1944 in Wales
Encyclopedia
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1944 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...
- vacant - 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...
- David Lewis Prosser - 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 :...
- CrwysWilliam Williams (Crwys)William Williams , better known by his bardic name of "Crwys", was a Welsh poet in the Welsh language. He served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1939 to 1947....
Events
- 23 January - An RAF Halifax bomber crashes in the Elan ValleyElan ValleyThe Elan Valley is a river valley situated to the west of Rhayader, in Powys, Wales, sometimes known as the "Welsh Lake District". It covers of lake and countryside....
, killing nine crew. - 28 March - Nine people are killed in an air raidCardiff BlitzThe Cardiff Blitz refers to the bombing of Cardiff, Wales during World War II.At the time, Cardiff Docks was the biggest coal port in the world and, for a few years before World War I, it handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool....
on 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...
. - 11 April - An RAF Lancaster bomber crashes near Llanwrtyd WellsLlanwrtyd WellsLlanwrtyd Wells is a small town in the parish of Llanwrtyd in Powys, mid Wales, lying on the River Irfon.With a population of 601 people , it claims to be the smallest town in Britain, although Fordwich in Kent has a smaller population...
, killing eight crew. - 16 August - Lt. Tasker WatkinsTasker WatkinsThe Rt Hon Sir Tasker Watkins VC GBE PC was a Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice...
leads a bayonet charge at Barfour in Normandy, winning the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his courage. - 17 October - The first "Welsh Day" debate takes place in the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. - 10 December - American Liberty shipLiberty shipLiberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
"Dan Beard" is torpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed off Strumble HeadStrumble HeadStrumble Head is a rocky headland in north Pembrokeshire, Wales.It gives its name to Strumble Head Lighthouse and Strumble VOR, a way point in many trans-atlantic flights....
, resulting in the deaths of 29 crew. - 20 December - An American B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
plane crashes into the sea off Anglesey, killing eight crew. - Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
transfers its head office from CaernarfonCaernarfonCaernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
to 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...
. - Sir Thomas Williams PhillipsThomas Williams PhillipsSir Thomas Williams Phillips GBE KCB was a senior official in the British Civil Service.Phillips, a Welshman, was educated at Machynlleth County School and Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in Literae Humaniores. He joined the Civil Service in 1906,...
becomes permanent secretary of the new government ministry created to implement the national insuranceNational InsuranceNational Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...
system. - Sir David BruntDavid BruntSir David Brunt KBE was a Welsh meteorologist.-Early life:He was born in Staylittle, Montgomeryshire, Wales, the youngest of the nine children of farmworker John Brunt. His father moved the family to the mining district on Monmouthshire to work as a coal miner. David attended the local Abertillery...
is awarded the royal medal of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
for his work in meteorologyMeteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
. - Goronwy Owen and Llewellyn Thomas Gordon Soulsby are knighted.
- Dylan ThomasDylan ThomasDylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
is best man at the wedding of his friend Vernon WatkinsVernon WatkinsVernon Phillips Watkins , was a British poet, and a translator and painter. He was a close friend of Dylan Thomas, who described him as "the most profound and greatly accomplished Welshman writing poems in English"....
- but fails to turn up.
Arts and literature
- BBC commentator Alun WilliamsAlun WilliamsAlun Williams, O.B.E. was a Welsh radio presenter who became one of the best known voices on BBC radio when he commentated on events such as the Coronation in 1953 and sports events including rugby, swimming and the Olympic Games.-Biography:Williams' father was a presbyterian minister and he was...
marries Perrie Hopkin Morris, daughter of Sir Rhys Hopkin MorrisRhys Hopkin MorrisSir Rhys Hopkin Morris was a Welsh Liberal politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1923–1932 and from 1945–1956....
.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in LlandybieLlandybieLlandybie is a community, and a large village two miles north of Ammanford in Carmarthenshire, Wales.The latest Ordnance Survey map the Grid reference at the centre of the village is SN 617 154...
)
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - D. Lloyd Jenkins
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - J. M. Edwards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - withheld
New books
- Rhys DaviesRhys DaviesRhys Davies was a Welsh novelist and short story writer, who wrote in the English language....
– Black Venus - Thomas Rowland HughesThomas Rowland HughesThomas Rowland Hughes , was a Welsh novelist, dramatist and poet He was the son of a quarryman from Llanberis, Caernarvonshire , in northern Wales...
- William Jones - Edward Morgan Humphreys - Ceulan y Llyn Du
- Alun LewisAlun LewisAlun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
- The Last Inspection - Sir Percy Emerson Watkins - A Welshman Remembers
- Sir Ifor WilliamsIfor WilliamsSir Ifor Williams was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry....
