I prefer to keep this blog light hearted, but there are some dates that can and should never be forgotten.
Fifty nine years ago 116 children and 28 adults died in the colliery tip disaster at Aberfan.
I was ten years old and attending Cwmifor County Primary; a rural two room Victorian Board School, looking very like, although smaller than, the one in Aberfan.
Miss had the Small Class, infants aged 2 to 6 and Master the Big Class of primary pupils aged 7 to 11.
From Facebook Archives
Cwmifor
School had a teacher's house attached where Master used to go for lunch and,
presumably, listen to the news. I
remember him coming into the big class after lunchbreak looking so so sombre
and serious none of us spoke a word all afternoon.
I think he tried to tell us what had happened but I
don't think he could find words that we would understand.
Paganess
I remember
watching the news and how sad and shocked it made me feel.
I've never forgotten
those pictures or the people who died x x x
Kingsmen
Cameraman I
had only a vague idea of what happened at Aberfan, but your post inspired me to
look it up on Wikipedia. I don't know
which of two facts is more shocking: that the disaster was entirely preventable
had the NCB heeded local council concerns about putting mine waste on top of
known springs on the hill above the village; or that the NCB misappropriated
money from the public disaster relief fund to cover the cost of removing the
remaining tips. Even by the standards of
the 1960s that was shocking arrogance from the NCB on both counts.
Bentonbag
My Dad
couldn't understand what the disaster relief fund was for.
I remember him asking rhetorically "What
are they going to do with the money? Say to a kid 'You've lost your brother,
here's a teddy'?" But people felt
they wanted to help in some way and giving money was the only way to express
that feeling. It's amazing some of the
NCB people weren't lynched.
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