1966 in Wales

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

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

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – Charles
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• 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.
• 14 July – In the Carmarthen by-election, caused by the death of Megan Lloyd George, Gwynfor Evans wins Plaid Cymru's first Parliamentary seat.
• 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.^[1]
• 8 September – The Severn Bridge is opened.
• 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.
• 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.
• 26 October – The Welsh Office appoints a tribunal, chaired by Edmund Davies, Baron Edmund-Davies, to investigate the causes of the Aberfan disaster.
• 27 October – Almost a week after the Aberfan disaster, writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas makes his famous radio tribute to the children of Aberfan.^[2]
• 30 October – The Queen and her consort Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrive in Aberfan to pay their respects. It was reported that the Queen was moved to tears.^[3]

Arts and literature

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.

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

Births

• 21 March – Matthew Maynard, cricketer
• 24 March – Mark Williams MP, politician
• 14 April – Lloyd Owen, actor
• 29 April – Carl Dale, footballer
• 3 May – Darren Morgan, snooker player
• 5 May – Nicky Piper, light-heavyweight boxer
• 8 July – Guto Harri, broadcaster
• 21 July – Sarah Waters, novelist
• 28 July – Andy Legg, footballer
• 16 August – Helen Thomas, Greenham Common campaigner
• 1 September – Elin Jones AM, politician
• 21 October – Phillip Price, golfer
• 10 November – Simon Richardson, cyclist
• date unknown – Niall Griffiths, English-born novelist

Deaths

• 20 January – Gordon Macdonald MP, politician, 81
• 27 January – Ronald Armstrong-Jones, barrister, 66
• 18 February – Thomas Williams, 1st Baron Williams, 73
• March – Wilfred Mitford Davies, artist and publisher, 71
• April – Charlie Jones, footballer, 66
• 25 April – Iorrie Isaacs, Wales international rugby player, 54
• 26 April – Bill Everson, Wales international rugby player, 60
• 14 May – Megan Lloyd George MP, politician, 64
• 1 June – Peter George, author, 42 (suicide)
• 9 June – Elizabeth Watkin-Jones, children's author
• 17 July – Albert Freethy, rugby referee and cricketer, 81
• 21 September – Thomas Williams Phillips, civil servant, 83
• 26 September – Phil Hopkins, Wales international rugby player, 86
• 3 December – Iorwerth Thomas, politician, 71
• date unknown – Simon Bartholomew Jones, minister and poet

See also

• 1966 in Northern Ireland

References