1946 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1946 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Archbishop of Wales – David Prosser, Bishop of St David's
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Crwys

Events

 * 12 July – The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act is passed by Parliament.
 * August
 * Arthur Horner becomes General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers.
 * Stocks of captured Nazi German bombs filled with Tabun (nerve agent) begin to be transferred from Llanberis to open storage at RAF Llandwrog.
 * November – The highest ever temperature for this month in the UK is recorded at Prestatyn: 71 °F (21.7 °C).
 * December – George Isaacs inaugurates the first Remploy factory, in Bridgend, with the aim of offering work to disabled ex-servicemen.
 * 26 December – A serious collapse at Bryn Eglwys slate mine near Abergynolwyn causes its closure.
 * A pneumoconiosis research unit is established at Llandough Hospital near Cardiff, in recognition of the damage being caused to miners' health.

Arts and literature

 * In the absence of a Prince of Wales, The Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to the throne, is admitted to the Gorsedd.

Awards

 * National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Mountain Ash)
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Geraint Bowen
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Rhydwen Williams
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Jenkins

In Welsh

 * Pennar Davies – Cinio'r Cythraul
 * Albert Evans-Jones (Cynan) – Ffarwel Weledig
 * Thomas Rowland Hughes – Chwalfa
 * John Gwilym Jones – Y Goeden Erin

In English

 * Caradoc Evans – The Earth Gives All and Takes All
 * Emyr Humphreys – Little Kingdom
 * Dylan Thomas – Deaths and Entrances
 * Gwyn Thomas – The Dark Philosophers

Music

 * 15 April – The Welsh National Opera makes its debut, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff, with a double bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, with almost all the singers being amateurs.
 * Daniel Jones – Scenes from the Mabinogion

Film

 * London Town featuring Tessie O'Shea

Broadcasting

 * June – The BBC's regional director for Wales tells Welsh MPs that there is "not enough talent... to sustain a full continuous programme".

Sport

 * Boxing – Wales stages its first-ever world title fight, in which lightweight Ronnie James is defeated by Ike Williams.

Births

 * 10 January – Terry Cobner, rugby player
 * 15 January – Roger Davis, cricketer
 * 31 January – Bobby Windsor, rugby player
 * 20 February – Mike Roberts, Wales and British Lion rugby player
 * 21 March – Timothy Dalton, actor
 * 2 April – Dai Llewellyn, socialite (died 2009)
 * 5 April – Russell Davies, journalist and broadcaster
 * 13 April – Della Jones, mezzo-soprano
 * 19 May – Androw Bennett, writer
 * 6 June – Hywel Francis, politician and historian (died 2021)
 * 14 June – Glyn Berry, diplomat
 * 6 August – Ron Davies, politician
 * 12 August – Andrew McNeillie, poet and literary editor
 * 3 October – Richie Morgan, professional footballer and manager
 * 18 October – Dafydd Elis-Thomas, politician
 * 30 October – Chris Slade, rock drummer
 * 26 November – Brian Hibbard, actor and singer (died 2012)
 * 27 November – Kim Howells, politician
 * 6 December – Martin Moore-Bick, judge
 * 9 December – Mervyn Davies, rugby player (died 2012)
 * date unknown – Tony Curtis, poet

Deaths

 * 8 January – Dion Fortune, writer, 55
 * 23 January – William Evans, Wales dual code international rugby player, 62
 * 25 April (in London) – Arthur Jenkins, MP for Pontypool, 64
 * 14 March – Reg Thomas, athlete, 39 (air crash)
 * 16 April – Jack Jenkins, footballer, 54
 * 25 April – Arthur Jenkins, politician, 64
 * 25 May – Ernest Rhys ("Mr Everyman"), writer, 86
 * 1 June – Arthur Griffith-Boscawen, politician, 80
 * 10 June – Humphrey Jones, footballer, 83
 * 18 June – Thomas Llewellyn Jones, businessman and politician in Australia, 74
 * 4 July – Taffy O'Callaghan, footballer, 39
 * 15 July – William Cope, 1st Baron Cope, politician, 75
 * 20 July – Richard Thomas Evans, politician, 55/56
 * 8 August – Miriam Kate Williams ("Vulcana"), strongwoman, 72
 * 12 August – Alfred Augustus Mathews, vicar and Wales international rugby player, 82
 * 25 August – Tudor Edwards, thoracic surgeon, 56
 * 26 August – Ruth Herbert Lewis, social reformer and collector of Welsh folk songs, 74
 * 15 October – David Percy Davies, newspaper editor,
 * 4 November – Bill Morris, Wales international rugby player, 77
 * 5 November – Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, author and patron of the arts in Wales, 66
 * 24 November – Sydney Nicholls, Wales rugby international player, 78
 * 6 December – Charles Stanton MP, politician
 * date unknown
 * William Egan, footballer, 73 or 74
 * Morris Williams, publisher, husband and collaborator of Kate Roberts, 46
 * Ianto Davies, rugby player, ?48