1966 in Wales

← 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1966 in Wales → 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1966 in The United Kingdom Scotland Elsewhere

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1966 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 1966 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

• Secretary of State for Wales – Jim Griffiths (until 5 April); Cledwyn Hughes
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Cynan (outgoing)
  • E. Gwyndaf Evans (incoming)

Events

• April – Future Welsh Secretary Peter Hain arrives in the UK from South Africa with his family.[1]
• 12 May – Local elections take place across the county boroughs and districts, with the Conservatives winning a majority on Cardiff City Council for the first time in years.[2]
• 18 June – Butlin's Barry Island holiday camp opens.[3]
• 14 July – In the Carmarthen by-election, caused by the death of Megan Lloyd George, Gwynfor Evans wins Plaid Cymru's first Parliamentary seat.[4]
• 22 July
  • Fifteen people are drowned at Penmaenpool in the Mawddach estuary.
  • The M4 motorway Port Talbot by-pass is officially opened by The Queen.[5]
• 8 September – The Severn Bridge is opened.[6]
• 21 October – At Aberfan, following heavy rain, a colliery waste tip collapses onto the village's primary school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. Cledwyn Hughes, Secretary of State for Wales, and his government colleague, George Thomas arrive on the scene late afternoon, followed, in the evening, by Prime Minister Harold Wilson.[7]
• 22 October – Lord Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board, arrives in Aberfan after going ahead with his installation as Chancellor of the University of Surrey, despite news of the disaster.[8]
• 26 October – The Welsh Office appoints the Aberfan Disaster Tribunal, chaired by Edmund Davies, Baron Edmund-Davies, to investigate the causes of the disaster.[9]
• 27 October – Almost a week after the Aberfan disaster, writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas makes his famous radio tribute to the children of Aberfan.[10]
• 30 October – The Queen and her consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrive in Aberfan to pay their respects. It is reported that the Queen is moved to tears.[11]
• 15 December – A concert in aid of the Aberfan disaster charity is held at London's Royal Albert Hall.[12]

Arts and literature

Awards

• British Press Awards – Special Award for Journalism – David Rhys Davies, Merthyr Express
• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberavon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Dic Jones, "Cynhaeaf"[13]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Jones, "Y Clawdd"[14]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld[15]

New books

English language

• Peter Bartrum – Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts[16]
• Charles Jones – The Challenger

Welsh language

• Pennar Davies – Caregl Nwyf[17]
• Dyfnallt Morgan – Gwŷr Llên y Ddeunawfed Ganrif
• Thomas John Morgan – Amryw Flawd[18]

New drama

• Gwenlyn Parry – Saer Doliau (Doll Doctor)

Music

• Alun Hoddinott – Concerto no. 3, op. 44
• Severn Bridge Variations (composite work composed by Malcolm Arnold, Alun Hoddinott, Nicholas Maw, Daniel Jones, Grace Williams and Michael Tippett)

Film

• Richard Burton stars in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? alongside his wife Elizabeth Taylor. The performance wins him a BAFTA Best Actor award.

Broadcasting

• BBC Wales opens new studios in Llandaff.
• 19 December – BBC opens Llanidloes transmitting station.

Welsh-language television

English-language television

• Hywel Bennett makes an impact in his first major TV role in Where the Buffalo Roam, a Wednesday Play.

Sport

• Athletics – Lynn Davies becomes the first person to hold the European, Commonwealth and Olympic long jump titles simultaneously.
• Football – Ivor Allchurch plays his final game for Wales, against Chile.
• Rugby union
  • Phil Bennett makes his first appearance for Llanelli RFC.
  • Wales win the Five Nations Championship for the third successive year.
• Tennis – Future rugby star J.P.R. Williams wins the junior championship at Wimbledon.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Lynn Davies[19]

Births

• 21 March – Matthew Maynard, cricketer[20]
• 24 March – Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat politician, MP for Ceredigion[21]
• 14 April – Lloyd Owen, actor
• 29 April – Carl Dale, footballer
• 3 May – Darren Morgan, snooker player
• 5 May – Nicky Piper, light-heavyweight boxer[22]
• 8 July – Guto Harri, broadcaster
• 21 July – Sarah Waters, novelist[23]
• 28 July – Andy Legg, footballer
• 16 August – Helen Thomas, Greenham Common campaigner
• 1 September – Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru politician, MS for Ceredigion[24]
• 12 September – Niall Griffiths, English-born novelist
• 22 September – Ruth Jones, actress and writer
• 23 September – Adam Price, Plaid Cymru politician, MP for Carmarthen East & Dinefwr
• 21 October – Phillip Price, golfer[25]
• 10 November – Simon Richardson, paralympic track cyclist
• Date unknown – Saul David, historian[26]

