1955 in the United Kingdom

none November 2020 January 2013 1955 Constituent countries of the United Kingdom Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Popular culture 1955 British Grand Prix 1955 English cricket season Football: England Scotland 1955 in British radio 1955 in British television 1955 in British music Events from the year 1955 in the United Kingdom. The year is marked by changes of leadership for both principal political parties. Incumbents Monarch – Elizabeth II Prime Minister – Winston Churchill (Conservative) (until 6 April), Anthony Eden (Conservative) (starting 6 April) Events 1 January – The UK's first atomic bomber unit, No. 138 Squadron RAF, is formed, flying Vickers Valiant jets from RAF Gaydon in Warwickshire.Crosby Francis The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air Fighting in World War I Through the Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day London Hermes House 2006 9781846810008 288 https://archive.org/details/completeguidetof0000cros_l0m7/page/288 7 January – UK release of the Halas and Batchelor film animation of George Orwell's Animal Farm (completed April 1954), the first full-length British-made animated feature on general theatrical release, covertly funded by the CIA.Brian McFarlane The Encyclopedia of British Film London Methuen; BFI 2003 9780413773012 48 registration https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofbr0000unse/page/48Daniel J. Leab Orwell Subverted Pennsylvania State Press 2007 xiii-xiv 978-0-271-02979-5 11 January – 1955 RAF Shackleton aircraft disappearance: Two Royal Air Force Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft flying from RAF St Eval in Cornwall disappear without trace during a routine patrol.Ranter Harro Avro Shackleton MR.2 Aviatiomn Safety Network https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550111-1 2023-04-24 23 January – Sutton Coldfield rail crash: a diverted express train takes a sharp curve too fast and derails at Sutton Coldfield railway station: 17 killed, 43 injured.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/23/newsid_2671000/2671481.stm Express train crashes killing 14 BBC News 2008-02-11 23 January 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132715/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/23/newsid_2671000/2671481.stm 7 March 2008 live 27 January – Michael Tippett's opera The Midsummer Marriage is premiered at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London with designs by Barbara Hepworth and choreography by John Cranko; it arouses controversy.Gloag Kenneth Gloag, Kenneth Jones, Nicholas The Cambridge Companion to Michael Tippett Tippett's operatic world: from The Midsummer Marriage to New Year 230–31 Cambridge University Press 2013 978-1-107-60613-5 24 February – A big freeze across Britain results in more than 70 roads being blocked with snow and in some parts of the country, rail services are cancelled for several days. The Royal Air Force works to deliver food and medical supplies to the worst affected areas.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/24/newsid_4292000/4292041.stm Britain's big freeze 2009-12-05 BBC News 24 February 1955 25 February – Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (launched 1950) commissioned, the first constructed with an angled flight deck and steam catapults from new.Penguin Pocket On This Day Penguin Reference Library 0-14-102715-0 2006 1 April The Central Electricity Authority takes over management and operation of the electricity supply industry in England and Wales from the British Electricity Authority.Leslie Hannah Leslie Hannah Engineers, Managers and Politicians: The First Fifteen Years of Nationalised Electricity Supply in Britain 1982 Macmillan London 978-0-333-22087-0 EOKA starts a terrorist campaign against British rule in the Crown colony of Cyprus, leading to a state of emergency being declared by the Governor on 26 November. 2 April – Duncan Edwards, the 18-year-old Manchester United left-half, becomes the youngest full England international in a 7–2 win over Scotland at Wembley. Dudley-born Edwards is already being tipped by many observers to become the next England captain upon the eventual retirement of Billy Wright.http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Duncan-Edwards-article663.html Duncan Edwards: A prodigious talent cut down in his prime Mirror Football Daily Mirror 2012-02-10 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121016231843/http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/archive/Duncan-Edwards-article663.html 16 October 2012 5 April – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister due to ill-health at the age of 80.