# 1983 in Wales

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

## Incumbents

* Secretary of State for Wales – Nicholas Edwards
* Archbishop of Wales – Derrick Childs, Bishop of Monmouth (elected)
* Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Jâms Nicholas

## Events

* 5 May - District council elections take place across Wales (and England). The Conservatives regain control of Cardiff City Council.
* 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 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.
* 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

### New books
#### English language

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

#### Welsh language

* Marion Eames - Y Gaeaf Sydd Unig
* Donald Evans – Machlud Canrif
* R. Tudur Jones - Ffydd ac Argyfwng Cenedl
* Alan Llwyd - Yn Nydd yr Anghenfil

### New drama

* W. S. Jones - Ifas y tryc

### Music

* The Alarm - "Sixty Eight Guns" (#17 in the UK Singles Chart)
* 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

## Film

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

### Welsh-language films

* Yr Alcoholig Llon

## Broadcasting
### Welsh-language television

* SuperTed makes his first appearance.

### English-language television

* QED: Simon's War (about Simon Weston)

## Sport

* BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Colin Jones
* 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 February - David Vaughan, footballer
* 5 March - Owain Arthur, actor
* 28 March - Richard Jones, chess master
* 13 April - Nicole Cooke, cyclist
* 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
* 19 June - Richard Evans, footballer
* 22 July - Ifan Evans, rugby player
* 6 August - Lloyd Langford, comedian
* 10 August - Richie Pugh, rugby player and coach
* 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
* 31 January - Edwin Williams, dual-code rugby international, 84
* 10 February - Michael Roberts, politician, 55 (collapsed in Parliament)
* 3 March - Percy Morgan, cricketer, 78
* 20 March - Alec Jones, politician, 58
* 23 March - David Wynne, composer, 82
* 16 April - Gladys Morgan, comedienne, 84
* 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
* 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
* 8 November - E. G. Bowen, geographer, 82
* 15 November (in London) - Dai Rees, golfer, 70
* 30 November - Richard Llewellyn, novelist, 76
* 30 December - Ellis Evans, Dean of Monmouth, 75
* date unknown - Mary Vaughan Jones, novelist, 64/65