:1956 in Wales

{{For|United Kingdom incumbents|1956 in the United Kingdom#Incumbents}}

• Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff{{cite web|url=https://biography.wales/article/s2-MORG-JOH-1886|title=Morgan, John (1886-1957), Archbishop of Wales|author=Mary Gwendoline Ellis|website=Dictionary of Welsh Biography|publisher=National Library of Wales|access-date=29 March 2020}}
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

• April – One of the last Welsh-built naval vessels afloat, former iron screw frigate {{HMS|Inconstant|1868}}, built at Pembroke Dock, arrives in Belgium to be broken up.{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Lawrie; Lieutenant Commander|title=Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History|date=2014|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK|isbn=978-0-7509-5214-9|pages=192}}
• 2 April – Huw Wheldon marries Jacqueline Clarke.
• 24 April – A 250,000 signature petition is presented to the Westminster parliament by the all-party Parliament for Wales Campaign.
• 9 May – The Gower Peninsula becomes the first area in the British Isles to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.{{cite book|first=Gareth E.|last=Jones|title=The Conservation of Ecosystems and Species|url=https://archive.org/details/conservationofec0000jone|url-access=registration|year=1987|publisher=Croom Helm|isbn=978-0-7099-1463-1}}
• 9 July – Mettoy introduce Corgi Toys model cars, manufactured at Fforestfach in South Wales.
• September – Bangor Normal College and Trinity College, Carmarthen, introduce courses in Welsh-medium teaching.
• 4 September – Opening of the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Wales – Ysgol Glan Clwyd, Rhyl.{{cite news|title=Teaching through Welsh|newspaper=Western Mail|date=1956-09-04|location=Cardiff|page=5}}{{cite book|first=Roy|last=Nash|title=Schooling in Rural Societies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8yXZmBpvEe8C&pg=PA93|year=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-50490-4|pages=93–}}
• 22 November – In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.{{cite book|author=Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons|title=House of Commons Papers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OmIMAQAAIAAJ|year=1957|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office}}
• exact date unknown – Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished as unsafe.{{cite web|url=https://www.vads.ac.uk/digital/collection/PMSA/id/908/|title=Town Clock|website=VADS|access-date=15 February 2022}}

• Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.{{cite web|url=https://archiveswales.llgc.org.uk/anw/get_collection.php?inst_id=1&coll_id=122&expand=|title=Huw T. Edwards Papers|website=Archives Wales|access-date=13 December 2018}}
• Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
• 22 November – The New Scientist is launched{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231002-600-old-scientist-happily-upholding-ideals-since-issue-number-1/|title=Old Scientist: Happily upholding ideals since issue number 1|date=16 November 2016|author=Mick O'Hare|website=New Scientist|access-date=13 December 2018}} by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Mathonwy Hughes, "Gwraig"{{cite web|url=https://eisteddfod.wales/archive/eisteddfod-winners/winners-chair|title=Winners of the Chair|website=National Eisteddfod of Wales|access-date=7 November 2019}}
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – withheld{{cite web|url=https://eisteddfod.wales/archive/eisteddfod-winners/crown-winners|title=Winners of the Crown|website=National Eisteddfod of Wales|access-date=7 November 2019}}
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – W. T. Gruffydd, "Y Pwrpas Mawr"{{cite web|url=https://eisteddfod.wales/archive/eisteddfod-winners/winners-prose-medal|title=Winners of the Prose Medal|website=National Eisteddfod of Wales|access-date=7 November 2019}}

• Margiad Evans – A Candle Ahead
• Bertrand Russell – Portraits from Memory and Other Essays

• Huw T. Edwards – Tros y Tresi{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Labour Biography: Volume XI|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|year=2016|page=65|isbn=9780230500181}}
• Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Yn Ôl i Leifior{{cite book|title=Bibliotheca Celtica: A Register of Publications Relating to Wales and the Celtic Peoples & Languages|publisher=National Library of Wales|year=1957|page=17}}
• David Rees Griffiths – Caneuon Amanwy
• Kate Roberts – Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
• Waldo Williams – Dail Pren

• February – Release of Shirley Bassey's first single, Burn My Candle (At Both Ends)
• William Mathias – Suite for Trumpet and Piano, Op.4
• Grace Williams – Symphony No. 2

• Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great; William Squire also appears.
• Glynis Johns stars in The Court Jester.
• Edmund Gwenn makes his last film appearance.
• Moby Dick partly filmed at Lower Fishguard.

• The BBC Light Programme becomes available on VHF from Wenvoe.

• Granada Television begins producing up to an hour a week of current affairs and education programmes in Welsh to serve the overlap audience in north Wales.

• June – First televised English-language play produced in Wales, Wind of Heaven.

