I am from England. My father's cousin lost two of his children in the Aberfan disaster. A truly terrible day for Wales and the whole world. It will never be forgotten. Rest in peace little ones, and God bless the families that were left behind.
I remember as a boy hearing of this on the News and Blue Peter. I felt so helpless seeing everyone working so hard rescuing those poor victims and seeing the distraught faces of parents and all those witnessing the tragedy. Years later, I was on holiday in Herefordshire and made it a point to visit Aberfan, not realising it was the day after the 50th year since it had all happened. To see all the tributes and to walk around the memorial garden where the school was, was very moving. Then to go up to the cemetery and pause at each grave as a mark of respect for each person lost on that awful day. So many had been children my own age. It was heartbreaking. And, to see that now, many of their family members lay alongside them. May they all rest in peace. I never knew any of them, but still think about them and all those affected in so many ways.
For the last 17 years I’ve been keeping an eye on my 80 year old neighbour. Last night out of the blue she started talking about ‘the disaster’. I turned to her and said ‘The Aberfan disaster?’ (As she’s Welsh) it turns out, she lost her eldest son, her house, her dog & cat in the accident. And she was one of the nurses on scene. I was gobsmacked.
I'm from Liverpool. I remember Aberfan. I had turned 6 in the September. This disaster opened my eyes to horror, real horror. The children were just like me. They'd gone to school just like me. I went home and they didn't. I was empty and numb. Bless all those souls who passed that day.
I was fourteen years old. I came home one day and my parents were sitting in front of the old black and white TV, both in tears watching miners and their wives digging their children out of the coal slag with their bare hands. This scene has stayed with me all these years, I could never forget it. The Coal Board never took responsibliity as they should have and the compensations offered were in insult. The Queen couldn't rouse herself to attend the funeral of 116 children and 28 adults, Prince Philip did. Heartfelt wishes to surviving members of these families. Our family mourned with you from Scotland.
I’ve read and watched quite a lot about the injustices the people of Aberfan suffered. The government of 1997 did return the money from the relief fund when they were in power, but it should be understood, they only returned the original £150,000 the people of Aberfan were forced to contribute for the cost of removing the coal tip that had killed their children in 1966. That money was worth £1.5million in 1997 and in my view that is what those people should have got back. The way the coal board and, to a degree, politicians, tried to avoid their responsibility for what happened is a disgrace. The simple fact is that they did know tip number seven was built over a stream and they did know it posed a risk to Aberfan because it had collapsed before. In 1963 it collapsed, but the material that fell just narrowly missed the school. Since my late mother told me about Aberfan and I started to read and watch things about it I have long thought that there should have been criminal charges of corporate manslaughter. My heart bleeds for all those who died that day, the 116 children and 28 adults. I pray they rest in peace.
I do remember coming home from my primary school in Yorkshire and walking into the house to see my mother crying. She had been watching the BBC news about the Aberfan disaster and I realise now that I was the exact same age as some of those poor children who were killed that day, their lives wiped out by greed and carelessness from above.
Honering those who lost there lives 58 years ago today my prayers are with those who still remember, for those who still suffer, I remember you every year 🙏
My dad and uncle, both miners from another valley, went over to help uncover the children. I was only 6, but I have never forgotten their tear streaked, soot covered faces from the day they came home. So much tragedy.
I was 5 years old at the time. As a child it's terrifying to see all the adults crying and not understanding why. We were in the same generation that were affected by thalidomide. My clearest memory is a while after the tragedy, listening to adults discussing how much children's lives were worth. What a horrible world? Tbh, I had a lot of flash backs to Aberfan when I was a mother myself and Union Carbide killed thousands in Bhopal. Nothing's changed. Nobody's ever accountable for the harm they cause.