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/5/newsid_2822000/2822959.stm Sir Winston Churchill resigns BBC News 2008-02-11 5 April 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132754/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/5/newsid_2822000/2822959.stm 7 March 2008 live 6 April – Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden is named as the new Prime Minister. Eden, 58, has held government and shadow cabinet ministerial roles for the last 20 years and was first tipped for the role of Prime Minister as long ago as Stanley Baldwin's resignation.http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/cabinet-gov/anthony-eden-1955.htm Anthony Eden 1955 The Cabinet Papers 1915-1981 The National Archives Kew 2012-01-24 Eden's previous office of Deputy Prime Minister is not refilled. 16 April – Laurence Olivier's film Richard III is released. 21 April – National newspapers published for the first time after a month-long strike by maintenance workers.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/21/newsid_2525000/2525427.stm Fleet Street papers back after strike BBC News 2008-02-11 21 April 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080122135713/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/21/newsid_2525000/2525427.stm 22 January 2008 live 23 April – Chelsea F.C. who have previously never won the league title nor the FA Cup, are Football League First Division champions and will be England's first entrants into UEFA's new European Cup next season if they accept the invitation to compete.Trophy – 1955 League Title http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~856021,00.html 11 July 2002 chelseaafc.com Chelsea Football Club 2012-02-10 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120302203601/http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0%2C%2C10268~856021%2C00.html 2 March 2012 30 April – Pietro Annigoni's portrait of the Queen is unveiled.W. T. Oliver Emphasis on young artists at the Academy Yorkshire Post 30 April 1955 7 1 May – The last Cornish engine pumping in the metalliferous mines of Cornwall is shut down at South Crofty. 4–6 May – A severe gale strips topsoil across Norfolk.Paul Simons Since Records Began London Collins 2008 978-0-00-728463-4 36–8 5 May – American virologist Dr Jonas Salk promotes a polio vaccine in Britain, with the 500,000th person receiving a vaccine against the disease.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/5/newsid_2510000/2510495.stm Dr Salk promotes polio vaccine in UK 2009-12-05 BBC News 5 May 1955 7 May – Newcastle United secure the FA Cup for the sixth time with a 3-1 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1955.htm 1955 The FA Cup 2011-02-04 22 May 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100522014512/http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1955.htm 14 May – Warrington win the Rugby League Championship title for the third time; they will not win it again within the following 70 years. 24 May Wartime film The Dam Busters is released. With three days to go before the General Election, all major opinion polls show the Conservative government well placed for reelection.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j_wsAAAAIBAJ&pg=946,4834939&dq=opinion+poll&hl=en British Public Opinion Polls Predict Conservative Victory The Palm Beach Post Florida 24 May 1955 2012-07-07May 2024 25 May – Joe Brown and George Band are the first to climb Kanchenjunga, as part of the 1955 British Kanchenjunga expedition led by Charles Evans. 27 May – Anthony Eden wins the General Election for the Conservative Party with a majority of 31 seats,https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/27/newsid_3850000/3850389.stm Election victory for Tories under Eden BBC News 2008-02-11 27 May 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132731/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/27/newsid_3850000/3850389.stm 7 March 2008 live an improvement on the 17-seat majority gained by his predecessor Sir Winston Churchill four years ago.1951 General election results summary http://www.ukpolitical.info/1951.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20030820033659/http://www.ukpolitical.info/1951.htm dead 20 August 2003 UK Political Info 2012-02-10 Between them, the Conservative and Labour parties take 96.1% of the popular vote. Notable newcomers to the Conservative benches in the House of Commons include William Whitelaw and Geoffrey Rippon. 29 May – Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) calls a strike on British Railways which continues until 14 June, leading to a state of emergency being declared on 31 May. 6 June – Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act comes into effect, with intention of protecting children from horror comics. 16 June – Submarine HMS Sidon sinks in Portland Harbour with the loss of thirteen crew following an explosion caused by a faulty torpedo on board. 