1950 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1950 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
 * Wil Ifan (outgoing)
 * Cynan (incoming)

Events

 * 23 February – 1950 United Kingdom general election: For the first time ever, the Labour Party contests all Parliamentary seats in Wales. Following the election, Wales has 27 Labour MPs, 4 Liberals, 3 Conservatives and one National Liberal/Conservative.
 * The University of Wales seat is abolished at the dissolution, W. J. Gruffydd having been the last holder.
 * Roderic Bowen is re-elected for Cardiganshire, with the largest Liberal majority in the country.
 * David Ormsby-Gore, the future Lord Harlech, becomes MP for Oswestry.
 * Lynn Ungoed-Thomas, following the abolition of his Llandaff and Barry constituency, is elected MP for Leicester North East.
 * Roy Jenkins, whose Southwark seat has been abolished, is elected for Birmingham Stechford.
 * Elwyn Jones becomes MP for West Ham South.
 * Following the election, Ness Edwards becomes Postmaster-General. During his time in the office, he introduces the greetings telegram.
 * Abertillery's Labour MP, George Daggar, dies on 14 October, to be replaced by Llywelyn Williams.
 * 12 March – Llandow air disaster: 80 of the 83 people on board an Avro Tudor V aircraft are killed when it crashes on approach to Llandow in Glamorgan, making it the world's worst air disaster at this time.
 * 30 March – William Havard is elected Bishop of St David's.
 * 1 June – The Welsh Air Service, the world's first scheduled helicopter service, begins operating between Cardiff, Wrexham and Liverpool.
 * 27 August – Six people are killed in a rail collision at Penmaenmawr railway station.
 * 9 September – In Swansea, following heavy rain, three houses collapse, killing seven people.
 * Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones opens in Amlwch on Anglesey as Britain's first purpose-built comprehensive school.
 * Maes Hyfryd and Bryn Teg housing estates at Beaumaris, designed by Colwyn Foulkes, are built.
 * Glanllyn is acquired as a permanent site for meetings of Urdd Gobaith Cymru.
 * In the Honours lists
 * Physicist Ezer Griffiths is awarded the O.B.E.
 * Agriculturist Thomas James Jenkin is awarded the C.B.E.
 * Industrialist Herbert Henry Merrett is knighted.
 * Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda, becomes President of University College, Cardiff.

Arts and literature

 * 21 February – Dylan Thomas arrives in the United States, his first visit to America.
 * The first Welsh Drama Festival is held.
 * American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith visits the UK to take photographs of working-class life; three of those published are of the South Wales valleys.

Awards

 * National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caerphilly) (first "all-Welsh" Eisteddfod)
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Gwilym Tilsley
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Euros Bowen
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – withheld

English language

 * Sir Leonard Twiston Davies – Welsh furniture: an introduction
 * Kathleen Freeman – Greek City States
 * Llywelyn Wyn Griffith – The Welsh
 * Elisabeth Inglis-Jones – Peacocks in Paradise
 * Thomas Jones (T. J.) – Welsh Broth
 * Richard Llewellyn – A Few Flowers for Shiner
 * V. E. Nash-Williams – The Early Christian Monuments of Wales
 * Harold Henry Rowley – The Growth of the Old Testament
 * Bertrand Russell – Unpopular Essays
 * Raymond Williams – Reading and Criticism

Welsh language

 * Ambrose Bebb – Machlud yr Oesoedd Canol
 * Aneirin Talfan Davies – Blodeugerdd o englynion
 * Edward Morgan Humphreys – Gwŷr enwog gynt
 * Edgar Phillips – Caniadau Trefîn
 * Arthur Wade-Evans – Coll Prydain
 * David Pryse Williams – Canmlwyddiant Libanus ... braslun o'r hanes
 * William Crwys Williams – Pedair Pennod

Music

 * Harry Parr Davies – Dear Miss Phoebe (musical)
 * Arwel Hughes – Dewi Sant (Saint David) (oratorio)
 * Grace Williams – Three Traditional Ballads
 * W. S. Gwynn Williams – Breuddwyd Glyndwr

Film

 * Glyn Houston makes his film debut in The Blue Lamp, which also stars Meredith Edwards and guest stars Tessie O'Shea.
 * Ray Milland stars in Copper Canyon and A Woman of Distinction.

Sports

 * Boxing
 * 13 September – Eddie Thomas beats Cliff Curvis at St Helens to become British welterweight champion.
 * Football
 * 27 October – Wales international Trevor Ford becomes the most expensive footballer in British history after joining Sunderland for £30,000.
 * Rugby union – Wales win their fourth Grand Slam.
 * Bowls – The Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association is founded.

Births

 * 23 January – John Greaves, Welsh bass player and songwriter
 * 7 February – Dai Havard MP, politician
 * 16 February (in Nairobi) – Peter Hain MP, politician
 * 11 March – Terry Cooper, footballer
 * 18 March – Lorraine Barrett AM, politician
 * 27 March – Terry Yorath, footballer and football manager
 * 3 May – Mary Hopkin, singer
 * 5 May (in Saint Kitts) – Pat Thomas, boxer
 * 24 May – Geoff Ellis, cricketer
 * 26 May – Myron Wyn Evans, chemist (died 2019)
 * 2 June – Jonathan Evans MEP, businessman and politician
 * 14 June – Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
 * 25 August (in Dublin) – Brian Gibbons AM, politician
 * 8 September – Martyn Woodroffe, swimmer
 * 10 September – Tich Gwilym, guitarist (d. 2005)
 * 11 October – Robert Pugh, actor
 * 16 November – Chris O'Brien, rugby league player
 * 28 November – Meic Povey, screenwriter, playwright and actor (d. 2017)
 * 8 December – Stephen Richards, judge
 * 10 December – John Parsons, footballer

Deaths

 * 23 January – Jack Rhapps, dual-code international rugby player, 73
 * 13 February – Rees Howells, missionary and founder of the Bible College at Swansea, 70
 * 28 February – David Lewis Prosser, Archbishop of Wales, 81
 * 9 March – Timothy Evans, wrongly executed for murder, 35
 * 15 March – Sir Wilfrid Lewis, judge
 * 12 April – Joe Rees, rugby union player, 56
 * 29 April – Wallace Watts, Wales international rugby union player, 80
 * 15 May – David Edwardes Davies, Bishop of Bangor, 70
 * 21 June – General Sir Henry ap Rhys Pryce, officer in the Indian Army, 75
 * 23 June – Joseph Harry, minister and poet, 86
 * 29 June – H. A. Gwynne, author and newspaper editor, 84
 * 2 July – Henry Haydn Jones MP, politician, 86
 * 5 July – John Hughes, footballer, 73
 * 30 August – Morgan Morgan-Owen, footballer, 73
 * 30 August – Ralph Hancock, landscape gardener, 57
 * 19 September – David Jones, archdeacon of Carmarthen, 75
 * 14 October – George Daggar MP, politician, 71
 * 28 October – Alis Mallt Williams, novelist, 83
 * 21 November – Hugh Emyr Davies, poet, 72