- Lectures on early Welsh Poetry
New drama
- James Kitchener DaviesJames Kitchener DaviesJames Kitchener Davies , also known as J. Kitchener Davies, was a Welsh poet and playwright who wrote mostly in the Welsh language...
- Meini Gwagedd - Emlyn WilliamsEmlyn WilliamsGeorge Emlyn Williams, CBE , known as Emlyn Williams, was a Welsh dramatist and actor.-Biography:He was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family in Mostyn, Flintshire....
- The Druid's Rest
Music
- Harry Parr DaviesHarry Parr DaviesHarry Parr-Davies was a Welsh composer and songwriter.He was born Harry Parr Davies in Briton Ferry, Neath, South Wales and was a musical prodigy, having composed whole operettas by the time he was in his teens. He came to the attention of composer Sir Walford Davies, who encouraged him to study...
- Jenny Jones (musical) - Grace WilliamsGrace Williams-Biography:Williams was born in Barry, near Cardiff, Wales.She was educated at Barry County School, and won a scholarship to Cardiff University . She then went to the Royal College of Music, London, where she was taught by Ralph Vaughan Williams...
- Sea Sketches
Film
- The Halfway HouseThe Halfway HouseThe Halfway House is a 1944 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Tom Walls, Mervyn Johns and Glynis Johns. It also features the French actress Françoise Rosay...
, starring Mervyn JohnsMervyn JohnsMervyn Johns was a Welsh film and television character actor. He was a mainstay of Ealing Studios.Among his dozens of film roles were Walter Craig in Dead of Night , the Church Warden in Went the Day Well? and Bob Cratchit in Scrooge...
, 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...
and Rachel ThomasRachel ThomasRachel Thomas OBE , was a Welsh character actress, well known to film and television audiences.Born in the village of Alltwen, near Pontardawe, Wales, she appeared in such classic films as The Proud Valley with Paul Robeson, Blue Scar and Tiger Bay...
, is set in Wales.
Broadcasting
- August - Wynford Vaughan-ThomasWynford Vaughan-ThomasLewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a British newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father....
reports on the liberation of ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for BBC radio. - Launch of the Noson Lawen series on BBC radio.
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...
- Syd WorganSyd WorganSyd Worgan was a professional boxer from Wales. Born in Llanharan Worgan was notable for becoming the Welsh featherweight champion in 1944.-Personal history:...
beats Tommy Davies for the vacant Welsh featherweight title. - FootballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
- The first post-war match between Wales and England ends in a 1 - 0 victory for Wales.
Births
- 21 January - Peter RodriguesPeter RodriguesPeter Joseph Rodrigues is a retired footballer, best remembered as the captain of Southampton's 1976 FA Cup winning team.-Cardiff City:...
, footballer - 17 February - Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
, composer - 6 March - Billy RaybouldBilly RaybouldWilliam Henry "Billy" Raybould is a former international rugby union player.He was capped eleven times as a centre for Wales between 1967 and 1970, winning his last cap as a replacement...
, Wales international rugby player - 12 March - Tammy JonesTammy JonesTammy Jones , is a singer from Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales.-Musical career:Jones began singing at an early age, and was soon established as a regular on both radio and television in her native Wales....
, singer - 24 March - Steve JonesSteve Jones (biologist)John Stephen Jones is a Welsh geneticist and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on...
, biologist - 8 April - Hywel BennettHywel BennettHywel Thomas Bennett is a Welsh film and television actor. Bennett is best known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley from 1979 to 1984 and its sequel The Return of Shelley from 1988 to 1992....
, actor - 15 April - Dave EdmundsDave EdmundsDavid 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
, musician - 5 May - John Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-DaviesJohn Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, actor - 3 June - Dilwyn JohnDilwyn JohnDilwyn E. John is a Welsh former professional footballer and amateur snooker player.-Football career:A goalkeeper, John began his career at Cardiff City, making his debut at the age of seventeen in September 1961 during a 3-2 win over Chelsea. He struggled to maintain the number one spot and found...
, footballer - 11 June - Alan Howarth, Baron Howarth of NewportAlan Howarth, Baron Howarth of NewportAlan Thomas Howarth, Baron Howarth of Newport, CBE, PC, is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 until 2005.-Early life:...
, politician - 16 June - Brian ProtheroeBrian ProtheroeBrian Protheroe , of a Welsh father and English mother, is a musician and actor.-Career:Protheroe joined a local church choir when he was twelve years old, and started piano lessons at about the same time. The music of Cliff Richard and The Shadows inspired him to start learning the guitar...