My great grandad Reg was apparently one of the volunteers at the site after it happened and my dad is the exact same age as some of these children growing up in merthyr tydfil right next to aberfan so these stories always hit home. It's horrible what happened and I hope all those poor children are resting in peace now 🤍
My heart goes out to all those parents, the siblings, the friends, and the community. My Father was a proud Welshman, and spoke of this tragedy to us, so it wouldn't be forgotten. Today we pray for the souls of those lost, and those broken by this obscene tragedy. Those in positions of power should have been held accountable. Actions speak louder than words. Reat in eternal peace angels. Cymru Am Bith 🏴🏴🏴
My father worked in broadcasting, and was handed an emergency news reel to go out on October 21st, 1966. He put it into the machine and, before pressing the button, was privy to the opening frame. - a skewed roof - the school. He and his team watched from the HTV broadcast room as that newsreel went out in stunned silence. He’s never forgotten that moment and still tears up about it
I was living in England ,my father stationed at Lakenheath Air Force Base when this tragedy happened.I was eleven years old.I remember crying watching the news coverage on British television. God Rest Their Souls.❤🙏💙
Whenever a documentary is made of a disastrous event it is usually made up of statistics, reenactments, and explanations. All of this is a cool way to explain the event. THIS is so different. I became so emotionally invested that I had to pause several times just to clear my vision. Heartbreaking but so vivid and warm. This is a must-see film.
I was. A young girl when this happened. It was so so sad my father was from merther. He use to tell us about the mines. It was a terrible disaster. Disaster will never forget. Rest in peace. Not forgotten always in our hearts.
I live in S.A. and the morning of the Abervan disaster I dreampt about this disaster about 3 hours before it happened. I was hysterical when I woke up. In my dream I watched the whole side of the tip come down and cover the school.I told my parents about my nightmare. In 1970 I flew over to England and hired a car and drove to Abervan. My car broke in Abervan and had to stay over at a B'nB in Merthyr Tydvil. 6 years later we bought our first TV. One night a documentary on this disaster was on TV. As it started all the electrical plugs in our lounge blew.. My husband eventually got the TV working and I was shocked to see how real my dream had been.
This is a very fascinating insight Lynette, and I can relate to it very well. It was only by coincidence that you recall a similar situation that actually happened to my aunt and something which I've never forgotten. I believe it was during the early 1970's when she and her husband, with my 3 cousins had made a detour via this village on their way to catch a ferry over to Ireland. Apparently the car in which they were travelling stopped abruptly and would not restart. She said that they felt and heard a giant thud sound on the roof of the vehicle and an atmosphere so sickly that they were desperate to get out of it quickly. She then noticed that the 3 children in the back of the vehicle were fast asleep and completely unaware of the circumstances. For what seemed an eternity that dark cloud of doom surrounded them and naturally they were extremely frightened. By the time the car did miraculously start up they were never so glad to get back onto the nearest motorway and thank their lucky stars that nobody was hurt. The vehicle received no damage or signs of being hit, but that episode has haunted them ever since, and one I have always remembered. For some unknown reason this documentary appeared on my screen and it gave me goosebumps, I was instantly drawn into it and had to recall the disaster myself by listening intently to the details. Your account is certainly accurate.
I was eight years old and a pupil of a junior school in Cardiff in 1966. We gave our sweets money to a collection being taken for Aberfan. My father worked in Treharris at the time. He sent any picks and shovels he could find down the valley to help others dig for the children. The day is seared on my memory. It was the first time I remember feeling part of a grown up world of tragady.
