The VI Games marked the largest sporting event ever held in Wales, at the time Wales was the smallest Country ever to host a British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Cardiff had to wait 12 years longer than originally scheduled to become host of the Games, as the 1946 event was cancelled because of World War II.

"The triumph of Wales and Cardiff in staging the Sixth British Empire and Commonwealth Games is now history - and history that will ring down the years to come".

England’s famed middle distance runners, Roger Bannister and Chris Chattaway, were handed the honour of taking the Queen’s Baton from Buckingham Palace on the first stage of its journey to Wales. The baton was delivered to the Duke of Edinburgh by the record breaking Welsh rugby wing and 1948 olympic silver medallist Ken Jones.  

The Cardiff Games were to be South Africa’s last until their post-apartheid return to the Games in 1994. A number of objections against South Africa took place in Cardiff because their team had been selected on the basis of race and colour rather than ability. South Africa subsequently withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1961 for 30 years.

Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya and the Isle of Man.

Nine sports were featured in the Cardiff Games – athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, weightlifting and wrestling.

ATHLETICS - JW Alford, Team Official (Coach). - Miss J Barnett, 220 yds. - T Billington, 880 yds. - Miss J Cook, Team Manager. - JR Davies, Weight. - RB Davies, Marathon. - J Disley, Three Miles. - R Dodd, Hop, Step and Jump. - C Fletcher, Pole Vault. - R Franklin, Marathon. - R Gazard, Long Jump. - Miss E Grainger, 4 x 110 yds. - LM Hall, Hammer. - A Horrell, 880 yds. - Miss BF Jones, 110 yds, Long Jump, 4 x 110 yds. - DH Jones, 440 yds (Did not compete.). - JC Jones, 220 yds. - K Jones, Team Manager. - R Jones, 100 yds, 4 x 110 yds (5th). - Miss S Jones, Long Jump. - Miss G Lewis, 100 yds, 220 yds, 4 x 110 yds. - Miss SL Lewis, 80 m, Hurdles. - JL Merriman, Three Miles (6th), Six Miles (2nd). - JEP Morgan, 100 yds, 4 x 110 yds (5th). - T Morgan, High Jump. - J Neill, Pole Vault. - JW Oliver, 220 yds. - M Pemberton, Discus. - KM Phillips, High Jump. - A Pumfrey, Mile. - D Rees, Marathon. - DJP Richards, Three Miles. - DW Roberts, 100 yds, 4 x 110 yds (5th). - BG Sexton, Javelin. - RD Shaw, 440 yds, Hurdles. - H Tawton, 880 yds. - Miss CM Thomas, 80 m, Hurdles. - Miss B Turner, 100 yds. - ND Watkins, Javelin. - Mrs J Whitehead, 100 yds, 220 yds, 4 x 110 yds. - NJ Whitehead, 100 yds, 220 yds, 4 x 110 yds (5th). - Miss DH Williams, 220 yds. - H Williams, Discus, Weight. - JM Williams, 880 yds. - TC Wood, Marathon. - JB Wooley, Long Jump.

BOXING - D Braithwaite, Flyweight (3rd). - WG Brown, Light Middleweight (3rd). - M Collins, Featherweight (2nd). - AR Higgings, Light Heavyweight (2nd). - J Llewellyn, Team Manager. - WH Mannings, Team Official. - W Phillips, Welterweight. - R Pleace, Heavyweight (3rd). - J Robson, Lightweight. - G Waters, Middleweight. - W Waters, Team Official. - C Williams, Light Welterweight. (Did not compete). - KA Williams, Team Official (Coach). - H Winstone, Bantamweight (1st).

Howard Winstone was to win Wales' only gold medal of the games

CYCLING - W Bodman, 1,000 m, Sprint, 1,000, Time. - TRH Davies, Team Manager. - D Evans, 4,000 m, Pursuit, 10 miles Scratch. - N Hooper, 120 miles Road. - C Hughes, 120 miles Road. - G Humphreys, 4,000 m. Pursuit, 10 miles Scratch, - D Morgan, 120 miles Road. - C Rees, 1,000 m, Sprint, 1,000 m, Time. - R Richards, 4,000 m, Pursuit. - R Roach, 120 miles Road. - D Skene, 1,000 m, Sprint, 1,000 m, Time, 10 miles Scratch (3rd).

