This article is about the particular significance of the year 1960 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris, Bishop of Monmouth Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales William Morris (outgoing) Trefin (incoming)
Events 1 January – Portmeirion Pottery is established when Susan Williams-Ellis and her husband Euan Cooper-Willis (managers of the gift shop at her father's village of Portmeirion) take over Gray's Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent (England). 5 January – Closure of the Swansea and Mumbles Railway (opened to passengers in 1807 and by this date operated by double-deck electric trams). The service is replaced by buses operated by its owner South Wales Transport. 28 June – Forty-five miners are killed in an accident at Six Bells Colliery, Monmouthshire. 6 August – At Llandaff Cathedral a service of thanksgiving attended by Queen Elizabeth II is held to mark the end of eleven years' restoration work following air raid damage in 1941. 5 September – Poet and peace campaigner Waldo Williams is sentenced at Haverfordwest to imprisonment for six weeks for non-payment of income tax (a protest against defence spending). 3 November – Esso opens the first oil refinery at Milford Haven.
Arts and literature 29 September – Ricky Valance is the first male Welsh singer to hit number one in the charts, with his cover version of Tell Laura I Love Her.
Awards
National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Cardiff) National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – withheld National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – W. J. Gruffydd, "Unigedd" National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Rhiannon Davies Jones, Fe Hen Lyfr Cownt
New books Glyn M. Ashton – Tipyn o Annwyd Thomas Glynne Davies – Haf Creulon Menna Gallie – Man's Desiring Dic Jones – Agor Grwn Kate Roberts – Y Lôn Wen Bernice Rubens – Set on Edge Raymond Williams – Border Country
New drama Saunders Lewis – Esther
Music Alun Hoddinott – Concerto no. 2 Arwel Hughes – Serch yw’r Doctor (opera)
Albums Osian Ellis – Handel (with the Philomusica of London conducted by Granville Jones Treorchy Male Choir – Nidaros Die Zauberflöte (featuring Geraint Evans)
Film Glynis Johns stars in The Sundowners. Rachel Roberts stars in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, becoming the first Welsh actress to win a BAFTA for Best British Actress. Keith Baxter appears alongside Orson Welles in Chimes at Midnight.
Broadcasting September – The Wales Television Association is formed. On 6 June, the franchise is awarded to the Wales Television Association.
Welsh-language television Colegau Cerdd Her Yr Ifanc
English-language television 1 January – Broadcast of the first weekly episode of an eight-part serialization by BBC Wales of How Green Was My Valley. Johnny Morris narrates the imported children's TV series Tales of the Riverbank.
Sport Boxing – Dick Richardson wins the European Heavyweight title. Brian Curvis wins the British and Commonwealth welterweight titles. Summer Olympics – David Broome wins a bronze medal on Sunsalve in the individual show jumping event. Tennis – Mike Davies wins the British hard court title. He also becomes the first Welsh man to reach a Wimbledon final where he partners Bobby Wilson in the Men's Doubles. BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Brian Curvis
Births January – Anne Boden, banking executive 16 January – Alun Huw Davies, vascular surgeon 30 January – Peter Black AM, politician (in Wirral) 6 February – Jeremy Bowen, journalist and television presenter 14 February – Dawn Bowden, politician'BOWDEN, Dawn', Who's Who 2017, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016; online edn, Nov 2016 accessed 30 Sept 2017 15 February – Russell Coughlin, footballer (d. 2016) 18 February – Rhys Parry Jones, actor 26 February – Roger Lewis, academic, biographer and journalist 30 April – Martin Phillips, darts player 3 May – Geraint Davies, politician 4 May – Elfyn Edwards, golfer 8 May – Peter Lawlor, cricketer 9 May – Jillian Lane, spiritual medium (d. 2013) 13 June – Sir Clive Buckland Lewis, judge 19 June – Andrew Dilnot, economist, statistician and academic 23 June – Ricky Evans, rugby union player 29 June – Helen Mary Jones, politician (in Colchester) 13 July – Ian Hislop, satirist 24 July – Gwilym Emyr Owen III, US-born singer-songwriter of Welsh descent 1 August – Lesley Griffiths, politician 18 September Carolyn Harris, politician Ian Lucas, politician 29 October – Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool 12 December – Kelvin Smart, flyweight boxer 24 December – Carol Vorderman, television personality (in Bedford) date unknown Nigel Davies, chess player Lisa Francis, politician Gareth Jones, orchestral and choral conductor Malcolm Pryce, novelist (in Shrewsbury) William Owen Roberts, novelist and dramatist
Deaths
2 January – Leila Megàne, opera singer, c. 69Obituary, The Times, Monday, 4 January 1960 13 January – Reginald Herbert, 15th Earl of Pembroke, 79 17 January – E. Llwyd Williams, minister and poet, 53 19 January – Charles Jones, Wales rugby international, 66 27 January – Joseph "Joe" Jones, dual-code rugby international, 60 25 February – Sir Edward Enoch Jenkins, judge, 65 30 March – Edward Evans, politician and disability campaigner, 77 11 April – William Llewellyn Morgan, Wales international rugby union player, 76 7 May – Mai Jones, songwriter, 61 23 May – John Edwards, politician, 77 4 June – Margaret Lindsay Williams, artist, 71 19 June – Thomas Alwyn Lloyd, architect, 78 27 June – Harry Pollitt, politician, 69 30 June – John Morgan Lloyd, musician and composer, 79 6 July – Aneurin Bevan, politician, 62 9 July – John Dyke, Wales international rugby union player, 76 24 August – Dai Edwards, Wales dual-code rugby international, 64Dai Edwardsrugby union player profile Scrum.com 25 August – Tommy Jones-Davies, Wales international rugby player, 54 30 August – "Taffy" Jones, First World War flying ace, 64 31 August – Edith Picton-Turbervill, social reformer, writer and politician, 88 3 September – Frank Hawkins, rugby international, 75 27 September – George Morgan Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne, politician, 66 29 October – Horace Williams, footballer, c. 60 19 December Billy Bowen, dual-code rugby player, 63 Helen Parry Eden, Welsh-descended poet, 75 20 December – Harry Uzzell, Wales international rugby union captain, 77 22 December – Evan Davies, politician, 85
See also 1960 in Northern Ireland
References