1972 in Wales
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| See also: | List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 1972 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas[1]
 - Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor[2]
 - Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
 
Events
- 1 January – Welsh rugby captain John Dawes is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List.[5]
 - 30 January – Opening to rail traffic of the new Britannia Bridge linking Anglesey with mainland Wales (following the destruction of the previous bridge by a fire).[6]
 - March/April – The "Miners' Tramway" underground at Llechwedd Slate Caverns, Blaenau Ffestiniog, opens to the public.
 - 3 May – Leslie Harvey, guitarist of Stone the Crows, is fatally electrocuted while performing at Swansea's Top Rank Suite.
 - 13 September – Hypermarkets make their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after debuting in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opens a hypermarket in Caerphilly.[7]
 - 26 October – Passage of the Local Government Act 1972, which will reorganise and simplify local government in Wales and Monmouthshire from 1974.
 - 11 December – Rhoose Airport is opened by The Duke of Edinburgh.[8]
 - date unknown 
- Sir Morien Morgan becomes Master of Downing College, Cambridge.
 - The island of Flat Holm is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
 - The communities of Machynys and Bwlch y Gwynt cease to exist, following the closedown of local industry; the residents are moved into Llanelli.[9]
 - Llyn Brianne regulating reservoir on the River Towy is completed; its dam is the UK's tallest, standing at a height of 300 ft (91 m).[10]
 
 
Arts and literature
- Writer James Morris becomes Jan Morris.
 
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Haverfordwest)
 - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Dafydd Owen, "Preselau"[11]
 - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Rowlands, "Dadeni"[12]
 - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Rowlands, "Ysgrifau yr Hanner Bardd"[13]
 - National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal – Urien Wiliam
 
New books
English language
- Alexander Cordell – The Fire People
 - A. H. Dodd – Life in Wales
 - Emyr Humphreys – National Winner
 - Richard Jones The Tower is Everywhere
 - Roland Mathias – Absalom in the Tree
 - Edith Pargeter – A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury
 - Will Paynter – My Generation (autobiography)
 - Goronwy Rees – A Chapter of Accidents
 - Ifor Williams – The beginnings of Welsh poetry
 
Welsh language
- Marion Eames – Y Rhandir Mwyn[14]
 - Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Eira Mawr
 - Bobi Jones – Allor Wydn[15]
 - David Tecwyn Lloyd – Lady Gwladys a Phobl Eraill
 - Gerallt Lloyd Owen – Cerddi'r Cywilydd[16]
 - Kate Roberts – Gobaith a Storïau Eraill
 
Drama
- Gwyn Thomas – Amser Dyn sef Darnau o Einioes[17]
 
Music
- Badfinger – Straight Up (album)
 - John Cale – The Academy in Peril (album)
 - Dafydd Iwan – Yma Mae 'Nghân (album)
 - Mary Hopkin – Live At The Royal Festival Hall (album)
 - Tom Jones – Close Up (album)
 
Film
- The film of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood appears, with Richard Burton, Glynis Johns, Ryan Davies and many other Welsh stars.
 - Hywel Bennett stars with Hayley Mills in Endless Night.
 
Welsh-language films
- The Song We Sing Is About Freedom
 
Broadcasting
Welsh-language television
- Gwrando ar fy Nghan with singer Heather Jones
 - Teliffant with Myfanwy Talog and Huw Ceredig
 - Nol Mewn 5 Munud with Huw Ceredig
 
English-language television
- Kenneth Griffith's reputation is underlined with a four-part documentary series about the Boer War, Sons of the Blood.
 - Anthony Hopkins wins acclaim for his first starring role on television in BBC2's adaptation of War and Peace.
 - Glyn Houston appears as Bunter opposite Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, in the first of several TV serials based on the stories of Dorothy L. Sayers.[18]
 
Sport
- Chess – Wales competes in the World Chess Olympiad at Skopje, Yugoslavia.
 - Cricket – Tony Lewis captains England on his Test debut in Delhi, India.
 - Rugby union 
- 25 March – Derek Quinnell makes his debut for Wales against France.
 - 31 October – Llanelli RFC defeat the New Zealand All Blacks 9–3 at Stradey Park in front of 26,000 supporters.
 
 - The Welsh Sports Association is established.
 - BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Richard Meade[19]
 
Births
- 27 January 
- Nathan Blake, footballer
 - Wynne Evans, tenor
 
 - March - Helen Raynor, dramatist and screenwriter
 - 23 March – Joe Calzaghe, boxer[20]
 - 10 April – Chris Corcoran, comedian
 - 18 April – Mike Bubbins, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, presenter and podcaster[21]
 - 7 June – Sian Lloyd, television news presenter
 - 5 July – Nia Roberts, actress
 - 20 August – Scott Quinnell, rugby player[22]
 - 24 August – Jason Bowen, footballer
 - 4 September – Guto Pryce, musician
 - 23 September – Julian Winn, cyclist[23]
 - 3 October – Josie d'Arby, actress and television presenter
 - 4 November – Tim Vincent, television presenter
 - 27 December – Colin Charvis, rugby player[24]
 
