1974 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1974 to Wales and its people.

← 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1974 in Wales → 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 1974 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere

Incumbents

For United Kingdom incumbents, see 1974 in the United Kingdom § Incumbents.

• Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas (until 5 March);^[1] John Morris
• Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor^[2]
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Brinli^[3]

Events

• 23 January – A UFO appears to crash in a remote area of North Wales. This becomes known as the Berwyn Mountain Incident.^[4]
• 28 February – In the first United Kingdom general election of 1974, Geraint Howells wins Ceredigion for the Liberals,^[5] while Gwynfor Evans fails to retain Carmarthen for Plaid Cymru by three votes.
• 5 March – Elwyn Jones is appointed Lord Chancellor in Harold Wilson’s government.^[6]
• 1 April – The Local Government Act 1972 comes into effect, abolishing all 13 traditional counties of Wales and creating eight new counties, also confirming that Monmouthshire (mostly incorporated in the new county of Gwent) is part of Wales.^[7]
• 10 October – In the second United Kingdom general election of 1974, Gwynfor Evans regains his seat at Carmarthen.
• 22 November – Helen Morgan becomes Miss World; she is forced to resign after four days when it is discovered that she is an unmarried mother.^[8]
• Tredegar House is bought by Newport Council.
• Laura Ashley opens stores in Paris and San Francisco.^[9]

Arts and literature

• Kyffin Williams is elected to the Royal Academy.
• Andrew Vicari is appointed official painter to the Saudi royal family.
• The Cory Brass Band is the first Welsh band to win the British National Championship.
• The BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra achieves full symphony status.
• Foundation of the Welsh Jazz Society.
• Journalist Hugh Cudlipp is created Baron Cudlipp of Aldingbourne.
• Glyn Daniel becomes Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Carmarthen)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Moses Glyn Jones
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - William George
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Dafydd Ifans

New books

English language

• Tony Conran - Spirit Level
• Gwynfor Evans - Land of my Fathers
• Jan Morris - Conundrum
• Leslie Norris - Mountains, Polecats, Pheasants
• John Ormond - Definition of a Waterfall
• Goronwy Rees - Brief Encounters
• Alun Richards - Dai Country
• Harri Webb - A Crown for Branwen

Welsh language

• Islwyn Ffowc Elis - Marwydos^[10]
• David Jenkins - T. Gwynn Jones: Cofiant
• Bobi Jones - Tafod y Llenor^[11]
• John G. Williams - Maes Mihangel^[12]

Music

• Andy Fairweather-Low - Spider Jiving (album)^[13]
• Alun Hoddinott - The Beach of Falesá (opera)
• Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge (album)

Film

• Richard Burton stars in The Klansman.

Welsh-language films

• None

Broadcasting

• 30 September - Independent radio station Swansea Sound comes into operation.

Welsh-language television

• 8 October - Pobol y Cwm appears for the first time.

English-language television

• Richard Burton is banned from BBC productions after complaints about his derogatory comments about Winston Churchill and others in power during World War II.
• Windsor Davies makes his first appearance as Sergeant Major Williams in It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

Sport

• Curling – The Welsh Curling Association is formed.
• Golf – Brian Huggett wins the Portuguese Open.
• Snooker – Ray Reardon wins his third World Championship title.^[14]
• Gareth Edwards wins BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year.^[15]

Births

• 5 January – Iwan Thomas, athlete^[16]
• 30 January – Christian Bale, actor
• 15 March (in Zambia) – Vaughan Gething, politician, First Minister
• 3 May – Barry Jones, boxer
• 11 May – Darren Ward, footballer
• 29 May – Jenny Willott, politician^[17]
• 3 June – Kelly Jones, rock singer-songwriter-guitarist
• 25 June – David Park, golfer
• 11 August – Dafydd Trystan Davies, chair of Plaid Cymru
• 1 September – Tony Bird, footballer
• 3 September – Rob Page, footballer
• 5 September – Becky Morgan, golfer
• 13 September – Andy Gorman, footballer
• 20 September (in Suva, Fiji) – Owen Sheers, poet and actor
• 17 October – Beverley Jones, athlete
• 18 October – Robbie Savage, footballer^[18]
• 24 October – David Evans, squash player
• 8 November – Matthew Rhys, actor
• 12 November – Jonathan Morgan, politician
• date unknown – Bedwyr Williams, installation and performance artist

