1937 in Wales

← 1936 1935 1934 1937 in Wales → 1938 1939 1940
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	List of years in Wales 1937 in The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1937 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Prince of Wales – vacant
• Princess of Wales – vacant
• Archbishop of Wales – Charles Green, Bishop of Bangor
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – J.J.

Events

• 29 June - The Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company closes its tramway system.
• 30 June - The Aid to Spain movement welcomes the arrival at Swansea railway station of the first Basque refugee children to come to Wales.^[1]
• 15 July - George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Aberystwyth to open the new building at the National Library of Wales.^[2]
• 27 August - Saunders Lewis, Lewis Valentine and D. J. Williams are released from Wormwood Scrubs to the plaudits of nationalist supporters, having served a nine-month sentence for the arson attack on the Penrhos "bombing school".
• The South Wales Regional Council of Labour is formed.
• The Urdd launches the first Welsh books campaign.

Arts and literature

• Summer - Literary magazine Wales first published, edited by Keidrych Rhys.
• James Gomer Berry becomes chairman of Kemsley Newspapers Ltd.
• The Prose Medal is awarded for the first time at the National Eisteddfod.

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Machynlleth)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - T. Rowland Hughes
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - J. M. Edwards
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - J. O. Williams^[3]

New books

• Ambrose Bebb - Y Ddeddf Uno 1536
• David Jones - In Parenthesis
• Eiluned Lewis & Peter Lewis - The Land of Wales
• T. J. Morgan - Dal Llygoden Ac Ysgrifau Eraill
• John Cowper Powys - Morwyn: or The Vengeance of God
• Ernest Rhys - Song of the Sun
• Lewis Jones - Cwmardy

Music

• Ivor Novello - Crest of the Wave (musical)
• Colin Ross - Ostinato

Film

• Ray Milland appears in five new films, including Ebb Tide.

Broadcasting

• 1 February - A new transmitter is opened at Penmon, Anglesey, to bring the West and Wales Regional Programme to North Wales.
• 4 July - Following the alteration of frequencies at the BBC's Washford transmitter to enable it to radiate separate regional services for Wales and the West of England, a new Welsh Regional Programme begins, broadcast from Washford on 1050 kHz and Penmon on 804 kHz.

Sport

• Billiards - Horace Coles wins the World Amateur Billiards Championship.
• Boxing
  • 15 March - Tommy Farr wins the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.
  • 30 August - Farr loses on points to Joe Louis.

Births

• 8 January - Shirley Bassey, singer
• 22 January - Ryan Davies, entertainer (died 1977)
• 24 January - Trevor Edwards, footballer
• 18 February - Donald Braithwaite, boxer
• 13 March - Martin Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gresford, politician
• 21 March - Ann Clwyd, politician
• 22 April - Julian Cayo-Evans, political activist (died 1995)
• 26 April - Gareth Gwenlan, television producer (died 2016)
• 27 May - Danny Harris, rugby player
• 8 June
  • Gillian Clarke, poet
  • John Williams, snooker referee
• 14 August - Brian Curvis, Welterweight boxer (died 2012)
• 7 September - Clive Everton, snooker commentator
• 14 September - Fenton Coles, rugby player
• 30 September - Gary Hocking, motorcycle road racer (died 1962)
• 5 October - Iwan Edwards, choral conductor (in Canada)
• 6 October - David Morgan, cricket administrator
• 30 October - Brian Price, rugby player
• 8 December - Malcolm Price, rugby player
• 30 December - Saunders Davies, Anglican bishop
• 31 December - Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor
• date unknown
  • Trebor Edwards, singer
  • Prys Morgan, historian

Deaths

• 15 January - Arthur Cheetham, pioneering film maker, 72
• 2 February - Hugh Ingledew, Wales international rugby player, 71
• April - Jack Doughty, footballer, 71
• 21 April - Kenneth Morris, Theosophist writer, 57
• 28 April - Frederick Guest, politician, 61
• 15 May - George Thomson, footballer, 82
• 18 May - Idwal Jones, schoolmaster, poet and dramatist, 41
• 20 May - Walter Davis, footballer, 48 (drowned)
• 5 June - Owen Cosby Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant, shipping magnate, 74
• 26 June - Jackie Benyon, footballer (peritonitis)
• 22 July - Alfred George Edwards, former Archbishop of Wales, 88
• October - Swansea Jack, retriever, 7
• 22 October - William Penfro Rowlands, hymn-writer, 77
• 23 October - Stephen Thomas, Wales international rugby player, 72
• 1 November - William Alexander, Wales international rugby player, 63
• 25 November - David Lewis Davies, politician, 64
• 26 December - Dan Beddoe, popular singer, 74

References

1. Francis, Hywel (2012). Miners against fascism: Wales and the Spanish Civil War. Lawrence & Wishart. p. x. ISBN 978-1-907103-51-3.
2. Jenkins, David (2002). A Refuge in Peace and War: The National Library of Wales to 1952. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales. p. 256. ISBN 1-86225-034-0.
3. National Eisteddfod website