1944 in Wales

← 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1944 in Wales → 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1944 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1944 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archbishop of Wales
  • Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor (died 7 May)
  • David Prosser, Bishop of St David's (elected)
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Crwys

Events

• 22 January - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas reports for the BBC from the Battle of Anzio. ^[1]
• 23 January - An RAF Halifax bomber crashes in the Elan Valley, killing nine crew.
• 28 March - Cardiff Blitz: Nine people are killed in an air raid on Cardiff.
• 11 April - An RAF Lancaster bomber crashes near Llanwrtyd Wells, killing eight crew.
• 16 August - Lt. Tasker Watkins leads a bayonet charge at Barfour in Normandy, winning the Victoria Cross for his courage. ^[2]
• 17 October - The first "Welsh Day" debate takes place in the House of Commons (UK).
• 11 November - A US Dakota C-47 with four crew crashes into cliffs above Llyn Dulyn. ^[3]
• 10 December - American Liberty ship Dan Beard is torpedoed off Strumble Head, resulting in the deaths of 29 crew. ^[4]
• 20 December - An American B-24 Liberator plane crashes into the sea off Anglesey, killing eight crew.
• Plaid Cymru transfers its head office from Caernarfon to Cardiff.
• Morgan Phillips becomes Secretary of the Labour Party (UK), a position he will hold until 1961. ^[5]
• Sir Thomas Williams Phillips becomes permanent secretary of the new government ministry created to implement the national insurance system.
• Sir David Brunt is awarded the royal medal of the Royal Society for his work in meteorology.
• Politician Goronwy Owen and naval architect Llewellyn Soulsby are knighted. ^[6]

Arts and literature

• 2 October - Dylan Thomas is best man at the wedding of his friend and fellow poet Vernon Watkins in London - but fails to turn up.
• BBC commentator Alun Williams marries Perrie Hopkin Morris, daughter of Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llandybie)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - D. Lloyd Jenkins
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - J. M. Edwards
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld

English language

• Rhys Davies – Black Venus
• Fred Hando - The Pleasant Land of Gwent ^[7]
• Jack Jones - The Man David
• Alun Lewis - The Last Inspection
• Sir Percy Emerson Watkins - A Welshman Remembers
• Sir Ifor Williams - Lectures on early Welsh Poetry

Welsh language

• Thomas Rowland Hughes - William Jones
• Edward Morgan Humphreys - Ceulan y Llyn Du ^[8]
• T. H. Parry-Williams - O'r Pedwar Gwynt ^[9]

New drama

• James Kitchener Davies - Meini Gwagedd ^[10]
• Emlyn Williams - The Druid's Rest

Music

• Harry Parr Davies - Jenny Jones (musical)
• Grace Williams - Sea Sketches

Film

• The Halfway House , starring Mervyn Johns, Glynis Johns and Rachel Thomas, is set in Wales.

Broadcasting

• August - Wynford Vaughan-Thomas reports on the liberation of Paris for BBC radio.
• Launch of the Noson Lawen series on BBC radio.

Visual arts

• Polish-born expressionist painter Josef Herman begins 11 years living and working in Ystradgynlais.

Sport

• Boxing - Syd Worgan beats Tommy Davies for the vacant Welsh featherweight title. ^[11]
• Football - The first post-war match between Wales and England ends in a 1 - 0 victory for Wales.

Births

July:Glenys Kinnock

October:Mandy Rice-Davies

December:Deke Leonard

• 21 January - Peter Rodrigues, footballer
• 17 February - Karl Jenkins, composer ^[12]
• 1 March – Dai Morgan Evans, English-born archaeologist (died 2017) ^[13]
• 6 March – Billy Raybould, Wales international rugby player
• 12 March – Tammy Jones, singer
• 24 March
  • Mary Balogh, novelist
  • Steve Jones, biologist ^[14]
• 31 March – Myfanwy Talog, actress (died 1995) ^[15]
• 4 April – Ronnie Rees, footballer
• 8 April – Hywel Bennett, actor (died 2017) ^[16]
• 15 April – Dave Edmunds, musician ^[17]
• 16 April – Llew Smith, politician (died 2021) ^[18]
• 5 May
  • Roger Rees, actor (died 2015 in the United States) ^[19]
  • John Rhys-Davies, actor ^[20]
• 20 May – Kathrin Thomas, magistrate ^[21]
• 3 June – Dilwyn John, footballer
• 11 June – Alan Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport, politician ^[22]
• 16 June – Brian Protheroe, English-born singer and actor of Welsh parentage
• 7 July – Glenys Kinnock, English-born politician (died 2023) ^[23]
• 7 July – Angharad Rees, actress (died 2012) ^[24]
• 31 July
  • Endaf Emlyn, TV presenter, musician and director
• Betty Williams, politician
• 9 October - Desmond Barrit, actor
• 21 October - Mandy Rice-Davies, socialite (died 2014) ^[25]
• 6 November - Gerallt Lloyd Owen, poet (died 2014) ^[26]
• 14 November - Eurfyl ap Gwilym, economist and politician
• 29 November - Gareth Wardell, politician ^[27]
• 18 December - (Roger) Deke Leonard, rock musician (died 2017) ^[28]
• 24 December– Meirion Pennar, translator and son of Pennar Davies (died 2010) ^[29]

Deaths

May:Charles Green

• 8 January - John Newell Evans, Welsh-born farmer and politician in Canada, 97 ^[30]
• 11 January - Richard Powell, Wales international rugby player, 79
• 5 March - Alun Lewis, poet, 28 (accidentally shot)
• 20 March - William Retlaw Williams, lawyer and historian, 80 or 81
• 31 March - Talfryn Evans, cricketer, 29
• 7 May - Charles Green, Bishop of Monmouth, Bishop of Bangor and Archbishop of Wales, 79
• 17 May - John Lloyd Morgan, lawyer and MP, 83 ^[31]
• 24 May - Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet, politician, 83
• 27 May - Griffith Hartwell Jones, academic, 85 ^[32]
• June - Dai Davies, footballer, 63/64
• 16 June - David Davies, 1st Baron Davies, philanthropist and MP, 64 ^[33]
• 25 June - James Atkin, Baron Atkin, judge, 76
• 5 August - Maurice Turnbull, cricketer, 38 (killed in action) ^[34]
• 5 August - Ethel Lina White, crime novelist, 68
• 20 September - Oliver Morris, rugby player and footballer, 27 (killed in action) ^[35]
• 21 September - Bob Jones, rugby union player, 69
• 25 September - David Davies, 2nd Baron Davies, 29 (killed in battle) ^[36]
• 30 September- David Harris Davies, Wales international rugby union player, 66 ^[37]
• 5 October - Laura Evans-Williams, singer, 61 ^[38]
• 27 October - Clem Lewis, rugby player, 54
• 19 November - Watkin Williams, Bishop of Bangor, 99 ^[39]
• 8 December - Sir William Jenkins, MP for Neath, 73

See also

• 1944 in Northern Ireland

References

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