1983 in Wales

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
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - William Owen

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

• Torri Gwynt

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
  • 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

References

References

1. Stephen Bates. (19 March 2018). "Lord Crickhowell obituary".
2. [[The Times]], 10 February 1983; pg. 12; Issue 61453; col F '' News in Brief ''
3. [[Meic Stephens. (17 October 2013). "James Nicholas: Poet, teacher and Archdruid of Wales". [[The Independent]].
4. Michael Thomas. (6 May 1983). "Cardiff is back in Tory hands". [[South Wales Echo]].
5. (5 September 2021). "Terugblik: De koning op school in Wales".
6. (2 October 1983). "1983: 'Dream ticket' wins Labour leadership".
7. Meic Stephens. (1998). "Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru". University of Wales Press.
8. M. Wynn Thomas. (1 September 2018). "Emyr Humphreys". University of Wales Press.
9. Meic Stephens. (April 1986). "The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales". Oxford University Press.
10. (1983). "Whitaker's Cumulative Book List: A Classified List of Publications...together with an Index to Authors and Titles". J. Whitaker and sons, limited..
11. Meic Stephens. (1998). "The New Companion to the Literature of Wales". University of Wales Press.
12. (2007). "Bearers of Song: Essays in Honour of Phyllis Kinney and Meredydd Evans". University of Wales Press.
13. Steve Binnie. (2018). "Sound of the Crowd: A Discography of the '80s".
14. McRae, Donald. (19 November 2022). "'Still here': a Welsh World Cup odyssey sets seal on emotional awakening".
15. "Catalog Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru - Chwiliad am Torri Gwynt".
16. (14 January 2016). "Simon Weston: Falklands veteran heads to Yorkshire this weekend".
17. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport.
18. "Rhydian Roberts yn cyhoeddi y bydd yn ymddeol wrth ddathlu ei ben-blwydd yn 40 oed".
19. (19 October 2008). "Nicole Cooke: I hated cycling, I was in pain, I wanted to quit".
20. "Ospreys profile".
21. "Richie Pugh".
22. Llyr James. "James, Carwyn Rees (1929-1983), teacher, rugby player and coach".
23. John Graham Jones. "Roberts, Michael Hilary Adair (1927-1983), Conservative politician".
24. John Graham Jones. "Jones, Trevor Alec (1924-1983), Labour politician".
25. Rhidian Griffiths. "Wynne, David (1900-1983), composer".
26. (1997). "Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A who was who of Light Entertainment, 1945-60". Robson Books.
27. [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U170453 ‘WILLIAMS, Very Rev. John Frederick’], ''Who Was Who'', [[A & C Black]], an imprint of [[Bloomsbury Publishing]] plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014. {{doi. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U170453.
28. John Graham Jones. "Watkins, Tudor Elwyn, Baron Watkins of Glantawe (1903-1983), Labour politician".
29. Harold Carter, 'Bowen, Emrys George (1900–1983)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
30. "Mr Dai Rees - Major Welsh Golfer", ''The Times'', 17 November 1983; pg. 14; Issue 61692.
31. (September 2004). "Lloyd, Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn (1906–1983)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
32. (2003). "The School Librarian". School Library Association..