1956 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1956 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Archbishop of Wales – John Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfnallt

Events

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 22 November – In a mining accident at Lewis Merthyr Colliery, seven men are killed.
 * exact date unknown – Aberystwyth's town clock is demolished as unsafe.

Arts and literature

 * Welsh language periodical Y Faner is bought by Huw T. Edwards and thus saved from going out of business.
 * Morecambe and Wise are reunited by chance at the Swansea Empire Theatre.
 * 22 November – The New Scientist is launched by Percy Cudlipp, who becomes its first editor.

Awards

 * National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Aberdare)
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Mathonwy Hughes, "Gwraig"
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – withheld
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – W. T. Gruffydd, "Y Pwrpas Mawr"

English language

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

Welsh language

 * Huw T. Edwards – Tros y Tresi
 * Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Yn Ôl i Leifior
 * David Rees Griffiths – Caneuon Amanwy
 * Kate Roberts – Y Byw sy'n Cysgu
 * Waldo Williams – Dail Pren

Music

 * 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

Film

 * 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.

Broadcasting

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

Welsh-language television

 * 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.

English-language television

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

Sport

 * 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

Births

 * 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

Deaths

 * 4 January – Robert Williams Parry, poet, 71
 * 10 January – Jack Johns, cricketer, 70
 * 14 January – Sam Ramsey, Wales international rugby union player
 * 23 January – William Harris, academic and translator, 71
 * 1 February – John Lloyd-Jones, academic, 70
 * 22 February – Nathaniel Walters, Wales international rugby player, 80
 * 27 February – Tudor Rees, lawyer, judge and Liberal politician, 75
 * 19 May – Peter Freeman, politician, 67
 * 8 June – Walter Rice, 7th Baron Dynevor, soldier, civil servant and politician, 82
 * 5 July – Fred Birt, Welsh international rugby union player, 69
 * 11 June – Frank Brangwyn, artist, 89
 * 17 August – William Havard, Bishop of St. Davids and international rugby player, 66
 * 31 August – Winifred Coombe Tennant, politician and philanthropist, 81
 * 13 September – David Davies, footballer, 77
 * 20 September – Arthur Tysilio Johnson, farmer and author, 83
 * 1 October – J. O. Francis, dramatist, 74
 * 11 October – David James Davies, economist and politician, 63
 * 16 October – Robert Evans (Cybi), historian, 84
 * 18 October – Harry Parry, jazz musician, 44
 * 22 November – Rhys Hopkin Morris MP, politician, 68
 * 16 December – Nina Hamnett, artist, 66
 * 28 December – John Dyfnallt Owen, poet and archdruid, 83