# 1948 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1948 to Wales and its people.

## Incumbents

* Archbishop of Wales – David Prosser, Bishop of St David's
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Wil Ifan

## Events

* 21 May – Hugh Dalton is appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
* 24 June – Thomas Williams is created 1st Baron Williams of Ynyshir.
* 1 July – The National Museum of Wales opens the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans to the public, the first open-air museum in the UK (director: Iorwerth Peate).
* 19 October – Opening of the Hoover washing machine factory at Merthyr Tydfil.
* December – Plas Machynlleth given to the people of the town.
* Aneurin Bevan is instrumental in the passing of the Local Government Act and National Assistance Act.
* Ness Edwards joins the Privy Council.
* Creation of the Welsh Joint Education Committee.
* Beginning of nylon manufacture at Pontypool.
* Jim Griffiths becomes Chairman of the Labour Party.
* The Council for Wales and Monmouthshire is established as an advisory body.
* A residential Welsh-medium preparatory school for boys is founded at Llanilar in Cardiganshire.
* Elsie Joan Lewis is appointed as the first policewoman in Wales in modern times, in Glamorgan.
* Physicist Rhisiart Morgan Davies publishes the results of his work on stress waves.

## Arts and literature

* Kingsley Amis becomes a lecturer at the University of Wales, Swansea.

### Awards

* National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Bridgend)
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – D. Emrys James,
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Euros Bowen, "O'r Dwyrain"
* National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Robert Ivor Parry

### New books
#### English language

* Sir Alfred Thomas Davies – The Lloyd George I Knew
* Jack Jones – Some Trust in Chariots

#### Welsh language

* Ambrose Bebb – Gadael tir
* Aneirin Talfan Davies – Eliot, Pwshcin, Poe
* William Eames & Megan Ellis – Melin y Ddôl
* Griffith Wynne Griffith – Ffynnon Bethlehem
* Robert David Griffith – Hanes Canu Cynulleidfaol Cymru
* Isaac Daniel Hooson – Y Gwin a Cherddi Eraill
* David James Jones (Gwenallt) – Bywyd a Gwaith Islwyn
* Griffith John Williams – Traddodiad Llenyddol Morgannwg

### New drama

* Saunders Lewis – Blodeuwedd

### Music

* Arwel Hughes – String Quartet No. 1
* David Wynne – Sonata for violin and piano

## Film

* Glynis Johns stars in Miranda.
* Hugh Griffith appears in London Belongs to Me
* Wandering Through Wales

## Broadcasting

* 1 March – Welsh Rarebit, previously broadcast during the Second World War, begins its run on the BBC Light Programme.

## Sport

* Athletics – Tom Richards finishes second in the marathon at the London Olympics, becoming the first Welshman to win an individual athletics medal at the Olympics.
* Equestrianism
** Harry Llewellyn is part of the team winning a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London.
** The only Welsh Grand National to be run at Caerleon is won by Bora's Cottage.
* Rugby Union
** 21 February – France beats Wales 3–11 at the St Helen's Ground in Swansea.

## Births

* 11 January – Terry Williams, rock drummer
* 22 January – Roger Williams, politician
* 1 March – Karl Johnson, actor
* 4 March – Shakin' Stevens, singer
* 1 April
** Dai Davies, footballer (d. 2021)
** Peter Law, politician (d. 2006)
** J. J. Williams, Wales international rugby union player (died 2020)
* 2 April – Tommy David, Wales international rugby union and league player
* 14 May – Albert Alan Owen, composer
* 18 May – Keith Jarrett, rugby player
* 26 May (in London) – Jenny Randerson, politician
* 4 June (in Glasgow) – Jeff Cuthbert, politician
* 14 June – Ffred Ffransis, political activist
* 16 June – Elan Closs Stephens, educator and broadcasting executive
* 2 August – Andy Fairweather-Low, musician
* 9 August – Jackie Lawrence, politician
* 12 September (in Jamaica) – Neville Meade, heavyweight boxer (in Jamaica; died 2010)
* 24 October – Phil Bennett, rugby player (died 2022)
* 14 November (in London) – Charles III (Prince of Wales, 1958–2022)
* 25 November – Paul Murphy, politician
* 26 December – Steve Curtis, boxer (d. 1994)
* 28 December – Terry Morgan, civil engineer
* date unknown
** Alan Llwyd, poet
** Manon Rhys, writer
** Howard Thomas, plant scientist (died 2022)
** Randolph Thomas, Anglican clergyman

## Deaths

* 12 January – Wilfred Bailey, 3rd Baron Glanusk, 56
* 19 January – Frederick Phillips, hockey player, 63
* 11 February – Evan Davies, politician in Australia, 58
* 21 February – Tom Pook, Wales international rugby union player, 78
* 8 March – Charlie Thomas, Wales international rugby player
* 9 April – John Daniel Davies, 74
* 25 April – Arthur Boucher, Wales international rugby union player, 77
* 30 April – David Daniel, Wales international rugby union player, 77
* 17 May – David Evans, organist and composer, 74
* 22 May – David Delta Evans (Dewi Hiraddug), journalist, author, and Unitarian minister, 82
* 9 June – Len Trump, Wales international rugby player, 61
* 18 July – John Tywi Jones, Baptist minister and journalist, 78
* 31 July – Herbert Millingchamp Vaughan, historian, 78
* 20 August – David John de Lloyd, composer, 65
* 28 August – Charles Evans Hughes, American politician of Welsh descent, 86
* 4 October – Arthur Whitten Brown, British aviator, in Swansea, 62
* 18 October – Isaac Daniel Hooson, poet, 68
* 17 November – B. B. Mann, Wales international rugby union player, 90