Aberfan

[steve_b_wales]

56 years ago today, the Aberfan disaster happened. I live close to Aberfan and have visited the cemetary where the children/teachers were laid to rest. Very moving to say the least.

I was nine years old at that time and remember it. My mother still has the Daily Mirror newspaper, showing the aftermath etc. Back in the 1980's, I worked for a short while in Aberfan, and remember a lady showing me a photograph of her daughter who had perished at the school. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by steve_b_wales

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Yes, a terrible event.

[johnphilip]

Rest in peace those taken far to soon . I remember  it been on the TV when we got home from school .

[Aled]

Cysgwch yn dawel/Rest in peace.  A truly awful day we must never forget. 

Aled. 

[welsh1]

A very sad time, 

[Gordon R]

I remember it all too well. Absolute tragedy for the whole community and the country. 

[30-6]

I can remember our next door but one neighbour walking up the street after his shift down the colliery, with his " Tommy Box " ( that's a sandwich box flat on the bottom and semi circular at the top ), like the shape of a slice of bread as usual.

He like a lot of miners went up to Aberfan to help move all the rubble by hand.

I was 8 years old.

[Aled]

A few newly qualified Doctors arrived at Aberfan to see if they could help. They were turned away, sadly it was too late for Dr's.....miners were of far more use.  

[Walker570]

Remember it well. I had just finished my stint on the Police Mobile Column.... this was a mobile police force set up to deal with the aftermath of a nuclear strike. The next team went straight down to the disaster to handle mainly traffic into and out od the area. The ones I spoke with afterwards said they could not get over how the local people came together.  Fifty six years .......  seems like yesterday.

[Scully]

I was only seven. I doubt if we had a tv back then, but seem to have vague memories of it at the time. 
It must have been horrific for all concerned. 

[Rim Fire]

Remember it well i was 12 and visited the cemetery 

[Rim Fire]

 

[Dougy]

Our school deputy head came from that village to the midlands and i remember vividly the morning assembly the following Monday. Seeing the grown man break down was very upsetting for everyone in the school hall. Later when saw the images on the news the following days the sadness hit home even more, the death of all those children all of our own age at the time and all could have been avoidable if they had listened to the concerns raised. 

 

[JohnfromUK]

I was ten nine and I can remember my parents being very upset by it.  We would have had a TV by then, but I can't remember seeing the coverage myself.

Edited October 22, 2022 by JohnfromUK
Age corrected!

[12gauge82]

On 21/10/2022 at 12:47, Walker570 said:

Remember it well. I had just finished my stint on the Police Mobile Column.... this was a mobile police force set up to deal with the aftermath of a nuclear strike. The next team went straight down to the disaster to handle mainly traffic into and out od the area. The ones I spoke with afterwards said they could not get over how the local people came together.  Fifty six years .......  seems like yesterday.

Always been the same in the valleys, a very close community. Was also evident during the miners strike, neighbours feeding each other not to mention battles with police brutality. 

[Walker570]

Yes, that was not appreciated by ,many of us. Unnecessary.

[30-6]

A lot of my friends were miners. At the time I was earning good money and a couple of free pints used to go their way without hesitation. We were in our twenties and looked after each other.

[Vince Green]

I know it well, I lived for a while very close by. I always avoided driving through the place. I visited the cemetery once, you can't really miss it, but I wished I hadn't it's seriously creepy.

The thing was, it wasn't an accident it was serious neglect by the coal board. The slag heap had been allowed to extend over a stream and the water destabilised it.

[Ricko]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the money collected by public subscription was withheld by the authorities from the families and was going to be used to stabilise the slag heaps.

Allegedly the Free Wales Army got involved and money was forthcoming, a couple of the FWA were presented with engraved wrist watches.

[Vince Green]

On 23/10/2022 at 11:22, Ricko said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the money collected by public subscription was withheld by the authorities from the families and was going to be used to stabilise the slag heaps.

Allegedly the Free Wales Army got involved and money was forthcoming, a couple of the FWA were presented with engraved wrist watches.

Very little of the money ever reached the families. Most of it is probably still sitting in a bank somewhere. 

The reason, put simply, is it was set up as a hardship relief fund.

The problem being that the loss of a child although it may ruin lives and drive you to despair its hard to prove that it has caused financial hardship.

So very little of the money was ever paid out in the years that followed

So I am told

[steve_b_wales]

16 hours ago, Vince Green said:

Very little of the money ever reached the families. Most of it is probably still sitting in a bank somewhere. 

The reason, put simply, is it was set up as a hardship relief fund.

The problem being that the loss of a child although it may ruin lives and drive you to despair its hard to prove that it has caused financial hardship.

So very little of the money was ever paid out in the years that followed

So I am told

As above. Also, the NCB wanted, but failed I believe, to use the money to 'help' stabalise other slag heap tips in the area.