Deaths
- 17 January – Stan Davies, footballer, 73
 - 4 February – Sir Charles Robert Harington, chemist, 74[25]
 - 25 February – S. O. Davies, politician, 85[26]
 - 27 February – Will James, dual-code rugby player, 69
 - 7 March – Jack Morley, Wales and British Lions rugby player, 62
 - 10 March – Gwynfor Davies, cricketer, 63
 - 20 March – Dudley Lloyd-Evans, First World War flying ace, 76 or 77[27]
 - 28 March – James Edward Nichols, geneticist, 69[28]
 - 10 April – Ormond Jones, footballer, 61
 - 28 May – The Duke of Windsor, Prince of Wales 1910–1936), 77
 - 14 June (at Goathurst) – Glyn Simon, Archbishop of Wales (1968–71), 69
 - 9 July – Sir Henry Morris-Jones, doctor, soldier and politician, 87[29]
 - 10 July – Emrys Jones, actor, 56 (heart attack)[30]
 - 12 August – Reg Anderson, cricketer, 58
 - 28 September – Tom Roberts, Wales international rugby union player, 75?
 - 19 October 
- David Hughes, opera singer, 47 (heart failure)
 - Fred Keenor, footballer, 78
 
 - 6 November – Hilary Marquand, economist and MP, 70[31]
 - 13 November – Glyn Prosser, dual-code rugby player, 64
 - 30 November – Frank Evans, dual-code international rugby player, 75
 - 4 December – Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, politician and judge, 68[32]
 - unknown date 
- Sam Davies, Wales international footballer, 77 or 78[33]
 - Lillian Griffith, sculptor, 94 or 95
 
 
See also
References
- ^ "Obituary". The Guardian. 6 February 2008.
 - ^ Gerald Parsons (20 June 2013). The Growth of Religious Diversity - Vol 2: Britain From 1945 Volume 2: Controversies. Routledge. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-136-13628-3.
 - ^ Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 589. ISBN 978-0-19-211586-7.
 - ^ Meic Stephens (April 1986). The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. Oxford University Press. p. 523. ISBN 978-0-19-211586-7.
 - ^ Ross Reyburn (26 July 2013). John Dawes: The Man who changed the world of Rugby. Y Lolfa. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-84771-614-9.
 - ^ Peter E. Baughan (1991). North and Mid Wales. David St. John Thomas. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-946537-59-4.
 - ^ "The Hypermarket — Gold mine or white elephant". International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. 1 (6). MCB: 42–44. doi:10.1108/eb017761.
 - ^ Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (1972). Papers by command. HMSO. p. 44.
 - ^ Fisk, Stephen (June 2009). "Abandoned Communities - Machynys". Retrieved 2009-08-05.
 - ^ British Dam Society. Conference; British Dam Society (1998). The Prospect for Reservoirs in the 21st Century: Proceedings of the Tenth Conference of the BDS. Thomas Telford. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-7277-2704-6.
 - ^ "Winners of the Chair". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
 - ^ "Winners of the Crown". National Eisteddfod of Wales. 17 November 2019.
 - ^ "Winners of the Prose Medal". National Eisteddfod of Wales. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
 - ^ Meic Stephens (1998). Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. University of Wales Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-7083-1383-1.
 - ^ Europa Publications (2003). International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004. Psychology Press. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85743-179-7.
 - ^ Felicia Hughes-Freeland (16 December 2003). Ritual, Performance, Media. Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-134-71382-0.
 - ^ Bibliotheca Celtica. The Library. 1976. p. 385. ISBN 9780901833792.
 - ^ Anthony Hayward (8 July 2019). "Glyn Houston Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
 - ^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
 - ^ Joe Calzaghe (1 April 2010). No Ordinary Joe. Random House. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4090-6452-7.
 - ^ "Mike Bubbins on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
 - ^ Scott Quinnell (2012). The Hardest Test. Headline. ISBN 9781909335462.
 - ^ "Julian WINN - Wales [WAL]". Commonwealth Games 2002. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
 - ^ "Wales at the Rugby World Cup 1999". Wales Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
 - ^ Himsworth, H.; Pitt-Rivers, R. (1972). "Charles Robert Harington. 1897-1972". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 18: 266–308. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1972.0009. PMID 11615748. S2CID 31136079.
 - ^ Griffiths, Robert (1983). S. O. Davies: A Socialist Faith. Llandysul, Dyfed: Gomer Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-85088-887-4.
 - ^ Lockie, Rosemary (2015). "Some Memorial Inscriptions, Boddington, Gloucestershire". places.wishful-thinking.org.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
 - ^ Royal Society of Edinburgh (1971). Year Book of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Royal Society of Edinburgh. p. 46.
 - ^ John Graham Jones. "Morris-Jones, John Henry (1884-1972), Liberal/National Liberal politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
 - ^ "Emrys Jones, a British stage and film actor, was found dead..." New York Times. July 11, 1972. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
 - ^ John Graham Jones. "Marquand, Hilary (1901-1972), economist and Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
 - ^ John Graham Jones. "Ungoed-Thomas (Arwyn) Lynn (1904-1972), Labour politician". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
 - ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 76. ISBN 978-1905891610.
 
