This article is about the particular significance of the year 1946 to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and its people.

Incumbents

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came unde ...

– David Prosser,

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, ...

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of Gorsedd Cymru, 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 and the C ...

of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Crwys

Events

12 July Events Pre-1600 * 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple. * 927 – King Constantine II o ...

– The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act is passed by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. *August ** Arthur Horner becomes General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers. **Stocks of captured

Nazi German Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

bombs filled with

Tabun (nerve agent) Tabun or GA is an extremely toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound. It is a clear, colorless, and tasteless liquid with a faint fruity odor.

begin to be transferred from

Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking ...

to open storage at

RAF Llandwrog Royal Air Force Llandwrog or, more simply, RAF Llandwrog is a former Royal Air Force station located at Llandwrog, southwest of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales. The site opened in January 1941 as a RAF Bomber Command airfield for training gunners, ra ...

. *November – The highest ever temperature for this month in the UK is recorded at

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that ...

: 71 °F (21.7 °C). *December –

George Isaacs George Alfred Isaacs JP DL (28 May 1883 – 26 April 1979) was a British politician and trades unionist who served in the government of Clement Attlee. Isaacs was born in Finsbury to a Methodist family. He married Flora Beasley (1884–1 ...

inaugurates the first

Remploy Remploy is an organisation in the United Kingdom which provides employment placement services for disabled people. It is a major welfare-to-work provider, delivering a range of contracts and employment programmes, for people with substantial barr ...

factory, in

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, with the aim of offering work to disabled ex-servicemen. *

26 December Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. * 1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David o ...

– A serious collapse at

Bryn Eglwys Bryn Eglwys quarry was a slate quarry and mine near Abergynolwyn, in Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), Wales. More than 300 men worked at the site, making it the principal employer in the area. Two veins of slate, known as the Broad Vein ...

slate mine near

Abergynolwyn Abergynolwyn ( en, Mouth of the River with a Whirlpool) is a village in southern Gwynedd, Wales, located at the confluence of the Nant Gwernol and the Afon Dysynni. The population of the community which is named after the village of Llanfihan ...

causes its closure. *A pneumoconiosis research unit is established at Llandough Hospital near

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, in recognition of the damage being caused to miners' health.

Arts and literature

*In the absence of a Prince of Wales, The Princess Elizabeth,

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the throne, is admitted to the Gorsedd.

Awards

*National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also * Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf Mounta ...

) *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Geraint Bowen *National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown –

Rhydwen Williams Robert Rhydwenfro Williams (29 August 1916 – 2 August 1997) was a Welsh poet, novelist and Baptist minister. His work is mainly written in his native Welsh language, and is noted for adapting the established style and context of Welsh poetry from ...

*National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Jenkins

New books

In Welsh

* Pennar Davies – ''Cinio'r Cythraul'' *

Albert Evans-Jones Sir (Albert) Cynan Evans-Jones CBE (14 April 1895 – 26 January 1970), more commonly known within Wales by his bardic name of Cynan, was a Welsh war poet and dramatist. Early life Cynan was born in Pwllheli as Albert Evan Jones, the son of Ri ...

(Cynan) – ''Ffarwel Weledig'' *

Thomas Rowland Hughes Thomas Rowland Hughes (often referred to as T. Rowland Hughes) (17 April 1903 – 24 October 1949), was a Welsh broadcaster, novelist, dramatist and poet. He was the son of a quarryman from Llanberis, Caernarvonshire ( Gwynedd today), in north Wa ...

– '' Chwalfa'' * John Gwilym Jones – ''Y Goeden Erin''

In English

Caradoc Evans David Caradoc Evans (31 December 1878 – 11 January 1945), was a Welsh story writer, novelist and playwright. Biography Evans was brought up in a Welsh-speaking community in Rhydlewis, Cardiganshire, and although he learned English at school ...

