# 1956 in Wales

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

## Incumbents

* Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

## Events

* April – One of the last Welsh-built naval vessels afloat, former iron screw frigate HMS Inconstant (1868), built at Pembroke Dock, arrives in Belgium to be broken up.
* 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.
* September – Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen, introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
* 4 September – Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales – Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.
* 22 November – In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.
* exact date unknown – Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished as unsafe.

## Arts and literature

* Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.
* Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
* 22 November – The New Scientist is launched by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

### Awards

* National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Mathonwy Hughes, "Gwraig"
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – withheld
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – W. T. Gruffydd, "Y Pwrpas Mawr"

### 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

### 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 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
* May – Iwan Bala, artist
* 14 June – Keith Pontin, international footballer (died 2020)
* 22 July – Richard Gwyn writer
* 7 September – Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
* 3 November – Carl Harris, international footballer
* 4 December – Nia Griffith MP, politician, born in Ireland
* 19 December – John Griffiths, politician
* 23 December – Robert Gwilym, actor
* date unknown – David Nott, surgeon

## 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
* 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
* 20 September – Arthur Tysilio Johnson, farmer and author, 83
* 1 October – J. O. Francis, dramatist, 74
* 11 October – David James Davies, economist and politician, 63
* 16 October – Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
* 18 October – Harry Parry, jazz musician, 44
* 22 November – Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68
* 16 December – Nina Hamnett, artist, 66
* 28 December – John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83