FENCING - J Evans, Foil, Epee, Team Foil (3rd). - MV Kerslake, Sabre, Team Foil (3rd), Team Epee, Team Sabre (3rd). - Miss JM King, Foil. - JE Lloyd, Team Captain (Manager). - T Lucas, Sabre, Team Sabre (3rd). - J McCombe, Foil, Team Foil. - RA Maunder, Epee, Sabre, Team Epee, Team Foil (3rd), Team Sabre (3rd). - J Preston, Foil, Team Foil (3rd). - Miss M Waters, Foil. - J Williams, Epee, Team Epee.

BOWLS - J Griffiths, Rinks. - L Hill, Rinks. - W John, Pairs. - E Jones, Rinks. - J Lewis, Pairs. - D Prosser, Rinks. - A Williams, Singles. - T Yeomat, Team Manager.

ROWING -  GH Brown, Four Oar (R). - DC Edwards, Pairs (4th), Four Oar (3rd). - JHM Edwards, Pairs (4th), Four Oar (3rd). - JL Fage, Four Oar (3rd). - DL Prichard, Four Oar (3rd). - ML Thomas, Team Manager. - Dr KA Williams, Coach.

SWIMMING - 2 JE Braven, 220 yds, Breastroke (5th), 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - CC Booth, 110 yds, Backstroke. - WJ Brockway, 110 yds, Backstroke (6th), 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - Miss D Davies, 110 yds, Backstroke. - Miss J Dixon, 110 yds, Backstroke, 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - E Edwards, 440 yds, Freestyle, 1,650 yds, Freestyle, 880 yds yds, Relay (5th). - R Evans, 220 yds, Butterfly, 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - B Flook, 440 yds, Freestyle, 880 yds, Relay (5th). - Miss G Francis, 110 yds, Butterfly, 440 yds, Freestyle Relay (6th), 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - D Glasenbury, 880 yds, Relay (5th). - C Hansard, 1,650 yds, Freestyle. - JC Hewitt, 220 yds, Breastsroke. - Mrs B Hooper, Team Manager. - Miss J Hopper, 110 yds, Freestyle, 440 yds, Freestyle, 400 yds, Freestyle Relay (6th), 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - Miss G Howells, 220 yds, Breastsroke, 440 yds, Freestyle Relay (6th), 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). - R Jenkins, 220 yds, Breastsroke (6th). - Miss J LeMare, 220 yds, Breastsroke. - W Lingard, Diving Tower. - R Marshall, Team Official. - G Morgan, 110 yds, Freestyle, 880 yds, Relay (5th). - B Newman, 100 yds, Freestyle, 440 yds, Medley Relay (6th). N O'Brien, 220 yds, Butterfly. - A Roberts, Diving Springboard. - Miss C Shaddick, 220 yds, Breastsroke. - A Stevens, 110 yds, Backstroke. - Miss J Townsend, 110 yds, Freestyle, 440 yds, Freestyle Relay (6th).

WEIGHTLIFTING - J Barnett, Mid Heavyweight (6th). - A Evans, Mid Heavyweight (5th). - WI Evans, Middleweight. - J Heywood, Featherweight. - R Jenkins, Lightweight. - W John, Bantamweight. - TE Kelly, Team Manager. - G Newman, Middleweight.

WRESTLING - G Bailey, Middleweight. - JB Dodd, Light Heavyweight. - S Griffiths, Flyweight. - E Harvey, Heavyweight-and Team Manager. - A Scott, Welterweight. - RD Yates, Lightweight. 

GENERAL TEAM MANAGER - E Hopkins

TEAM OFFICIAL - Mrs H Seaborne