– ''The Earth Gives All and Takes All'' *

Emyr Humphreys Emyr Humphreys (; 15 April 191930 September 2020) was a Welsh novelist, poet, and author. His career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 2009. He published in both English and Welsh. Early life and career Humphreys was born on 15 ...

– ''Little Kingdom'' * Dylan Thomas – '' Deaths and Entrances'' * Gwyn Thomas – ''The Dark Philosophers''

Music

* 15 April – The

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...

makes its debut, at the

Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff The Prince of Wales Theatre is a former theatre in central Cardiff. Built in 1878, seating 2,800, it later became a sex cinema. It is now a pub. The building is located near Cardiff Central railway station, near the corner of St Mary Street an ...

, with a double bill of ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play ...

'' and '' Pagliacci'', with almost all the singers being amateurs. * Daniel Jones – ''Scenes from the Mabinogion''

Film

*'' London Town'' featuring

Tessie O'Shea Teresa Mary "Tessie" O'Shea (13 March 1913 – 21 April 1995) was a Welsh entertainer and actress. Early life O'Shea was born in Plantagenet Street in Riverside, Cardiff to newspaper wholesaler James Peter O'Shea, who had been a soldier and ...

Broadcasting

*June – The BBC's regional director for Wales tells Welsh MPs that there is "not enough talent... to sustain a full continuous programme".

Sport

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

– Wales stages its first-ever world title fight, in which lightweight

Ronnie James Ronnie James (8 October 1917 – 12 June 1977) was a British Lightweight boxing champion. Born in Swansea, Wales, James had over 130 professional bouts winning 114 of them, 61 through knockout. In 1946 he challenged Ike Williams at Cardiff fo ...

is defeated by

Ike Williams Isiah "Ike" Williams (August 2, 1923 – September 5, 1994) was a lightweight world boxing champion. He took the World Lightweight Championship in April 1945 and made eight successful defenses of the title against six different fighters prior to ...

Births

* 10 January –

Terry Cobner Terence John Cobner (born 10 January 1946)
Scrum.com is a former

, rugby player * 15 January – Roger Davis, cricketer * 31 January – Bobby Windsor, rugby player *

20 February Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. * 1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...

– Mike Roberts, Wales and British Lion rugby player *

21 March Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and ...

–

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

, actor *

2 April Events Pre-1600 *1513 – Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S. state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. J ...

–

Dai Llewellyn Sir David St Vincent "Dai" Llewellyn, 4th Baronet (2 April 1946 – 13 January 2009), was a Welsh socialite and playboy. Background Llewellyn was born in Aberdare, the son of Sir Harry Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, a 1952 Summer Olympics gold meda ...

, socialite (died 2009) * 5 April –

Russell Davies Robert Russell Davies (born 5 April 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Davies was born in Barmouth, North Wales. He attended Manchester Grammar School, according to his own statement on a November 2010 ''Brain of Britain'' programme ...

, journalist and broadcaster *

13 April Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...

–

Della Jones Della Jones is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten. Early life Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales. She attended Neath Grammar School for Girl ...

, mezzo-soprano * 19 May – Androw Bennett, writer *

6 June Events Pre-1600 * 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...

–

Hywel Francis David Hywel Francis (6 June 1946 – 14 February 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberavon from 2001 to 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he chaired the Welsh Affairs Committee from 2005 to 2010 a ...

, politician and historian (died

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

) *

14 June Events Pre-1600 *1158 – The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar. *1216 – First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soo ...

–

Glyn Berry Glyn Raymond Berry (June 14, 1946 – January 15, 2006) was a Canadians, Canadian diplomat killed by a suicide attack, suicide car bombing attack in Afghanistan. He was the first Canadian diplomat to be killed while on duty in Afghanistan. Two othe ...

, diplomat * 6 August – Ron Davies, politician *

12 August Events Pre-1600 *1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. ...

– Andrew McNeillie, poet and literary editor *

3 October Events Pre-1600 *2457 BC – Gaecheonjeol, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. South Korea's National Foundation Day. *52 BC – Gallic Wars: Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to the Romans under Julius Cae ...

