1964 in Wales

← 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1964 in Wales → 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1964 in The United Kingdom Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1964 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 1964 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

• Secretary of State for Wales – Jim Griffiths (from 17 October)
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Cynan

Events

• 9 February – The BBC launches a dedicated television service for Wales.
• March – A representative of the National Coal Board writes to Mr DCW Jones, the Merthyr Tydfil Borough and Waterworks engineer, stating that they "would not like to continue beyond the next 6/8 weeks in tipping" coal slurry on Tip No 7 at Aberfan "where it is likely to be a source of danger to Pantglas school". Two and a half years later the tip would destroy the school, killing 116 children. ^[1]
• 15 March – Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor (for the first time) in Montreal. ^[2]
• April – George Street Bridge, Newport opens, the first cable-stayed bridge in the UK.
• 15 October – In the United Kingdom general election, Wales elects 28 Labour MPs, six Conservatives and two Liberals.
  • Alan Williams becomes MP for Swansea West
  • Ioan Evans becomes MP for Birmingham Yardley. ^[3]
  • Leslie Thomas, son of Labour stalwart, Jimmy Thomas, becomes Conservative MP for Canterbury.
• 17 October – The Welsh Office is established, under the leadership of a Secretary of State for Wales (Jim Griffiths). ^[4]
• 27 October – Pembroke Refinery is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ^[5]
• 11 November – Politician Alun Gwynne Jones is raised to the peerage with the title Baron Chalfont of Llantarnam. ^[6]
• date unknown
  • Civic Trust for Wales formed to promote conservation and enhancement of the built environment.
  • Opening of the Edgar Evans building at the Royal Navy shore establishment on Whale Island, Portsmouth. ^[7]

Arts and literature

Awards

• Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry – R. S. Thomas
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Swansea)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Bryn Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Rhydwen Williams
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Rhiannon Davies Jones

New books

English language

• Aneirin Talfan Davies – Dylan: Druid of the Broken Body ^[8]
• Emrys Daniel Hughes – Sir Alec Douglas-Home ^[9]
• Stead Jones – Make Room for the Jester ^[10]
• Howard Spring – Winds of the Day ^[11]
• Reginald Frances Treharne – The Battle of Lewes in English History
• Raymond Williams – Modern Tragedy ^[12]

Welsh language

• John Gwilym Jones – Hanes Rhyw Gymro
• John Robert Jones – Yr Argyfwng Gwacter Ystyr
• Saunders Lewis – Merch Gwern Hywel ^[13]
• Caradog Prichard – Genod yn ein Bywyd
• Thomas Ifor Rees – Illimani ^[14]

Music

• Geraint Evans stars as Falstaff at the Metropolitan Opera.

Film

• Richard Burton stars in The Night of the Iguana .
• Siân Phillips takes her first major film role in Becket, alongside her husband Peter O'Toole and Burton.
• Victor Spinetti appears with The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night . Alun Owen's screenplay is nominated for an Academy Award.

Broadcasting

• BBC Wales is launched.

Welsh-language television

• Sion a Sian (later also produced in English as Mr and Mrs )

English-language television

• Wales Today

Sport

• Olympic Games – Lynn Davies wins the gold medal in the men's long jump.
• Rugby union
  • 1 February – Wales defeat Scotland 11–3 in Cardiff. Stuart Watkins makes his international debut.
  • 7 March – Wales defeat Ireland 15–6 in Dublin. John Dawes makes his international debut.
  • Wales win the Five Nations Championship.
  • The Welsh national side makes its first overseas tour, to South Africa.
• Tennis – Gerald Battrick wins the British and French junior championships.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Lynn Davies ^[15]

Births

• 29 January – Anna Ryder Richardson, interior designer, television presenter and zookeeper
• 9 February – Dewi Morris, rugby player
• 4 March – Dave Colclough, poker player (died 2016
• 21 March – Ieuan Evans, rugby player ^[16]
• 22 June – Neil Haddock, Welsh and British Champion super featherweight boxer
• 23 June – Robert Dickie, Welsh and British Champion boxing champion (died 2010)
• 16 August – Nigel Redman, rugby player
• 15 September – Steve Watkin, cricketer
• 8 October – Alan Knill, footballer ^[17]
• 3 November – Wayne Mumford, footballer
• 28 November – Sian Williams, television presenter
• 30 November – Richard Brake, actor ^[18]
• 1 December – Jo Walton, novelist and poet
• 31 December – Lowri Turner, television presenter
• date unknown
  • Rhidian Brook, novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster
  • Grahame Davies, poet ^[19]