Fabulous documentary. I didn’t know about this disaster until I watched a retrospective on Queen Elizabeth. What bloody appalling arrogance! Asking bereaved parents to “prove” they were close to their children before they could get money? That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard, absolutely loathsome. 🤬
My heart 💜 is broken, I’m watching this in 2022 and it still resonates the pain of the whole village, RIP to all who recieved their wings that day, and I hope those that survived had joy in their lives. And I hope there was a cold place in hell for the heads of the coal board
I remember. I'll never forget our Welsh Headmasters wife running around the playground screaming until he came out, listened, then they both ran home. My school was similar , but in the East of England. We had lots of fundraisers for Abefan. I had no idea how much of a disaster it was until I was older. 🥀🥀🥀🥀
An event that I will never forget. I was 12 years old and at my school in England. This was at a time when news travelled slowly. We knew nothing had happened. At lunchtime, I went home. There was a strange atmosphere. I saw people out and about as usual, but some were crying, and most looked unbelievably sad. It was rather frightening, and when I got home, I was not surprised to find mum and my Welsh grandma crying. They told me what had happened. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want lunch after that and went straight back to school. There, pupils were in groups. Someone had brought the news to the school. I'd never seen the school playground so quiet. Friends came to me to ask if it was true. There was a mixture of horror and disbelief. Until the end of the day, it was as if the whole school was on autopilot. We moved around the school almost silently. Staff were struggling to keep control of their emotions, many failing. Teachers tried to explain to us what had happened, but, looking back as a retired teacher myself, I can understand how they could not cope. At the end of the day, I remember more parents than usual waiting for their children. It's strange how some memories stick in the mind. I walked part way home with a group of friends. We were quieter than usual. Maybe it was the same at other schools, I don't know, but my school had a lot of Welsh teachers, and, like me, many pupils had Welsh family members. One of my most shocking memories is that it was the first time I had seen men cry. Back then, it was something that you never saw. One of my proudest achievements is that a poem that I wrote was selected for a memorial book of children's poems. All these years later, I can not think of any achievement that means as much to me. Over the years, I've experienced many tragedies, either secondhand, like 9/11, or personally, but none have the same effect as Aberfan. As I wrote this, tears streamed down my cheeks...
I worked at a biscuit factory back in mid eighties. A chargehand there lost 5 of her kids , one son played truant that day and survived he worked there too
I live about 15 minutes away from aberfan and always heard the stories growing up. After watching this I went to visit the memorial garden and the cemetery. The garden was very peaceful and the cemetery was very beautiful with white arches. I read every grave and as a father of 4 it broke my heart. I like to think that the garden and cemetary were so peaceful because the beautiful souls aren't there and all in heaven
Heart wrenching. At 14:00 when you realize an entire classroom of children suffocated in the dark when the slurry blocked the air from coming in. My God.
I was a surveyor on the new development of the old colliery site run by Lovells. And other areas in Aberfan! I visited the cemetery on numerous occasions and it always broke my heart walking past everyone who was taken because of the incompetence of the NCB? I remember my Dad taking me there as a young child and it had a ever lasting memory in my on me, that life is so fragile..NCB were the catalyst in this otherwise avoidable nightmare? God bless all who suffered in this shameful mis- courage of justice! Gob Bless all! Always in our thoughts
I wasn't born until 1971, but I almost feel like I can remember this. My mother was a young primary school teacher in a neighbouring village, newly married and not yet a mother. In our house the name Aberfan was only ever spoken in a choked whisper. The most awful thing imaginable. All the love and heartbreak of those who could only watch is no compensation for those who lost their children in such horror. Awful.
Every year, I watch documentaries on Aberfan, in remembrance. I'm early this year. And I'm grieved once again. Sickened. Saddened. A hopeless sympathy for the victims and their families. As though it was yesterday. I'm from Port Talbot (we've had a share of tragedy) born 1970. But I feel for them deeply. My father said that he and his friends raised funds for the families but that it had been stolen in the charities distribution. Insult to injury. Disgusting. Love to the village from me and my dad. Nobody can take that away ❤
It seems always that way. Our home was destroyed in Hurricane Harvey and the Red Cross took in millions of dollars. In our city of Dickinson, Texas, not one family got a single bit of help out of the Red Cross. I despise that organization.
We remember dearly how much all of us cherished every single child that lived and adored them. WE STILL LOVE THEM WITH OUR WHOLE HEART, sincerely from our hearts. Those few children left alive were our future and the small amount we witnessed AND PRAYED NON STOP
I was a 5 year old Welsh girl when this tragedy happened living in a similar community .The grief of the Welsh people over losing their children in this horrific still remains.
