1923 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1923 to Wales
and its people
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and its people
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Incumbents
- Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
- Edward, Prince of WalesEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, son of King George V of the United KingdomGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... - Princess of WalesPrincess of WalesPrincess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
- vacant - Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
- Alfred George EdwardsAlfred George EdwardsAlfred George Edwards was elected the first Archbishop of the disestablished Church in Wales.The son of a priest of the Church of England, Edwards was born in Llanymawddwy in Gwynedd. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford before being appointed Warden of Llandovery College in 1875... - ArchdruidArchdruidThe Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd.The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, The Award of the Prose Medal and Chairing of the Bard. From 1932 only former winners of the...
of the National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
- Cadfan
Events
- 7 April - By-election at AngleseyAngleseyAnglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
ends in victory for Robert ThomasSir Robert Thomas, 1st BaronetSir Robert John Thomas, 1st Baronet was a Welsh businessman and Liberal Party politician, who was twice elected to parliament. Thomas was a ship and insurance broker. He was Member of Parliament for Wrexham from 1918 to 1922, and for Anglesey from 1923 to 1929...
. - 26 April - In a mining accidentMining accidentA mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals.Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially in the processes of coal mining and hard rock mining...
at TrimsaranTrimsaranTrimsaran is a former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.Trimsaran is six miles from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen...
, nine miners are killed. - Creation of the new Anglican Diocese of Swansea & Brecon. Edward BevanEdward Latham BevanThe Rt Rev Edward Latham Bevan , DD, MA was the inaugural Bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1923 until his death on 2 February 1934...
becomes its first Bishop. - Sir William Henry Hoare VincentWilliam Henry Hoare VincentSir William Henry Hoare Vincent , was a Welsh civil servant and diplomat.The youngest son of James Crawley Vincent and grandson of the dean of Bangor, he was educated at Brecon and Trinity College, Dublin...
becomes a member of the Council of IndiaCouncil of IndiaThe Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India.The original Council of India was established by the Regulating Act of 1773 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor-General at Fort William...
.
Arts and literature
- 6 June - Charles Langbridge MorganCharles Langbridge MorganCharles Langbridge Morgan , was an English-born playwright and novelist of English and Welsh parentage. The main themes of his work were, as he himself put it, "Art, Love, and Death", and the relation between them...
marries Hilda VaughanHilda VaughanHilda Campbell Vaughan was a Welsh poet, novelist and short story writer.She was born in Builth Wells, the daughter of a solicitor. In 1923 she married the novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan, and they had two children...
. - W. H. DaviesW. H. DaviesWilliam Henry Davies or W. H. Davies was a Welsh poet and writer. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time...
marries Helen Payne, an ex-prostitute thirty years his junior. - W. S. Gwynn WilliamsW. S. Gwynn WilliamsWilliam Stanley Gwynn Williams was a musician and composer, also lecturer, author, editor and broadcaster on the history of British and in particular Welsh music. He was prominent in the foundation of the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen in 1947 and become its first musical director.W. S...
becomes Director of Music for the Gorsedd of Bards.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of WalesNational Eisteddfod of WalesThe National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
(held in Mold, FlintshireMold, FlintshireMold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
) - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - D. Cledlyn Davies
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Albert Evans Jones
New books
- Edward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla DaviesEdward Tegla Davies was a Methodist minister and a popular Welsh language writer, born at Llandegla-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, north Wales....
- Gŵr Pen y Bryn - Thomas RichardsThomas Richards (historian)Thomas Richards, MA, D.Litt, F.R.Hist.S was a Welsh historian, author and librarian.Richards was born at Tal-y-bont, Cardiganshire, and was nicknamed "Doctor Tom"...
- Religious Developments in Wales (1654–1662)
Film
- 14 September - G.A. Cheetham, son of cinema pioneer Arthur CheethamArthur CheethamArthur Cheetham was an English-born film-maker who became the first of his profession to be based in Wales. His legacy is a collection of eight surviving films, including the oldest extant British football 'short' from 1898...
, films the unveiling of the war memorial at AberystwythAberystwythAberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and other scenes of the life of the town, to be shown in local cinemas. - Ivor NovelloIvor NovelloDavid Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
appears in The Man Without DesireThe Man Without DesireThe Man Without Desire is a 1923 British silent film fantasy drama, directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Ivor Novello, who also co-produced the film along with Miles Mander. The film was Brunel's feature-length directorial debut and has been described as "one of the stranger films to emerge from...