Deaths

• 4 January – Arthur Wade-Evans, historian, 88 ^[20]
• 7 January – Cyril Davies, harmonica player, 31 ^[21]
• 13 February – Cliff Richards, rugby player, 62
• 14 February
  • Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans, civil servant, 69 ^[22]
  • William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech, 78 ^[23]
• 3 March – Ieuan Williams, cricketer, 54
• 6 August – Norman Matthews, clergyman and broadcaster, 60 ^[24]
• 14 August – Redvers Sangoe, Light-heavyweight boxer, 28 ^[25]
• 26 August – Bryn Roberts, trade union leader, 67 ^[26]
• 14 September – Fitzroy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan, anthropologist, 79 ^[27]
• 18 September – Juliet Rhys-Williams, writer and politician, 65 ^[28]
• 9 October – Thomas Jones Pierce, historian, 59 ^[29]
• 5 November – Owen Jones politician in Canada, 74 ^[30]
• 13 November – Leslie Morris, Welsh-Canadian politician, 60 ^[31]
• 14 November – Idwal Jones, novelist, 73 ^[32]
• 30 November – Sir John Cecil-Williams, lawyer and secretary of the Cymmrodorion, 72 ^[33]
• 4 December (in Melbourne) – James 'Tuan' Jones, Wales and British Lion rugby player, 81 ^[34]
• date unknown – Idloes Owen, singer, composer, and conductor, 59

See also

• 1964 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Owen Sheers (9 October 2016). "Aberfan 50 years on: how best to remember the tragedy?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
2. Holloway C., E. Joy (2004). Outlook for English 5. Student's. UNAM. pp. 20–. ISBN   978-970-32-1297-2.
3. House of Commons: With Full Results of the Polling and Biographies of Members and Unsuccessful Candidates and a Complete Analysis, Statistical Tables, and a Map of the General Election. Times Office. October 1974. ISBN   978-0-7230-0124-9.
4. Fryde, E. B. (1996). Handbook of British chronology. Cambridge England: New York Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN   9780521563505.
5. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (1965). Papers by command. HMSO.
6. Charles Roger Dod; Robert Phipps Dod (1986). Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Ltd.
7. "Petty Officer Edgar Evans". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
8. George Watson (2 July 1971). The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature:. CUP Archive. p. 134. GGKEY:64CF45KC7C0.
9. John Graham Jones (2001). "Hughes, Emrys Daniel (1894-1969), politician, journalist and author". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 25 January 2025.
10. The Cambridge Companion to British Fiction Since 1945. Cambridge University Press. 2015. p. 33. ISBN   9781107040236.
11. General Catalogue of Printed Books: Ten-year Supplement, 1956-1965. Readex Microprint Corporation. 1969. p. 829.
12. Daniel G. Williams (2021). "Williams, Raymond Henry (1921-1988), lecturer, writer and cultural critic". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 25 January 2025.
13. Paul Poplawski (30 December 2003). Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism. ABC-CLIO. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-313-01657-8.
14. Harvard University. Library (1970). Celtic literatures: classification schedule, classified listing by call number, chronological listing, author and title listing. Distributed by the Harvard University Press.
15. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
16. Peter Jackson (1998). Lions of Wales: A Celebration of Welsh Rugby Legends. Mainstream. p. 211. ISBN   978-1-84018-026-8.
17. "Where are they now? Alan Knill". Swansea City. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
18. Williams, Kathryn (23 May 2016). "The Welsh actor who plays Game of Thrones' terrifying Night's King on why he'd like a more cuddly role". Wales Online.
19. Menna Elfyn; John Rowlands (2003). The Bloodaxe Book of Modern Welsh Poetry: 20th-century Welsh-language Poetry in Translation. Bloodaxe. p. 393. ISBN   978-1-85224-549-8.
20. Archaeologia Cambrensis. W. Pickering. 1964. p. 169.
21. The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications, Incorporated. 2016. p. 44. ISBN   9781619115774.
22. Minutes of the ... Session of the Governing Body. The Office. 1964. p. 34.
23. Jean van der Poel (5 April 2007). Selections from the Smuts Papers: Volume VII, August 1945 – October 1950. Cambridge University Press. p. 399. ISBN   978-0-521-03370-1.
24. Mary Gwendoline Ellis. "Matthews, Norman Gregory (1904-1964), chancellor". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 1 July 2019.
25. Jones, Wynford (2007). Benny's Boys: The Stable of Benny Jacobs. St Helens, Merseyside: Colourplan Design & Print. pp. 54–55. ISBN   978-0-9551082-1-1.
26. Evan David Jones (2001). "Robert, Arthur Bryn (1897-1964), trade unionist". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
27. The Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier. 1981. p. 847. ISBN   978-0-7172-0112-9.
28. Time & Tide. Time and Tide Publishing Company. 1964. p. 7.
29. Brynley Francis Roberts (2001). "Pierce, Thomas Jones (1905-1964), historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 26 January 2025.
30. • Owen Jones – Parliament of Canada biography
31. Leslie Morris (1970). Look on Canada, now ...: selected writings of Leslie Morris, 1923/1964. Progress Books.
32. Westways. Automobile Club of Southern California. 1965.
33. Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (London, England) (1965). The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. The Society. p. 7.
34. Tuan Jones player profile Scrum.com