1961 in Wales

← 1960 1959 1958 1961 in Wales → 1962 1963 1964
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1961 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the significance of the year 1961 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Trefin

Events

• 16 February – The BP Explorer, a loaded tanker barge bound for Sharpness from Swansea, turns over in the Severn Estuary.
• 17 February – The BP Explorer is seen bouncing upside down through the wrecked Severn Railway Bridge. Her crew of five men were killed.^[1]
• 1 October – Tabernacle Chapel, Cardiff hosts the first-ever broadcast of the long-running national BBC Television series Songs of Praise.
• 8 November – In a referendum on Sunday opening of public houses, the counties of Anglesey, Cardiganshire, Caernarfonshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire and Pembrokeshire all vote to stay "dry".
• 9 November – Rosemarie Frankland, originally from Rhosllanerchrugog, wins the Miss World title.
• 19 November – During construction of the Severn Bridge three men fall into the river. A rescue boat crewed by two men sets sail from Chepstow, not knowing that the three men have been picked up safely by a ferry, the Severn Princess. Two empty tanker barges coming down from Sharpness collide with the rescue boat, which has no navigation lights. One member of the rescue boat crew is drowned.
• Atlantic College is established at St Donat's.
• The Llyn Celyn reservoir is constructed in the valley of the River Tryweryn in North Wales to provide water for Liverpool, destroying the village of Capel Celyn.
• Gwynfor Evans becomes president of the Celtic League.
• Formation in Pontypridd of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í Faith entirely of native Welsh Bahá'í.^[2]

Arts and literature

• Richard Booth opens the first used bookstore in Hay-on-Wye.
• Keith Baxter makes his Broadway debut as King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons.

Film

• Ronald Lewis stars in Scream of Fear and Stop Me Before I Kill.
• Victor Spinetti makes his screen debut in The Gentle Terror.
• Clifford Evans stars in The Curse of the Werewolf.
• Pirates of Tortuga, American adventure based on the Welsh privateer, Henry Morgan

Broadcasting

Sport

• Boxing – Howard Winstone wins the British featherweight title.
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Bryn Meredith

Births

• 24 January – Tarki Micallef, former professional footballer
• 26 March – William Hague, Secretary of State for Wales 1995–97
• 7 May – Phil Campbell, rock guitarist
• 1 July – Diana, Princess of Wales (d. 1997)
• 5 July – Gareth Jones ("Gaz Top"), TV presenter
• 7 July – Steve Brace, long-distance runner
• 8 August
  • The Edge (David Howell Evans), rock guitarist (in Barking, London, to Welsh parents)
  • Simon Weston, war hero
• 18 August – Huw Edwards, newsreader
• 30 August – Delyth Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, charity worker and Labour peer
• 29 September (in Barry) – Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia
• 20 October – Ian Rush, footballer
• 25 November – Nuccia Focile, star of Welsh National Opera
• date unknown
  • Ifor ap Glyn, Welsh-language poet and television presenter
  • Twm Morys, poet

Deaths

• 18 April – John Evans, Welsh politician, 85
• 30 April – Charles Williams, academic, 55
• 28 June – Huw Menai, poet, 74
• 3 July – Albert Jenkin, Wales international rugby player, 88
• 13 October – Augustus John, artist, 83
• 20 November – Edwin Thomas Maynard, Wales international rugby player, 83

See also

• 1961 in Northern Ireland

References