I am from the States. I have been haunted by this tragedy since I read about it in 1995, specifically Pentglas student Eryl Mai Jones. It was touching that she was buried between classmates Peter and June. My condolences to their families. Rest in Peace, friends!* There is a memorial plaque- I know I read it and saw it in media- inscribed, "To those we love and miss so very much." I remember reading an article from a contemporary newspaper where a father and son who lost their little girl looked at the night sky and decided one of the stars was "our Sandy." Again, my condolences. Rest in Peace, Sandy. This video puts everything I have read about Aberfan into perspective.
Thank you very much for posting this. It is an excellent eyeopener for those naive enough to believe that corporations care about their workers and that governments care about their constituents. May God grant eternal rest to those who needlessly lost their lives, and peace to those they left behind. God bless Wales and her people.
This happened before I was born. I was watching bits of the crown and saw this. How absolutely horrific. I tried watching twice to get the details, but couldn't stop crying. God, just no words. The fact that they had to fight the NCB. How stupid to put that above a town. Anything like that is unstable. I hope they didn't drown in that muck, and God was merciful. Those poor children. I live in the U.S. my heart goes out to the victims and survivors.
The man who said I know where my son is he’s buried in that classroom at the end the poor man was in shock he’s doesn’t want to except it R.I.P to all who lost there life in this disaster 🥺
27th October 1966 the day of the mass funeral was my 9th birthday, I remember this disaster as it were yesterday, I remember all my school friends reaction and the address from the headmaster at morning assembley. Stayed very vivid in the mind as we were the same age group as the majority of those innocent lives lost.
Watched this multiple times but it’s still heart wrenching to think of how these children/ teachers/ residents died, the sheer volume of deaths, what the parents went through and how preventable it was. 💔💔💔🏴
My uncle was called in to dig people out etc. never the same spoke about it once just after then never again. The pain in his eyes was heart breaking even though I was a youngster
I will be visiting here soon with my husband to lay some flowers something I have wanted to do for years my grandmother was heartbroken and talked about this terrible disaster for years 😥💜💐
Those who govern never cease to amaze me in their callousness and complete disregard for the people who suffer because of their absolute negligence and arrogance. What happened at Aberfan is the ultimate tragedy ~ never to be forgotten. 😢
My Grandma lived up in Maerdy in James Street a row down from the top of the mountain. My Dad and his friends used to play up the mountain when they were children. It was full of streams and water, as all Welsh mountains are due to geological features and high rainfall. Luckily the coal mine was further to the right of the mountain and somewhat down the side away from the residences. However you could see ‘slag tips’ on the opposite side of the valley which was vacant of houses. It was after seeing these tips as a child that I was first told about the Aberfan disaster. Everyone in Wales knows this disaster and we still mourn it today. The community of Aberfan will never get over this, a whole generation of children were lost and few got away unscathed. Everyone knew someone who’d lost a child or multiple children as well as parents and you can never get away from that…..
I was 11 when this happened, living nowhere near Wales. But I remember it so clearly, as do many others it seems. It was the first shocking event of my life. I can still see my mother sitting on the sofa watching the news and crying her eyes out. The fact that the mining company was never held to blame is beyond unbelievable. If any of those responsible are still living I hope they bow their heads in shame and have never had a good night's sleep since. I hope they are forever haunted by the images of those poor parents.
Love how media will never change, this house has just come down, people digging with bare hands too help and there the news broadcaster just shoving microphones into the faces of these people 😫 that dude like "yeah my mother might be in there" really hit, you could see the annoyance he had towards the reporter.
