)
- 1 February - Cynog Dafis, politician
- 16 February - David Griffiths, portrait painter
- 8 March - Robert Tear, operatic tenor (died 2011)
- 16 March - Kenny Morgans, footballer
- 29 March - Ronnie Williams, actor and comedian (died 1997)
- 7 April - Keith Bradshaw, Wales international rugby player
- 10 April - Ricky Valance, born David Spencer, pop singer (died 2020)
- 8 June - Norman Davies, historian
- 17 June - Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea, politician
- 17 July - Spencer Davis, born Spencer Davies, beat musician, multi-instrumentalist (died 2020 in the United States)
- 21 July - Frank Rankmore, footballer[9]
- 24 September - Steve Gammon, footballer
- 29 September - Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales (died 2017)
- 10 October - Neil Sloane, mathematician
- 8 November - Meg Wynn Owen, actress
Deaths
- 27 January - Lewis Jones, miners' leader and novelist, 41[10]
- 17 March - Owen Badger, Wales international rugby player, 67
- 24 March - Gwyn Nicholls, rugby player, 64[11]
- 23 April - Morgan Jones, sitting MP for Llanelli, 52
- 29 April - Timothy Rees, Bishop of Llandaff, 64[12]
- 14 June - Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, politician, 66[13]
- 29 June - Henry Stuart Jones, academic, 72
- 9 July - Charles Nicholl, Wales international rugby union player, 69
- 18 September - Gwen John, artist, 63[14]
- 21 September - Sir John Lynn-Thomas, surgeon, 78
- 26 September - Leif Jones, politician, 77[15]
- 7 November - Gwenllian Morgan, local politician, 87[16]
- 2 December - Llewelyn Powys, writer, 55[17]
See also
References
- C. J. Litzenberger; Eileen Groth Lyon (2006). The Human Tradition in Modern Britain. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7425-3735-4.
- "Brian Lee: When Ely played host to sport of kings". WalesOnline. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- Daniel K. Longman (15 February 2016). Liverpool in the Headlines. Amberley Publishing Limited. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-4456-4887-3.
- Penguin Pocket OnThis Day. Penguin Reference Library. 2006. ISBN 0-14-102715-0.
- "History of Hawarden Airport". Hawarden Aerodrome. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- Flashpoint: Lynette Roberts
- "Daughter's tribute to shepherd Tom". Wales Online. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- "Literature Wales: Encyclopedia - Broadcasting. Accessed 5 January 2013". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
- Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- The Anglo-Welsh Review. Dock Leaves Press. 1983. p. 62.
- Moelwyn Idwal Williams. "Nicholls, Erith Gwyn (1875-1939), Wales and Cardiff Rugby centre three-quarter". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- Thomas Iorwerth Ellis. "Rees, Timothy (1874-1939), bishop of Llandaff". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- Randolph Spencer Churchill; Martin Gilbert (1983). Winston S. Churchill: The prophet of truth, 1922-1939. Houghton Mifflin. p. 1526.
- Gwen John; Michael Holroyd; Anthony d'Offay (Firm) (1982). Gwen John, 1876-1939. Anthony d'Offay.
- Llewelyn Gwyn Chambers. "Jones, Leifchild Stratten (1862-1939), Liberal politician and temperance advocate". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- Robert Thomas Jenkins. "Morgan, Gwenllian Elizabeth (1852-1939), antiquary". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- George Santayana (2001). The Letters of George Santayana. MIT Press. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-262-19495-2.
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