1939 in Wales
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1939 to Wales and its people.
Contents
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales - vacant
- Princess of Wales – vacant
- Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor
- 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.
- 1 June - The submarine HMS Thetis sinks during trials in Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey. 99 men are lost.
- 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.[1]
- Jimmy Young, temporarily resident in Wales, attempts to join the army; on being rejected as too young, he joins the Royal Air Force instead.
- The first war-time civilian evacuees arrive in Wales.
- De Havilland opens an aircraft factory at Broughton, Flintshire.
- 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.[2]
- 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
New books
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.
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.[3]
- The BBC radio comedy series It's That Man Again begins its ten-year run. For most of the war it is 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
- 8 June - Norman Davies, historian
- 17 June - Donald Anderson, Baron Anderson of Swansea, politician
- 21 July - Frank Rankmore, footballer
- 24 September - Steve Gammon, footballer
- 29 September - Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales
- 10 October - Neil Sloane, mathematician
- 8 November - Meg Wynn Owen, actress
Deaths
- 27 January - Lewis Jones, miners' leader and novelist, 41
- 17 March - Owen Badger, Wales national rugby player, 67
- 24 March - Gwyn Nicholls, rugby player, 64
- 23 April - Morgan Jones, sitting MP for Llanelli, 52
- 29 April - Timothy Rees, Bishop of Llandaff, 64
- 14 June - Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, politician, 66
- 29 June - Henry Stuart Jones, academic, 72
- 9 July - Charles Nicholl, Wales international rugby union player, 69
- 18 September - Gwen John, artist, 63
- 21 September - Sir John Lynn-Thomas, surgeon, 78
- 26 September - Leif Jones, politician, 77
- 7 November - Gwenllian Morgan, local politician
- 2 December - Llewelyn Powys, writer, 55
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Flashpoint: Lynette Roberts
- ↑ Literature Wales: Encyclopedia - Broadcasting. Accessed 5 January 2013.