– Richie Morgan, professional footballer and manager *

18 October Events Pre-1600 * 33 – Heartbroken by the deaths of her sons Nero and Drusus, and banished to the island of Pandateria by Tiberius, Agrippina the Elder dies of self-inflicted starvation. * 320 – Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philoso ...

–

Dafydd Elis-Thomas Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas (born 18 October 1946) is a Welsh politician who served as the Leader of Plaid Cymru from 1984 to 1991 and represented the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021. Born in Carmar ...

, politician *

26 November Events Pre-1600 * 783 – The Asturian queen Adosinda is held at a monastery to prevent her king from retaking the throne from Mauregatus. * 1161 – Battle of Caishi: A Song dynasty fleet fights a naval engagement with Jin dynasty ...

–

Brian Hibbard Brian Hibbard (26 November 1946 – 17 June 2012) was a Welsh actor and singer from Ebbw Vale, Wales, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original The Flying Pickets. Early life and career Hibbard was born into a working class family in ...

, actor and singer (died 2012) * 27 November –

Kim Howells Kim Scott Howells (born 27 November 1946) is a Welsh Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontypridd from 1989 to 2010, and held a number of ministerial positions within the Blair and Brown governments. Biography ...

, politician * 6 December –

Martin Moore-Bick Sir Martin James Moore-Bick (born 6 December 1946) is a retired judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. Early and private life Moore-Bick was born in Wales, the son of John Ninian Moore-Bick and his wife Kathleen (''née'' Beall). ...

, judge *

9 December Events Pre-1600 * 536 – Gothic War: The Byzantine general Belisarius enters Rome unopposed; the Gothic garrison flees the capital. * 730 – Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, al ...

–

Mervyn Davies Thomas Mervyn Davies (9 December 1946 – 15 March 2012), often known as "Merv the Swerve", was a Welsh rugby union player who won 38 caps for Wales as a No. 8. Early life Davies was born in Swansea, where he attended Penlan County School ...

, rugby player (died

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

) *''date unknown'' –

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

, poet

Deaths

8 January Events Pre-1600 * 307 – Jin Huaidi becomes emperor of China in succession to his father, Jin Huidi, despite a challenge from his uncle, Sima Ying. * 871 – Æthelred I and Alfred the Great lead a West Saxon army to repel an inv ...

–

Dion Fortune Dion Fortune (born Violet Mary Firth, 6 December 1890 – 6 January 1946) was a British occultist, ceremonial magician, novelist and author. She was a co-founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, an occult organisation that promoted ph ...

, writer, 55 *

23 January Events Pre-1600 * 393 – Roman emperor Theodosius I proclaims his eight-year-old son Honorius co-emperor. * 971 – Using crossbows, Song dynasty troops soundly defeat a war elephant corps of the Southern Han at Shao. * 1264 &nd ...

– William Evans, Wales dual code international rugby player, 62 *

25 April Events Pre-1600 * 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion. * 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against th ...

(in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

) – Arthur Jenkins, MP for Pontypool, 64 * 14 March – Reg Thomas, athlete, 39 (air crash) *

16 April Events Pre-1600 * 1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. * 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. * 73 – Masada ...

– Jack Jenkins, footballer, 54 *

– Arthur Jenkins, politician, 64 *

25 May Events Pre-1600 *567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. * 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. * 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo ...

–

Ernest Rhys Ernest Percival Rhys ( ; 17 July 1859 – 25 May 1946) was a Welsh-English writer, best known for his role as founding editor of the Everyman's Library series of affordable classics. He wrote essays, stories, poetry, novels and plays. Early life ...

("Mr Everyman"), writer, 86 *

1 June Events Pre-1600 *1215 – Zhongdu (now Beijing), then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Zhongdu. *1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king o ...

