1972 in Wales

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1972 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

 * Secretary of State for Wales – Peter Thomas
 * Archbishop of Wales – Gwilym Williams, Bishop of Bangor
 * Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
 * Tilsli (outgoing)
 * Brinli (incoming)

Events

 * 1 January – Welsh rugby captain John Dawes is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List.
 * 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).
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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).

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"
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Dafydd Rowlands, "Dadeni"
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – Dafydd Rowlands, "Ysgrifau yr Hanner Bardd"
 * National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal – Urien Wiliam

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
 * Islwyn Ffowc Elis – Eira Mawr
 * Bobi Jones – Allor Wydn
 * David Tecwyn Lloyd – Lady Gwladys a Phobl Eraill
 * Gerallt Lloyd Owen – Cerddi'r Cywilydd
 * Kate Roberts – Gobaith a Storïau Eraill

Drama

 * Gwyn Thomas – Amser Dyn sef Darnau o Einioes

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

Welsh-language television

 * Gwrando ar fy Nghan with singer Heather Jones
 * Teliffant with Myfanwy Talog

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.

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

Births

 * 27 January
 * Nathan Blake, footballer
 * Wynne Evans, tenor
 * March - Helen Raynor, dramatist and screenwriter
 * 23 March – Joe Calzaghe, boxer
 * 10 April – Chris Corcoran, comedian
 * 7 June – Sian Lloyd, television news presenter
 * 5 July – Nia Roberts, actress
 * 20 August – Scott Quinnell, rugby player
 * 24 August – Jason Bowen, footballer
 * 4 September – Guto Pryce, musician
 * 23 September – Julian Winn, cyclist
 * 3 October – Josie d'Arby, actress and television presenter
 * 4 November – Tim Vincent, television presenter
 * 27 December – Colin Charvis, rugby player

Deaths

 * 17 January – Stan Davies, footballer, 73
 * 4 February – Sir Charles Robert Harington, chemist, 74
 * 25 February – S. O. Davies, politician, 85
 * 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
 * 28 March – James Edward Nichols, geneticist, 69
 * 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
 * 10 July – Emrys Jones, actor, 56 (heart attack)
 * 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
 * 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
 * unknown date
 * Sam Davies, Wales international footballer, 77 or 78
 * Lillian Griffith, sculptor, 94 or 95