1948 in Wales

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

References

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