, The White Rose and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Broadcasting
- 13 February - The British Broadcasting CompanyBritish Broadcasting CompanyThe British Broadcasting Company Ltd was a British commercial company formed on 18 October 1922 by British and American electrical companies doing business in the United Kingdom and licensed by the British General Post Office...
makes its first broadcast in Wales, from "Station 5WA" in CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Mostyn Thomas opens the programme, singing Dafydd y Garreg Wen and Gwilym DaviesGwilym Davies (minister)Gwilym Davies CBE was a Welsh Baptist minister, who spent much of his life attempting to enhance international relations through supporting the work of the League of Nations and its successor, the United Nations...
becomes the first speaker to broadcast in the Welsh languageWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
.
Sport
- BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
- 18 June – Jimmy WildeJimmy WildeJimmy Wilde , was a Welsh world boxing champion. He was the first official world flyweight champion and was rated by American boxing writer Nat Fleischer, as well as many other professionals and fans including former boxer, trainer, manager and promoter, Charley 'Broadway' Rose, as "the greatest...
loses his world flyweight title and retires from the sport.
- 18 June – Jimmy Wilde
Births
- 22 February – Bleddyn WilliamsBleddyn WilliamsBleddyn Williams MBE , was a Welsh rugby union centre. He played in 22 internationals for Wales, captaining them five times, winning each time, and captained the British Lions in 1950 for some of their tour of Australia and New Zealand...
, rugby player - 19 August – Dill JonesDill JonesDillwyn Owen Paton Jones, or Dill Jones , was a Welsh jazz stride pianist.-Biography:Jones was born in Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, on 19 August 1923. He was brought up in New Quay on the Cardiganshire coast. Music was in the family as his mother was a pianist and his aunt played organ at the...
, pianist (died 19841984 in WalesThis article is about the particular significance of the year 1984 to Wales and its people.-Incumbents:*Prince of Wales - Charles, Prince of Wales*Princess of Wales - Diana, Princess of Wales*Secretary of State for Wales - Nicholas Edwards...
). - 3 September – Robin Williams, broadcaster and essayist (died 20032003 in WalesThis article is about the particular significance of the year 2003 to Wales and its people.-Incumbents:*Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles*Princess of Wales - vacant*First Minister - Rhodri Morgan...
) - 22 September – Dannie AbseDannie AbseDaniel Abse, better known as Dannie Abse , is a Welsh poet.-Early years:Abse was born in Cardiff, Wales to a Jewish family. He is the younger brother of politician and reformer Leo Abse and the eminent psychoanalyst, Wilfred Abse...
, poet - 1 October – Trevor FordTrevor FordTrevor Ford was a Welsh international centre forward footballer who played for Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Sunderland and Swansea Town. He was born and died in Swansea.-Football career:...
, footballer (died 20032003 in WalesThis article is about the particular significance of the year 2003 to Wales and its people.-Incumbents:*Prince of Wales – The Prince Charles*Princess of Wales - vacant*First Minister - Rhodri Morgan...
) - 5 October – Glynis JohnsGlynis JohnsGlynis Johns is a South African-born Welsh stage and film actress, dancer, pianist and singer . With a career spanning seven decades, Johns is often cited as the "complete actress", who happens to be a trained pianist and singer...
, actress - 6 November – Donald HoustonDonald HoustonDonald Daniel Houston was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful...
, actor - 13 November – Alf SherwoodAlf SherwoodAlfred Thomas "Alf" Sherwood was a Welsh international footballer. Between 1947 and 1957, he gained a total of 41 Caps....
, footballer - 19 December – Elwyn JonesElwyn Jones (writer)Elwyn Jones was a British television writer and producer, whose best-known work was perhaps the co-creation of the famous police drama series Z-Cars for BBC Television in 1962...
, television writer
Deaths
- 22 February – John JenkinsJohn Jenkins (Australian politician)John Greeley Jenkins was an American-Australian politician and Premier of South Australia.Jenkins was the fourth son of Evan Jenkins and Mary Davis of South Wales, was born in Pennsylvania. He was educated at the Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and after working on his father's farm, became in 1872 a...
, Prime Minister of South Australia, 71 - 27 May – Charles LewisCharles Lewis (rugby player)Charles Prytherch Lewis was a Welsh international rugby union player, who won five caps between 1882 and 1884.-Life:...
, rugby player, 70 - 18 July – Thomas Arthur LewisThomas Arthur LewisThomas Arthur Lewis was a Welsh school teacher, barrister and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
, teacher, lawyer and politician, 41 - 12 October – John Cadvan DaviesJohn Cadvan DaviesJohn Cadvan Davies 1846 – 1923 was a Wesleyan Methodist Minister and a Welsh poet who served as Archdruid. He is better known in Wales by his bardic name Cadfan -Early Life:...
, poet and hymn-writer, 77 - date unknown
- J. Brynach Davies, poet
- Evan Rees (Dyfed)Evan Rees (Dyfed)Evan Rees , known by the bardic name Dyfed, was a Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.-Early life:...
, poet - General Owen Thomas, politician