Deaths

• 9 January – Dora Herbert Jones, singer and administrator, 83^[19]
• 11 January – Joe Jones, dual-code rugby player, 57^[20]
• 21 January – Sandy Griffiths, football referee, 65
• 11 February – D. Jacob Davies, Unitarian minister, broadcaster, writer and journalist, 57^[21]
• 12 February – Alec Harris, spiritualist medium, 76
• 3 April
  • David Davies, actor)
  • Desmond Donnelly, politician, 53 (suicide)^[22]
• 5 April – Cecil Spiller, cricketer, 73
• 14 April – Sir Archibald Lush, schools inspector, 74^[23]
• 13 May – Islwyn Evans, Wales international rugby player, 75^[24]
• 11 June – William Jones, dean of Brecon, 76^[25]
• 29 August (in Oxford) – Harold Arthur Harris, academic, 71^[26]
• 9 September – Neil McBride, MP for Swansea East, 64^[27]
• 28 October (in Harrow) – David Jones, poet and artist, 78^[28]
• November – Bessie Jones singer, 87
• 14 November - Gomer Hughes, rugby player, 64
• 24 November - Ivor Jones, footballer, 75
• 29 December – William Charles Fuller, Victoria Cross recipient, 80^[29]

See also

• 1974 in Northern Ireland

References

1. Chris Cook; John Stevenson (10 July 2014). Longman Handbook to Modern British History 1714 - 2001. Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-317-87524-6.
2. David Wilbourne (8 June 2018). "Archbishop Gwilym Owen Williams — "G. O.": His life and opinions by D. T. W. Price". Church Times. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
3. Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 523.
4. Charles Fort (1972). The Info Journal. International Fortean Organization. p. 6.
5. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (2005). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) House of Commons official report. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 775.
6. Alan O'Day (11 June 2014). Longman Handbook of Modern Irish History Since 1800. Routledge. p. 296. ISBN 978-1-317-89711-8.
7. Great Britain; Charles Arnold-Baker (1973). The Local Government Act 1972. Butterworths. p. 225.
8. Phyllis Chesler; Emily Jane Goodman (1976). Women, money & power. Bantam Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-553-02978-9.
9. Claudia Piras; Bernhard Roetzel (31 December 2000). British Tradition and Interior Design: Town and Country Living in the British Isles. Cologne. p. 157. ISBN 978-3-8290-4851-4.
10. John T. Koch (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 673. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
11. Charles William Sullivan (1996). The Mabinogi: A Book of Essays. Psychology Press. p. 385. ISBN 978-0-8153-1482-0.
12. Simon Brooks (2021). "Bibliography". Hanes Cymry: Lleiafrifoedd Ethnig ar Gwareiddiad Cymraeg. University of Wales Press.
13. Dave Marsh; John Swenson (12 October 1983). The new Rolling stone record guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-394-72107-1.
14. "Profile: Ray Reardon". Eurosport. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
15. "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
16. "Iwan Thomas Profile". IAAF. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
17. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. Dod's Parliamentary Companion Limited. 2010. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-905702-89-6.
18. Janine Self; Robbie Savage (2011). Savage! The Robbie Savage Autobiography. Mainstream Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 9781907195631.
19. Rhidian Griffiths (2016). "Jones, Dora Herbert (1890-1974), singer and administrator". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
20. "Joseph Jones". Wigan Today. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
21. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated (1 January 1975). Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica. p. 597. ISBN 978-0-85229-303-4.
22. Town and Country Planning. The Association. 1974.
23. Who was who. A. & C. Black. 1971.
24. Swansea RFC player profiles^{[permanent dead link]}
25. Who Was Who 1897–2007. London, A & C Black, 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-954087-7
26. Harold Arthur Harris (1976). Anthony James Brothers; I. M. Barton (eds.). Greek Athletics and the Jews. University of Wales Press. p. 3. ISBN 9780708306352.
27. John Graham Jones. "McBride, Neil (1910-1974), Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
28. "David Jones dies; Poet and Painter". New York Times. 30 October 1974. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
29. David Harvey (1999). Monuments to courage: Victoria Cross headstones and memorials. Kevin and Kay Patience.