1956 in Wales

← 1955 1954 1953 1956 in Wales → 1957 1958 1959
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1956 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant (The Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles) was not created Prince of Wales until 1958)
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

Events

• 2 April - Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
• 24 April - A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
• 9 May - The Gower Peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
• 9 July - Mettoy introduce Corgi Toys model cars, manufactured at Fforestfach in South Wales.
• 22 November - In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.
• Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
• Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales - Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.
• Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished.
• The last Welsh-built naval vessel afloat, former iron screw frigate HMS Inconstant (1868), built at Pembroke Dock, is broken up (in Belgium).

Arts and literature

• Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.
• 22 November - The New Scientist is founded by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Mathonwy Hughes
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - withheld
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Ray Evans

New books

English language

• Margiad Evans - A Candle Ahead
• Bertrand Russell - Portraits from Memory and Other Essays

Welsh language

• Huw T. Edwards - Tros y Tresi
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Yn Ôl i Leifior
• David Rees Griffiths - Caneuon Amanwy
• Kate Roberts - Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
• Waldo Williams - Dail Pren

Drama

• John Roberts Evans - Broc Môr

Music

• February - Release of Shirley Bassey's first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends)
• William Mathias - Suite for Trumpet and Piano, Op.4
• Grace Williams - Symphony No. 2

Film

• Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great; William Squire also appears.
• Glynis Johns stars in The Court Jester.
• Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.
• Moby Dick partly filmed at Lower Fishguard.

Broadcasting

• The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

Welsh-language television

• Granada Television begins producing produced up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh, to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.

English-language television

• June - First televised English-language play produced in Wales, Wind of Heaven.

Sport

• Boxing
  • 27 August - Joe Erskine defeats Johnny Williams in Cardiff to win the vacant British heavyweight title.
• Rugby Union
  • Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
  • 24 March - Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year - Joe Erskine

Births

• 7 January - Johnny Owen, boxer (died 1980)
• 7 April - Christine Chapman AM, politician
• 14 June - Keith Pontin, former international footballer
• 7 September - Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
• 3 November - Carl Harris, international footballer
• 4 November - Nia Griffith MP, politician
• 19 December - John Griffiths, politician
• 23 December - Robert Gwilym, actor

Deaths

• 4 January - Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71
• 10 January - Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
• 14 January - Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
• 23 January - William Harris, academic and translator, 71
• 1 February - John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70
• 22 February - Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
• 27 February - Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75
• May - Iwan Bala, artist
• 19 May - Peter Freeman, politician, 67
• 8 June - Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82
• 5 July - Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
• 11 June - Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89
• 17 August - William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
• 31 August - Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81
• 13 September - David Davies, footballer, 77
• 11 October - David James Davies, economist and politician, 63
• 16 October - Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
• 22 November - Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68
• 16 December - Nina Hamnett, artist, 66
• 28 December - John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83