• Boxing
• 27 August – Joe Erskine defeats Johnny Williams in Cardiff to win the vacant British heavyweight title.
• Rugby Union
• Wales under the captaincy of Cliff Morgan, win the Five Nations Championship for the fifth time this decade.
• 24 March – Wales beat France 5–3 in a game held at the National Stadium, Cardiff
• BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year – Joe Erskine{{cite web |title=BBC Wales Sport Personality winners |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/wales/20670643 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=29 July 2021}}

• 7 January – Johnny Owen, boxer (died 1980)
• 7 April – Christine Chapman AM, politician
• May – Iwan Bala, artist
• 14 June – Keith Pontin, international footballer (died 2020)
• 22 July – Richard Gwyn writer
• 7 September – Byron Stevenson, footballer (died 2007)
• 3 November – Carl Harris, international footballer
• 4 December – Nia Griffith MP, politician, born in Ireland
• 19 December – John Griffiths, politician
• 23 December – Robert Gwilym, actor
• date unknown – David Nott, surgeon

File:Frank Brangwyn c1900e.jpg

File:Winifred_Coombe_Tennant.jpg

• 4 January – Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71{{cite book|author=Bedwyr Lewis Jones|title=Robert Williams Parry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKw_AAAAIAAJ|date=1 January 1972|publisher=University of Wales Press [for] the Welsh Arts Council|page=73}}
• 10 January – Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
• 14 January – Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
• 23 January – William Harris, academic and translator, 71{{cite DWB|title=Harris, William Henry (1884–1956), priest, Professor of Welsh, St David's College, Lampeter|id=s2-HARR-HEN-1884|last=Ellis|first=Mary Gwendoline|author-link=Mari Ellis|year=2001|accessdate=18 February 2009}}
• 1 February – John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70{{cite DWB|id=s2-LLOY-JOH-1885|title=Lloyd-Jones, John (1885–1956), scholar and poet|author=Thomas Parry|year=2001|access-date=15 February 2022}}
• 22 February – Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
• 27 February – Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75Obituary, The Times, 28 February 1956
• 19 May – Peter Freeman, politician, 67{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Mr. P. Freeman, M.P - An energetic reformer |date=21 May 1956 |page=10 |issue=53536 }}
• 8 June – Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82{{cite DWB|id=s2-RHYS-FIT-1873|title=Rhys, Walter FitzUryan, 7th Baron Dynevor (1873-1956), nobleman and politician|author=Christopher Dignam|year=2001|access-date=15 February 2022}}
• 5 July – Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
• 11 June – Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89{{cite book|author=Frank Brangwyn|title=The Water-colours of Sir Frank Brangwyn, R.A., 1867-1956|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1dIAQAAIAAJ|year=1958|publisher=F. Lewis|page=27}}
• 17 August – William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
• 31 August – Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81{{ODNBweb |title=Tennant, Winifred Margaret Coombe | author=Deirdre Beddoe | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/70091 }}
• 13 September – David Davies, footballer, 77
• 20 September – Arthur Tysilio Johnson, farmer and author, 83
• 1 October – J. O. Francis, dramatist, 74{{cite DWB|id=s2-FRAN-OSW-1882|title=Francis, John Oswald (1882-1956), dramatist|author=Mary Auronwy James|year=2001|access-date=15 February 2022}}
• 11 October – David James Davies, economist and politician, 63{{cite DWB|id=s2-DAVI-JAM-1893|title=Davies, David James (1893-1956), economist|author=Ceinwen Hannah Thomas|year=2001|access-date=15 February 2022}}
• 16 October – Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
• 18 October – Harry Parry, jazz musician, 44{{cite book |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Davies|editor1-link=John Davies (historian)|editor2-first=Nigel |editor2-last=Jenkins | editor2-link=Nigel Jenkins| editor3-first=Baines |editor3-last=Menna|editor4-first=Peredur I. |editor4-last=Lynch |title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year=2008 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff |page=651|isbn=978-0-7083-1953-6}}
• 22 November – Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68{{cite book|author=Peter Barberis|title=Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond, A Political Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GMchBEHcDRoC&pg=PA71|date=28 January 2005|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-627-0|pages=71}}
• 16 December – Nina Hamnett, artist, 66{{cite book|author=Denise Hooker|title=Nina Hamnett, queen of Bohemia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TBM3AQAAIAAJ|date=October 1986|publisher=Constable|page=258}}
• 28 December – John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83{{cite web|url=https://biography.wales/article/s2-OWEN-DYF-1873|title=Owen, John Dyfnallt (‘Dyfnallt’; 1873-1956), minister (Congl.), poet, writer, journalist and Archdruid of Wales|website=Dictionary of Welsh Biography|publisher=National Library of Wales|access-date=13 March 2019}}

• 1956 in Northern Ireland

{{reflist}}

Category:1956 in Europe

Category:1950s in Wales