, English-born singer and actor of Welsh parentage - 7 July - Glenys KinnockGlenys KinnockGlenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead is a British politician....
, politician - 31 July - Endaf EmlynEndaf EmlynEndaf Emlyn is a Welsh musician, film and television director.Emlyn was born in Bangor, Wales. He began his television career as scriptwriter and presenter for HTV Wales, but had a simultaneous career as a musician...
, TV presenter, musician and director - 9 October - Desmond BarritDesmond BarritDesmond Barrit is a Laurence Olivier Award winning, British actor, best known for his stage work.-Biography:Barrit was born on 19 October 1944 in Morriston, Swansea, Wales....
, actor - 21 October - Mandy Rice-DaviesMandy Rice-DaviesMandy Rice-Davies , is a Welsh former model and showgirl best known for her role in the Profumo affair and her association with Christine Keeler, which discredited the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.-Early life:She was born Marilyn Rice-Davies in...
, socialite - 29 November - Gareth WardellGareth WardellGareth Lodwig Wardell is a British Labour politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Gower in a 1982 by-election, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1997 general election....
, politician
Deaths
- 11 January - Richard PowellRichard Powell (rugby player)Richard 'Dick' Powell was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Abergavenny and Newport.-Rugby career:...
, Wales international rugby player, 79 - 5 March - Alun LewisAlun LewisAlun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
, poet, 28 (accidentally shot) - 7 May - Charles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell GreenCharles Alfred Howell Green was the first bishop of the newly established diocese of Monmouth and subsequently Bishop of Bangor during which time he also served as Archbishop of Wales...
, Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales, 79 - 24 May - Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th BaronetSir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th BaronetSir Herbert Lloyd Watkin Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet was a Welsh politician. He was Member of Parliament for Denbighshire from May to November 1885....
, politician, 83 - 27 May - Griffith Hartwell JonesGriffith Hartwell JonesGriffith Hartwell Jones was a Welsh academic. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, where he was a scholar, and became professor of Latin at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, Cardiff, lecturing on historical and philological topics and writing extensively...
, academic, 85 - 16 June - David Davies, 1st Baron DaviesDavid Davies, 1st Baron DaviesDavid Davies, 1st Baron Davies , was a politician and public benefactor, the grandson of the famous industrialist, David Davies "Llandinam"....
, philanthropist and MP, 64 - 25 June - James Atkin, Baron AtkinJames Atkin, Baron AtkinJames Richard Atkin, Baron Atkin was a lawyer and judge of Australian-Welsh origin, who practised in England and Wales...
, judge, 76 - 5 August - Maurice TurnbullMaurice TurnbullTurnbull was an eager sportsman as a youth, and played rugby for Downside School. He matriculated to Cambridge, and at university joined not only the cricket team, but also Cambridge University Rugby Club. One of the earliest rugby clubs he represented was St. Peters in Cardiff. His elder brother,...
, cricketer, 38 (killed in action) - September - David Davies, 2nd Baron Davies, 29 (killed in battle)
- 30 September- David Harris DaviesDavid Harris DaviesDavid Harris Davies was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Neath and county rugby for Glamorgan...
, Wales international rugby union player, 66 - 5 October - Laura Evans-Williams, singer, 61
- 27 October - Clem LewisClem LewisClem Lewis was a Welsh international fly-half who played club rugby for Cardiff. Lewis was capped for Wales eleven times either side of World War I, and captained his country on two occasions. Born in Bridgend, Lewis moved to first class team, Cardiff, in 1909 from local club Bridgend...
, rugby player, 54 - 19 November - Watkin Herbert WilliamsWatkin Herbert WilliamsWatkin Herbert Williams was Dean of St Asaph from 1892 to 1899. and Bishop of Bangor from 1899 to 1925.Williams was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford and ordained in 1871. He was vicar of Bodelwyddan from 1872 to 1892 and Archdeacon of St Asaph from 1889 to 1892.-References:...
, Bishop of Bangor, 99 - 8 December - Sir William JenkinsWilliam Jenkins (British politician)Sir William Jenkins was a British Labour politician and trade union leader.Jenkins was the son of a coal miner and attended Glyncorrwg National School before taking up work on the railways at the age of 11½...
, MP for Neath, 73 - date unknown
- Ethel Lina WhiteEthel Lina WhiteEthel Lina White was a British crime writer, best known for her novel, The Wheel Spins , on which the Alfred Hitchcock film, The Lady Vanishes , was based.-Early years:...
, crime novelist, 68
- Ethel Lina White