1983 in Wales

← 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1983 in Wales → 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1983 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1983 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 1983 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

• Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards ^[1]
• Archbishop of Wales – Derrick Childs, Bishop of Monmouth (elected) ^[2]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Jâms Nicholas ^[3]

Events

• 5 May - District council elections take place across Wales (and England). The Conservatives regain control of Cardiff City Council. ^[4]
• 9 June - In the UK General Election.
  • The SDP, led by Roy Jenkins, allies with the Liberals and gains fourteen seats.
  • Stefan Terlezki becomes MP for Cardiff West.
  • Plaid Cymru retains two seats.
  • John Marek is elected for Wrexham, becoming the only Czech-speaking MP.
  • Geraint Howells retains Ceredigion for the Liberals.
• 21 June - Last coal raised at Tymawr and Lewis Merthyr Colliery.
• September - The Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, heir to the Dutch throne, begins a two-year course of study at Atlantic College. ^[5]
• 5 September - Marcher Sound is launched on 1260 AM and 95.4 FM (now BBC Radio Wales) from Wrexham, inaugurating the Marcher Radio Group.
• 2 October - Neil Kinnock, 41-year-old MP for Islwyn, replaces Michael Foot as leader of the UK Labour Party. ^[6]
• The BBC National Chorus of Wales is formed.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Llangefni)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Einion Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Eluned Phillips
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Tudor Wilson Evans
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - William Owen

New books

English language

• Walter Hugh Boore - The Odyssey of Dai Lewis ^[7]
• Rachel Bromwich - Dafydd ap Gwilym: Poems
• Alice Thomas Ellis - The 27th Kingdom
• Emyr Humphreys – The Taliesin Tradition ^[8]
• Nigel Jenkins - Practical Dreams
• Robert Nisbet - Stories of Sheepskin ^[9]
• Craig Thomas - Firefox Down

Welsh language

• Marion Eames - Y Gaeaf Sydd Unig ^[10]
• Donald Evans – Machlud Canrif ^[11]
• R. Tudur Jones - Ffydd ac Argyfwng Cenedl
• Alan Llwyd - Yn Nydd yr Anghenfil ^[12]

New drama

• W. S. Jones - Ifas y tryc

Music

• The Alarm - "Sixty Eight Guns" (#17 in the UK Singles Chart) ^[13]
• Y Cyrff form at Llanrwst
• First Cardiff Singer of the World competition, won by Finnish soprano Karita Mattila
• "Yma o Hyd" is released by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log ^[14]

Film

• Owen Glendower, Prince of Wales (TV film), starring David Barry

Welsh-language films

• Yr Alcoholig Llon

Broadcasting

Welsh-language television

• Torri Gwynt ^[15]

English-language television

• QED: Simon's War (about Simon Weston) ^[16]

Sport

• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jones ^[17]
• Boxing - David Pearce of Newport wins the British heavyweight title.

Births

• 11 January
  • Claire Evans, beauty queen
  • Rhodri Gomer-Davies, rugby player and reporter
• 14 February - Rhydian Roberts, singer ^[18]
• 18 February - David Vaughan, footballer
• 5 March - Owain Arthur, actor
• 28 March - Richard Jones, chess master
• 13 April - Nicole Cooke, cyclist ^[19]
• 12 May - Jamie Tolley, footballer
• 7 June - Gareth Jewell, actor
• 9 June
  • Kate Alicia Morgan, beauty queen
  • Ryan Watkins, cricketer
• 11 June - Huw Bennett, rugby player ^[20]
• 19 June - Richard Evans, footballer
• 22 July - Ifan Evans, rugby player
• 6 August - Lloyd Langford, comedian
• 10 August - Richie Pugh, rugby player and coach ^[21]
• 23 August - James Collins, footballer
• 26 August - Darren Jones, footballer
• 9 October - Rianti Cartwright, half-Welsh actress (in Indonesia)
• 5 November - David Pipe, footballer