Deaths

• 20 January – Gordon Macdonald MP, politician, 81[27]
• 21 January – William Davies, footballer, 83
• 27 January – Ronald Armstrong-Jones, barrister, 66[28]
• 18 February – Thomas Williams, 1st Baron Williams, 73
• 20 February – Emrys Evans, classicist and academic, 75[29]
• March – Wilfred Mitford Davies, artist and publisher, 71[30]
• April – Charlie Jones, footballer, 66
• 13 April – Lionel Edwards, artist, 87[31]
• 25 April – Iorrie Isaacs, Wales international rugby player, 54
• 26 April – Bill Everson, Wales international rugby player, 60
• 11 May – Thomas Hughes Jones, poet and author, 71[32]
• 14 May – Megan Lloyd George MP, politician, 64[33]
• 1 June – Peter George, author, 42 (suicide)
• 23 June – Melbourne Thomas, rugby player, 70[34]
• 9 June – Elizabeth Watkin-Jones, children's author, 88[35]
• 17 July – Albert Freethy, rugby referee and cricketer, 81
• 23 August – Ivor Hughes, speedway rider, 27 (killed in track accident)[36]
• 27 August – Cecil Pritchard, rugby player, 64[37]
• 21 September – Sir Thomas Williams Phillips, civil servant, 83[38]
• 24 September – Arthur Green, footballer, 85[39]
• 26 September – Phil Hopkins, Wales international rugby player, 86
• 3 December – Iorwerth Thomas, politician, 71
• 23 November – Alvin Langdon Coburn, American-born pictorialist photographer, 84[40]
• date unknown – Simon Bartholomew Jones, minister and poet[41]

See also

• 1966 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Peter Hain; Andre Odendaal (2021). Pitch Battles: Sport, Racism and Resistance. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 352. ISBN 9781786615244.
2. "Tories in big poll come-back". South Wales Echo. 13 May 1966. p. 1.
3. Peter Scott (2001). A History of the Butlin's Railways: The Story of Billy Butlin's Amusement Park and Holiday Camp Miniature Railways. Bowker British Library Kickout. p. 19. ISBN 9781902368092.
4. Dafydd Williams (1990). The story of Plaid Cymru: the party of Wales. Plaid Cymru. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-905077-47-5.
5. BBC Bristol – Severn Bridge opening ceremony. Accessed 3 August 2013
6. Roads in England. H.M. Stationery Office. 1966. p. 6.
7. "Aberfan: The mistake that cost a village its children". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
8. The Land and Economy of Appalachia: Proceedings from the 1986 Conference on Appalachia, October 30-31, 1986, University of Kentucky. The Center. 1987. p. 73.
9. "Background and Context" (PDF). gov.uk. p. 1. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
10. "Gwyn Thomas on Aberfan, 1966". BBC. 27 October 1966. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
11. "BBC News – In pictures: Aberfan Disaster , Queen's visit". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
12. Paul Anderson (14 April 2014). Mods: The New Religion. Omnibus Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-85712-850-8.
13. "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
14. "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
15. "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
16. Michael Siddons (2018). "Bartrum, Peter Clement (1907-2008), scholar of Welsh genealogy". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
17. D. Densil Morgan (2011). "DAVIES, WILLIAM THOMAS (PENNAR) (1911-1996), novelist, poet, theologian and scholar". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
18. Brynley Francis Roberts. "MORGAN, THOMAS JOHN". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
19. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
20. Bill Frindall; Carphone Group (2 August 1989). England test cricketers: the complete record from 1877. Willow. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-00-218339-0.
21. Valerie Passmore (2005). Dod's Parliamentary Companion: Guide to the General Election, 2005. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. p. 415. ISBN 978-0-905702-57-5.
22. Reference Wales. University of Wales Press. 1994. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-7083-1234-6.
23. Kaye Mitchell (12 September 2013). Sarah Waters: Contemporary Critical Perspectives. A&C Black. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-4411-9941-6.
24. "Jones, Elin". Who's Who. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
25. Terry Spohn (2005). 2005 PGA Tour Official Fan Guide. Tehabi Sports. pp. 2–254. ISBN 978-1-933208-01-5.
26. "Biography". Saul David. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
27. "Obituary: Ld. Macdonald Of Gwaenysgor". The Times. 21 January 1966. p. 14.
28. Noel Botham (25 October 2012). Margaret - The Last Real Princess. John Blake. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-78418-722-4.
29. Thomas Parry. "Evans, Sir David Emrys (1891-1966), educationist and translator". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
30. Margaret Mitford Williams. "Davies, Wilfred Mitford (1895-1966), educationist and translator". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
31. Ryno Greenwall (1992). Artists & illustrators of the Anglo-Boer War. Fernwood Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-9583154-6-3.
32. Evan David Jones. "Jones, Thomas Hughes (1895-1966), poet, writer and teacher". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
33. William Richard Philip George. "Lloyd George (family)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
34. Melbourne Thomas player profiles Scrum.com
35. Bedwyr Lewis Jones. "Watkin-Jones, Elizabeth (1887-1966), author of children's books". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
36. "Ivor Hughes". Cradley Heath Speedway. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
37. Jenkins, John M.; Pierce, Duncan; Auty, Timothy (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. pp. 130–131. ISBN 1-872424-10-4.
38. "Phillips, Sir Thomas Williams". Who Was Who (online edition). Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
39. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 (Third edition, with revisions ed.). Toton, Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 117. ISBN 190589161X.
40. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group (16 May 2006). Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Photography, Lynne Warren: Photography. Bukupedia. p. 291. ISBN 978-1-57958-393-4.
41. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 90.