30 June A Gloster Meteor jet fighter crashes on takeoff from RAF West Malling in Kent, killing both crew and two fruit-pickers on the ground.Four Killed in Air Crash The Times London 1955-07-01 10 53261 On the same day, two Hawker Sea Hawk jet fighters flying from RNAS Lossiemouth in Scotland independently crash into the North Sea; one pilot is killed. The Simonstown Agreement provides for control of the naval base at Simon's Town to transfer from the British Royal Navy to the South African Navy.http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/small/cab-129-179-c-119.pdf The Simonstown Agreement: Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 29 October 1974. 24 April 2023 21 February 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220221101128/http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/small/cab-129-179-c-119.pdf dead Summer – Heat wave and associated drought.http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/h.j.fowler/histdrought.htm Severe droughts in Yorkshire 2002 2009-10-30 July – Unemployment stands at a modern low of just over 215,000, meaning that barely 1% of the workforce is currently without a job.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15276765 BBC News Whatever happened to full employment? 13 October 2011 5 November 2011 9 July Bertrand Russell issues the Russell-Einstein Manifesto highlighting the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. Police procedural Dixon of Dock Green, starring Jack Warner, makes its debut on the BBC Television Service, it will run for 21 years. 13 July – Ruth Ellis becomes the last woman to be hanged in the UK, at HM Prison Holloway, for shooting dead a lover, David Blakely, outside a pub in Hampstead (north London) on 10 April (Easter Sunday).https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/lostdecade/timeline_html.shtml The Lost Decade Timeline, BBC 2008-02-11 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060821133044/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/lostdecade/timeline_html.shtml 21 August 2006 17 July – Stirling Moss becomes the first English winner of the British Grand Prix at Aintree Motor Racing Circuit.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/17/newsid_2981000/2981372.stm Moss claims first Grand Prix victory BBC News 2008-02-11 17 July 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132622/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/17/newsid_2981000/2981372.stm 7 March 2008 live 18 July – Winterborne St Martin (in Dorset) enters the UK Weather Records with the highest 24-hour total rainfall at 279mm.This total was reported for the Meteorological Day from 0900–0900 GMT. Other 24 hour periods have exceeded this value (November 2009 and December 2015), but not during the meteorological day. 25–27 July – 'Operation Sandcastle': The first load of deteriorating captured Nazi German bombs filled with Tabun (nerve agent) is shipped from Cairnryan on the Empire Claire for scuttling in the Atlantic Ocean. 26 July – Chelsea F.C. withdraws from the new European Cup on the instructions of the Football League. 30 July – Philip Larkin makes a train journey from Hull to Grantham which inspires his poem The Whitsun Weddings.Contrary to his later recollection of the event. Burnett, Archie The Complete Poems of Philip Larkin London Faber 2012 978-0-571-24006-7 411 3 August Ministry of Housing and Local Government issues Circular 42/55 inviting local planning authorities to establish green belts. English language premiere of Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot, directed by Peter Hall, opens at the Arts Theatre, London. 26 August – Hammer Film Productions' The Quatermass Xperiment is released. 27 August – The Guinness Book of Records is first published. 18 August – British tourist Janet Marshall is murdered in France.2015-06-28 Pour que Janet Marshall, assassinée il y a 60 ans, repose en paix https://actu.fr/hauts-de-france/abbeville_80001/pour-que-janet-marshall-assassinee-il-y-a-60-ans-repose-en-paix_10059590.html 2025-08-06 actu.fr fr 29 August – A Royal Air Force English Electric Canberra jet engined medium bomber sets a new world altitude record of 65,876ft (20,079m).Donald, David The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft New York Barnes & Noble 1997 978-0-7607-0592-6 89 4 September – Richard Baker and Kenneth Kendall become the first BBC Television newsreaders to be seen reading the news. 7 September – Meld wins the Fillies Triple Crown having finished first in the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes.Craig Dennis Breeding Racehorses from Cluster Mares J.A. Allen London 1964 14 September – Airfix produce their first scale model aircraft kit of the Supermarine Spitfire at 1/72 scale.Steven S. Pietrobon Airfix's First Aircraft Kit: The Spitfire BTK http://www.sworld.com.au/steven/models/spitfire/index.html 24 June 2005 2010-11-06 18 September The People newspaper makes public that Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1951, were spies and not merely diplomats as previously reported.Ben Macintyre Ben Macintyre A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal London Bloomsbury 2014 978-1-4088-6192-9 The United Kingdom annexes Rockall.