Yes seeing a capable man standing there when he coukd have been helping dig them out. Poor man lost his mother and the reporter was doing his job as the country wanted to know about it. It was something noone in the UK coukd ever forget
So sad, I've been to Aberfan. When I was a kid all our holidays where spent in different parts of wales and we visited the cemetery, it's heartbreaking to see them all in a row 😢
This is exactly what I thought of when the Oso landslide happened. You just knew that unfortunately, no one was coming out of homes that had been overtaken by the mud. I can't imagine the trauma caused by witnessing such horror. You thunk it can't get worse, but then the "charity organization" wgere all the donations went, waltzes in with their asinine rules for payments based on CLOSENESS! 😵
@@stephenowens3687 Yes, they told people if they complained about the tips, the pit would have to close. The NCB were a bad organisation, they were so powerful, nothing could be done. It's so sad
I was a young boy at school in North London when this happens. We were all called into the assembly hall and the headmistress told us what had happened. We were then lead in a prayer. I have never forgotten it.
So sad. Until I watched The Crown. I never knew about this disaster. So sad. I would've been 3 yrs old when this happened. What am awful way they treated the surviving Mother's and Father's. I pray God will continue to heal your hearts. I live in America and want you to know Jesus still sees you Mommy and Daddy.
My parents were only little, around four (?) so I obviously wasn't born until much later (the eighties) but this is utterly tragic. A whole generation of children lost so suddenly 😔. RIP little ones and the others
I am amazed at how Stoic People were then I still pray for the kids who never made it. I was 5 then but it horrified me and My Mother as far away as Arbroath.
Old Lord Baggy Eyes is probably dead at this point facing his harsh karma. Edit: Dang, he wasn't only ugly on the outside, he was hideously evil on the inside. I hope his family is reading this comment. 🤨
@@Rich6Brew my grandad was on his way to college, his cousin died, though. Funny thing, my best friends family (we met when we were 7 by coincidence) were from that village and were also one of the first people on the scene.
I don't know why I remember this because I was only one year old at the time...maybe I remember my parents talking about it at the time??? I also remember watching the first man walking on the moon on a black and white TV....I remember many things and sometimes it gets me in trouble!
I feel so sorry you all it is heart breaking still now to this day i cant even imagine that day My ❤️ goes out to every single one of you So sorry for your loss😢xx
The Labour government at the time did not care about people because they were guaranteed votes from them anyway. George Thomas was a shady guy and Robens was arrogant, Miners we told that if they complained about the tip the pit would close. Mines were losing money from the 1960s as coal usage diminished. No steam trains and oil / gas central heating was increasing. I lost many members of my family in the industry due to " dust " working in the industry. I and many others may not have existed if the coal industry was not formed. and a generation wiped out due to the NCB , shame on them and shame on Labour
i remember this awful things that happened I was 1 years old at the time many years later on a holiday we passed the awful leftover what happened never get over that.
I was 10 years old on Thursday December 22nd 1966 and I well Remember the Aberfan disaster I was too young to understand and it wasn't till 50 years later when I saw the old film from that Mining village I was Shocked like the whole County and this sort of thing must never be allowed to happen again
i know a place where this could happen, currently, if the slag heaps fail, nothing in the way but i suspect local council have given green light for houses to be built below it...
they got some of the public donation money back eventually and it forms a trust fund for the injured survivors and helps with college fees for the next generation.
I wonder was that one body ever found and if the family ever got closure. This is so horrific to think how horribly they all passed on, breathless and gasping for air when all there is, is dirt and mud. Lord I hope they’re all in your arms safe and sound now no more pain now more suffering, in Jesus name, AMEN😔👏🏽. I have my own kid I’m 20 and I couldn’t imagine this, my condolences to all the families.
I am from England. My father's cousin lost two of his children in the Aberfan disaster. A truly terrible day for Wales and the whole world. It will never be forgotten. Rest in peace little ones, and God bless the families that were left behind.