Deaths

• 5 January - Amy Evans, singer and actress, 98
• 10 January (in Amsterdam) - Carwyn James, rugby coach, 53 ^[22]
• 31 January - Edwin Williams, dual-code rugby international, 84
• 10 February - Michael Roberts, politician, 55 (collapsed in Parliament) ^[23]
• 3 March - Percy Morgan, cricketer, 78
• 20 March - Alec Jones, politician, 58 ^[24]
• 23 March - David Wynne, composer, 82 ^[25]
• 16 April - Gladys Morgan, comedienne, 84 ^[26]
• 6 June - Bryn Howells, dual-code rugby player, 72
• 23 June - Emrys Evans, dual-code rugby player, 72
• 31 August - Iorwerth Jones, dual-code rugby player, 80
• 1 September - John Williams, Dean of Llandaff, 76 ^[27]
• 9 September - Edgar Morgan, dual-code rugby international, 87
• 1 October - Ernie Finch, Wales international rugby player, 84
• 8 October - Ron Wynn, footballer, 59
• 24 October - Norman Fender, Wales dual-code rugby international, 73
• 2 November - Tudor Watkins, politician, 80 ^[28]
• 8 November - E. G. Bowen, geographer, 82 ^[29]
• 15 November (in London) - Dai Rees, golfer, 70 ^[30]
• 30 November - Richard Llewellyn, novelist, 76 ^[31]
• 30 December - Ellis Evans, Dean of Monmouth, 75
• date unknown - Mary Vaughan Jones, novelist, 64/65 ^[32]

See also

• 1983 Cardiff City Council election
• 1983 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Stephen Bates (19 March 2018). "Lord Crickhowell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
2. The Times, 10 February 1983; pg. 12; Issue 61453; col F News in Brief
3. Stephens, Meic (17 October 2013). "James Nicholas: Poet, teacher and Archdruid of Wales". The Independent . Retrieved 21 October 2013.
4. Michael Thomas (6 May 1983). "Cardiff is back in Tory hands". South Wales Echo . p. 1.
5. "Terugblik: De koning op school in Wales". Blauw Bloed. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
6. "1983: 'Dream ticket' wins Labour leadership". 2 October 1983.
7. Meic Stephens (1998). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. University of Wales Press. p. 59. ISBN   978-0-7083-1383-1.
8. M. Wynn Thomas (1 September 2018). Emyr Humphreys. University of Wales Press. p. 173. ISBN   978-1-78683-297-9.
9. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 430. ISBN   978-0-19-211586-7.
10. Whitaker's Cumulative Book List: A Classified List of Publications...together with an Index to Authors and Titles. J. Whitaker and sons, limited. 1983. p. 288. ISBN   978-0-85021-138-2.
11. Meic Stephens (1998). The New Companion to the Literature of Wales. University of Wales Press. p. 229. ISBN   978-0-7083-1383-1.
12. Sally Harper; Wyn Thomas (2007). Bearers of Song: Essays in Honour of Phyllis Kinney and Meredydd Evans. University of Wales Press. p. 304. ISBN   9780708320815.
13. Steve Binnie (2018). Sound of the Crowd: A Discography of the '80s. p. 15. ISBN   9780244129651.
14. McRae, Donald (19 November 2022). "'Still here': a Welsh World Cup odyssey sets seal on emotional awakening". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
15. "Catalog Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru - Chwiliad am Torri Gwynt". Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
16. "Simon Weston: Falklands veteran heads to Yorkshire this weekend". Yorkshire Post. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
17. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
18. "Rhydian Roberts yn cyhoeddi y bydd yn ymddeol wrth ddathlu ei ben-blwydd yn 40 oed". Newyddion S4C. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
19. "Nicole Cooke: I hated cycling, I was in pain, I wanted to quit" . The Independent. 19 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
20. "Ospreys profile". Ospreys (archived). Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
21. "Richie Pugh". WRU. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
22. Llyr James. "James, Carwyn Rees (1929-1983), teacher, rugby player and coach". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 27 September 2019.
23. John Graham Jones. "Roberts, Michael Hilary Adair (1927-1983), Conservative politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
24. John Graham Jones. "Jones, Trevor Alec (1924-1983), Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
25. Rhidian Griffiths. "Wynne, David (1900-1983), composer". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
26. Roy Hudd; Philip Hindin (1997). Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A who was who of Light Entertainment, 1945-60. Robson Books. p. 127. ISBN   978-1-86105-115-8.
27. ‘WILLIAMS, Very Rev. John Frederick’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014. doi : 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U170453.
28. John Graham Jones. "Watkins, Tudor Elwyn, Baron Watkins of Glantawe (1903-1983), Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
29. Harold Carter, 'Bowen, Emrys George (1900–1983)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
30. "Mr Dai Rees - Major Welsh Golfer", The Times, 17 November 1983; pg. 14; Issue 61692.
31. "Lloyd, Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn (1906–1983)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 2004. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
32. The School Librarian. School Library Association. 2003.