– Arthur Griffith-Boscawen, politician, 80 * 10 June – Humphrey Jones, footballer, 83 *

18 June Events Pre-1600 * 618 – Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang dynasty rule over China. * 656 – Ali becomes Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. * 860 – Byzantine–Rus' War: A fleet of abou ...

– Thomas Llewellyn Jones, businessman and politician in Australia, 74 * 4 July – Taffy O'Callaghan, footballer, 39 * 15 July –

William Cope, 1st Baron Cope William Cope, 1st Baron Cope, (18 August 1870 – 15 July 1946), known as Sir William Cope, Bt, between 1928 and 1945, was a Welsh Conservative Party politician, who was also notable as an international rugby union player for Wales. He was M ...

, politician, 75 *

20 July Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots. * 792 – Kardam of Bulgaria defeats ...

–

Richard Thomas Evans Richard Thomas Evans (18 November 1890 – 20 July 1946) was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician. Before Parliament Evans was educated at the University of Wales. During the First World War he served in the 11th (2nd Gwent) Ba ...

, politician, 55/56 * 8 August – Miriam Kate Williams ("Vulcana"), strongwoman, 72 *

–

Alfred Augustus Mathews Alfred Augustus Mathews (7 February 1864 – 12 August 1946) was a Wales, Welsh Canon (priest), priest who was notable as a rugby union player in his youth; representing Lampeter at club level and playing a single international match for Wales n ...

, vicar and Wales international rugby player, 82 * 25 August –

Tudor Edwards Arthur Tudor Edwards (7 March 1890 – 25 August 1946) was a Welsh thoracic surgeon, who worked at the Westminster Hospital, the Royal Brompton Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton and pioneered lung surgery in particularly pulmona ...

, thoracic surgeon, 56 * 26 August –

Ruth Herbert Lewis Ruth Herbert Lewis (29 November 1871 – 26 August 1946, née Caine) was an English temperance movement activist of Manx descent and collector of Welsh folk songs. She published collections of Welsh folk songs, and was a key member of the Wels ...

, social reformer and collector of Welsh folk songs, 74 *

15 October Events Pre-1600 *1066 – Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later. *1211 ...

– David Percy Davies, newspaper editor, *

4 November Events Pre-1600 *1429 – Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: Joan of Arc liberates Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier. *1493 – Christopher Columbus reaches Leeward Island and Puerto Rico. *1501 – Catherine of Aragon (later Henry VIII's ...

– Bill Morris, Wales international rugby player, 77 * 5 November –

Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, 4th Baron Seaford (9 May 1880 – 5 November 1946) was an English peer, landowner, writer and patron of the arts. Lord Howard de Walden was also a powerboat racer who competed for Great ...

, author and patron of the arts in Wales, 66 * 24 November –

Sydney Nicholls Sydney Herbert Nicholls (29 May 1868 – 24 November 1946) was an English-born dual code rugby forward who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff, and in his later years league rugby with Hull F.C. Nicholls won four caps for Wale ...

, Wales rugby international player, 78 * 6 December –

Charles Stanton Charles Butt Stanton (7 April 1873 – 6 December 1946) was a British politician, who served as an Member of Parliament (MP) from 1915 to 1922. He entered Parliament by winning one of the two seats for Merthyr Tydfil at a by-election on 25 No ...

MP, politician *''date unknown'' ** William Egan, footballer, 73 or 74 **

Morris Williams Morris Williams (20 August 1809 – 3 January 1874), was a Welsh clergyman and writer, commonly known by his bardic name Nicander. He worked on the Welsh Prayer Book of 1841 and himself produced a metrical Welsh Psalms of David. Early life Wi ...

, publisher, husband and collaborator of Kate Roberts, 46 **

Ianto Davies Evan "Ianto" Davies (6 September 1892 – 10 September 1945) was a Welsh international rugby union full back who played club rugby for Llanelli and Maesteg. He won a single cap for Wales and also played county rugby for Glamorgan Rugby career ...

, rugby player, ?48

References

{{reflist 1946 in Europe 1940s in Wales