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm Britain claims Rockall BBC News 2008-02-11 21 September 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132618/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm 7 March 2008 live 22 September – The Independent Television Authority's first ITV franchise begins broadcasting the UK's first commercial television station in London, ending the 18-year monopoly of the BBC.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/22/newsid_3131000/3131477.stm New TV channel ends BBC monopoly BBC News 2008-02-11 22 September 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132521/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/22/newsid_3131000/3131477.stm 7 March 2008 live The first advertisement shown is for Gibbs SR toothpaste.A Short History of British TV Advertising https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/short-history-british-tv-advertising Science and Media Museum 10 September 2021 On the same day, the popular BBC Radio serial The Archers kills off the character Grace Archer. 23 September – Barbara Mandell becomes Britain's first female newsreader, presenting ITN's Midday News bulletin on ITV.Anthony Hayward https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-barbara-mandell-1196010.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-barbara-mandell-1196010.html 2022-05-01 subscription live Obituary: Barbara Mandell – Arts & Entertainment Independent Print Ltd The Independent London 1998-09-05 2012-03-28 26 September – Clarence Birdseye begins selling fish fingers in Britain. October – Dame Evelyn Sharp appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the first woman Civil Servant to attain this most senior position within a UK Ministry.Baroness Sharp 4 September 1985 Obituaries 14 F 62234 23 October – Kim Philby is named as the "Third Man" of the Cambridge Spy Ring in the US press, a claim repeated on 25 October in the House of Commons by Marcus Lipton. 31 October – Princess Margaret announces that she does not intend to marry divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/31/newsid_3202000/3202307.stm Princess Margaret cancels wedding BBC News 2008-02-11 31 October 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132652/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/31/newsid_3202000/3202307.stm 7 March 2008 live 7 November – The Foreign Secretary denies in Parliament that Kim Philby is the "Third Man" of the Cambridge Spy Ring. 19 November – C. Northcote Parkinson first articulates "Parkinson's Law", the semi-serious adage Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/management/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14116121 The Economist Parkinson's Law C. Northcote Parkinson 19 November 1955 5 October 2010 20 November – Milton rail crash: an excursion train takes a crossover too fast and derails at Milton, near Didcot: 11 killed, 157 injured. Late November – Lonnie Donegan's 1954 skiffle recording of Rock Island Line is released as a single; it becomes a major hit in 1956. 2 December – Barnes rail crash at Barnes, South London, a collision due to signal error and consequent fire: 13 killed, 35 injured. 7 December – Clement Attlee resigns as leader of the Labour Party after twenty years at the age of 72.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/7/newsid_3267000/3267929.stm Attlee steps down as Labour leader BBC News 2008-02-11 7 December 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132641/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/7/newsid_3267000/3267929.stm 7 March 2008 live 8 December – The Ealing comedy film The Ladykillers is released.http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/441533/ Ladykillers, The (1955) screenonline.org.uk BFI 2010-07-09 9 December – Cumbernauld, Scotland, is designated as a New town.http://www.open2.net/modernity/3_10.htm Cumbernauld Town Centre 2010-07-18 26 November 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111126080541/http://www.open2.net/modernity/3_10.htm dead 12 December – Christopher Cockerell patents his design of hovercraft. 14 December – Hugh Gaitskell becomes leader of the Labour Party. The 49-year-old MP was previously the treasurer of the party and served as chancellor during the final year of the previous Labour government.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/14/newsid_3254000/3254118.stm Gaitskell elected Labour leader BBC News 2008-02-11 14 December 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132610/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/14/newsid_3254000/3254118.stm 7 March 2008 live 16 December – The Queen opens a new terminal at London Airport.https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/16/newsid_4035000/4035801.stm 1955: Queen opens London Airport terminal BBC News 2008-02-11 16 December 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080307132719/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/16/newsid_4035000/4035801.stm 7 March 2008 live 20 December – Cardiff becomes the official capital of Wales.Capital claims – A city's struggle https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2854567.stm BBC News 22 April 2003 2011-02-07 Mary Quant opens her first fashion boutique, Bazaar, in the King's Road, Chelsea.Quant Mary 2011 Mary Quant Autobiography https://books.google.com/books?id=sNPHZh7mDkAC Headline 978-0-7553-6338-4 Publications Kingsley Amis's comic novel That Uncertain Feeling. Derrick Sherwin Bailey's study Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. Henry Cecil's comic novel Brothers in Law. Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novel Hickory Dickory Dock. G. R. Elton's history England Under the Tudors. Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Moonraker. Graham Greene's novel The Quiet American. W. G. Hoskins' historical geography The Making of the English Landscape. Aldous Huxley's novel The Genius and the Goddess. Philip Larkin's poetry collection The Less Deceived. C. S. Lewis' high fantasy Narnia novel The Magician's Nephew and spiritual autobiography Surprised by Joy. Alistair MacLean's adventure novel HMS Ulysses. J. J. Marric's police procedural novel Gideon's Day. Ian Nairn's special issue of Architectural Review, "Outrage". J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy novel The Return of the King, third of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Alfred Wainwright's first hand-drawn guidebook A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Book 1: The Eastern Fells. Evelyn Waugh's novel Officers and Gentlemen, second of the Sword of Honour trilogy. Donald J. West's study Homosexuality. John Wyndham's science fiction novel The Chrysalids. Births January–June 1 January Mary Beard, classicist Simon Schaffer, academic and historian of science and philosophy 3 January – Helen O'Hara, rock violinist 5 January – Jimmy Mulville, comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions 6 January – Rowan Atkinson, comedy performer 15 January – Nigel Benson, author and illustrator 18 January – Lionel Barber, journalist 19 January Tony Mansfield, singer-songwriter and producer Simon Rattle, orchestral conductor 27 January – Alexander Stuart, novelist and screenwriter in the United States 1 February – Virginia Elliott, equestrian 3 February Sue Ion, nuclear scientist Kirsty Wark, Scottish television presenter 5 February – Melanie Johnson, British politicianhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2176849.stm Melanie Johnson: Political Profile BBC News 16 October 2002 May 26, 2021 9 February – Charles Shaughnessy, television actor in the United States and peer 10 February – Chris Adams, wrestler (died 2001) 12 February – Paul Geoffrey, actor (died 2023) 18 February – Miles Tredinnick, singer-songwriter and playwright 23 February – Howard Jones, pop keyboardist and singer-songwriter 28 February – Bob Kerslake, head of the home civil service (died 2023) 1 March – Timothy Laurence, admiral and second husband of Anne, Princess Royal 11 March – Peter Bennett-Jones, television producer 14 March – Nigel Biggar, Anglican priest, theologian, and ethicist 18 March – Jeff Stelling, television sports presenter 19 March – John Burnside, Scottish poet and fiction writer (died 2024) 28 March – John Alderdice, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland politician and Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly 29 March – Marina Sirtis, television actress in the United States 31 March – Angus Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist 1 April – Sal Brinton, politician 3 April – Michael Burleigh, historian 5 April Anthony Horowitz, novelist and screenwriter Janice Long, born Janice Chegwin, radio disc jockey (died 2021) 10 April – Lesley Garrett, soprano 11 April – Piers Sellers, English-born meteorologist and astronaut (died 2016) 17 April – Pete Shelley, rock singer, songwriter and guitarist, co-founder of Buzzcocks (died 2018) 22 April – Geoffrey Vos, judge, Master of the Rolls 23 April – Tony Miles, chess player (died 2001) 24 April – Margaret Moran, Labour politician and convicted criminal 25 April – John Nunn, chess player and mathematician 28 April Eddie Jobson, rock keyboardist and violinist Tim Martin, businessman 1 May – Nick Feldman, rock musician 2 May – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer 6 May – John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, Labour politician 11 May – Paul Rowen, Liberal Democrat politician and MP for Rochdale 12 May – David Anfam, art historian (died 2024) 13 May – Garry Bushell, newspaper columnist, rock music journalist and singer, television presenter, writer and political activist 16 May – Hazel O'Connor, singer 21 May – Paul Barber, field hockey player 22 May – Dale Winton, broadcast presenter (died 2018) 30 May – Topper Headon, born Nicholas Headon, rock drummer (The Clash) 31 May Joe Longthorne, entertainer (died 2019) Lynne Truss, writer 4 June – Val McDermid, Scottish crime novelist 7 June – Jo Gilbert, film producer and casting director (died 2018) 8 June – Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web 13 June – Alan Hansen, Scottish footballer and television presenter 14 June Gillian Bailey, child actress Paul O'Grady, talk show host, comedian and drag queen (died 2023)Jeffries Stuart Paul O'Grady obituary https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/29/paul-o-grady-obituary The Guardian 29 March 2023 29 March 2023 29 March 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230329170335/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/29/paul-o-grady-obituary live 19 June – Asgar, celebrity hair stylistAsgar Saboo https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/hindi/hairstylist/asgar-saboo nettv4u.com 18 July 2023 23 June – Pamela Rooke, model and actress (died 2022) 26 June Mick Jones, rock guitarist (The Clash) Steve Whitaker, artist (died 2008) July–December 6 July – Michael Boyd, theatre director (died 2023) 12 July – Timothy Garton Ash, modern historian 18 July – Terry Chambers, rock drummer 20 July – Jem Finer, folk rock banjoist, composer and multimedia artist 21 July – Henry Priestman, English pop singer-songwriter, keyboardist and producer 29 July – Stephen Timms, Labour politician 6 August – Gordon J. Brand, golfer 13 August – Paul Greengrass, film director 14 August – Gillian Taylforth, television actress 23 August – David Learner, actor 1 September – Bruce Foxton, rock bass guitarist and vocalist 3 September – Steve Jones, guitarist (Sex Pistols) 5 September – John Bentley, dual-code rugby football player 16 September – Janet Ellis, children's television presenter 20 September – David Haig, actor 29 September – Gareth Davies, rugby union player 30 September – Martin Millett, archaeologist 2 October Philip Oakey, pop singer-songwriter Nancy Rothwell, physiologist 7 October – Clinton Bennett, scholar of religions, specialist in the study of Islam 9 October – Steve Ovett, athlete 18 October – Timmy Mallett, television presenter 28 October – Digby Jones, businessman 29 October – Roger O'Donnell, rock keyboardist 30 October – Jeremy Black, historian 12 November – Les McKeown, singer (Bay City Rollers) (died 2021) 14 November – Philip Egan, bishop 17 November Peter Cox, pop singer-songwriter (Go West) Amanda Levete, architect 22 November – George Alagiah, Ceylonese-born journalist and television news presenter (died 2023) 24 November – Ian Botham, cricketer 30 November – Billy Idol, born William Broad, rock singer 4 December – Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer 6 December – Rick Buckler, drummer (died 2025) 13 December – Glenn Roeder, football player and manager (died 2021) 15 December – Paul Simonon, rock bass guitarist (The Clash) 23 December – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet Undated Rebecca Salter, printmaker and multimedia abstract artist, President of the Royal Academy Phil Sawdon, artist, writer and academic Deaths 7 January – Lamorna Birch, painter (born 1869) 10 January – Annette Mills, television presenter (born 1894) 29 January – Sir Rhys Rhys-Williams, Welsh politician (born 1865) 11 March – Sir Alexander Fleming, Scottish bacteriologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1881)Alexander Fleming Biography, Education, Discovery, & Facts https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Fleming Encyclopedia Britannica 15 October 2020 en 16 April – Frank Halford, aeronautical engineer (born 1894) 22 April – Herbert MacNair, Scottish artist (born 1868) 27 April – Ambrose Bebb, author (born 1894) 9 May – Kate Booth, Salvation Army officer (born 1858) 11 May – Gilbert Jessop, cricketer (born 1874) 21 May – Dame Lilian Barker, humanitarian, promoter of women's welfare and penal reformer (born 1874) 5 June – Sir Herbert Stanley, Governor of Northern Rhodesia, Ceylon and Southern Rhodesia (born 1872) 14 June – Jacob Moritz Blumberg, surgeon, gynaecologist and radium therapist (born 1873 in Germany) 3 July – Beatrice Chase, writer (born 1874) 9 July – Don Beauman, racing driver (born 1928) 13 July – Ruth Ellis, Welsh-born murderer (born 1926) 18 July – Billy McCandless, Irish footballer (born 1894) 16 September – Leo Amery, politician (born 1873) 28 September – Lionel Rees, Welsh airman, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1884) 11 October – Hector McNeil, Scottish politician (born 1907) 14 October – Harry Parr-Davies, Welsh songwriter (born 1914) 15 October – Thomas Jones (T. J.), Welsh educationalist (born 1870) 14 November – Ruby M. Ayres, romance novelist (born 1881) 25 November – Sir Arthur Tansley, botanist and ecologist (born 1871) 27 December – Alfred Carpenter, naval officer, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1881) 31 December – Cyril Garbett, Anglican prelate, Archbishop of York (born 1875) Notes See also 1955 in British music 1955 in British television List of British films of 1955 References 30em 1955 Category:Years of the 20th century in the United Kingdom Category:1955 by country Category:1950s in the United Kingdom Category:1955 in Europe