I remember as a boy hearing of this on the News and Blue Peter. I felt so helpless seeing everyone working so hard rescuing those poor victims and seeing the distraught faces of parents and all those witnessing the tragedy. Years later, I was on holiday in Herefordshire and made it a point to visit Aberfan, not realising it was the day after the 50th year since it had all happened. To see all the tributes and to walk around the memorial garden where the school was, was very moving. Then to go up to the cemetery and pause at each grave as a mark of respect for each person lost on that awful day. So many had been children my own age. It was heartbreaking. And, to see that now, many of their family members lay alongside them. May they all rest in peace. I never knew any of them, but still think about them and all those affected in so many ways.
For the last 17 years I’ve been keeping an eye on my 80 year old neighbour. Last night out of the blue she started talking about ‘the disaster’. I turned to her and said ‘The Aberfan disaster?’ (As she’s Welsh) it turns out, she lost her eldest son, her house, her dog & cat in the accident. And she was one of the nurses on scene. I was gobsmacked.
Poor woman thats so sad
How utterly heartbreaking. Hugs to her, take notes or record if she allows it and needs to talk to the public.
God bless her.
Bless her heart 💜
Why live next to something like that
I'm from Liverpool. I remember Aberfan. I had turned 6 in the September. This disaster opened my eyes to horror, real horror. The children were just like me. They'd gone to school just like me. I went home and they didn't. I was empty and numb. Bless all those souls who passed that day.
I was fourteen years old. I came home one day and my parents were sitting in front of the old black and white TV, both in tears watching miners and their wives digging their children out of the coal slag with their bare hands. This scene has stayed with me all these years, I could never forget it. The Coal Board never took responsibliity as they should have and the compensations offered were in insult. The Queen couldn't rouse herself to attend the funeral of 116 children and 28 adults, Prince Philip did. Heartfelt wishes to surviving members of these families. Our family mourned with you from Scotland.
I’ve read and watched quite a lot about the injustices the people of Aberfan suffered. The government of 1997 did return the money from the relief fund when they were in power, but it should be understood, they only returned the original £150,000 the people of Aberfan were forced to contribute for the cost of removing the coal tip that had killed their children in 1966. That money was worth £1.5million in 1997 and in my view that is what those people should have got back. The way the coal board and, to a degree, politicians, tried to avoid their responsibility for what happened is a disgrace. The simple fact is that they did know tip number seven was built over a stream and they did know it posed a risk to Aberfan because it had collapsed before. In 1963 it collapsed, but the material that fell just narrowly missed the school. Since my late mother told me about Aberfan and I started to read and watch things about it I have long thought that there should have been criminal charges of corporate manslaughter. My heart bleeds for all those who died that day, the 116 children and 28 adults. I pray they rest in peace.
I do remember coming home from my primary school in Yorkshire and walking into the house to see my mother crying. She had been watching the BBC news about the Aberfan disaster and I realise now that I was the exact same age as some of those poor children who were killed that day, their lives wiped out by greed and carelessness from above.
I have same memory I'm from port talbot
Me too, same age.
Stevie, it was the same for me coming home from school and my mum crying. We were all the same ages. Have always remembered it.
"My mother's probably in here" just ... shook my bones.
Rest in peace to all the victims 💗
He said it so calmly as well. 😰 He knew she was lost under there and she would be recovered dead.💔
They will not "rest in peace" - your sentiments, like everything else in this cruel world will fall on greedy ears - without compassion
Honering those who lost there lives 58 years ago today my prayers are with those who still remember, for those who still suffer, I remember you every year 🙏
Mining communities were tough people they were brought up with the idea of a mine collapsing but this was horrendous for anyone!
My dad and uncle, both miners from another valley, went over to help uncover the children. I was only 6, but I have never forgotten their tear streaked, soot covered faces from the day they came home. So much tragedy.
What is a tip? They keep saying it and I'm clueless.
@@dianebays5484 A big pile of coal mining waste in this case. Think of a hill!
I was 5 years old at the time. As a child it's terrifying to see all the adults crying and not understanding why. We were in the same generation that were affected by thalidomide. My clearest memory is a while after the tragedy, listening to adults discussing how much children's lives were worth. What a horrible world? Tbh, I had a lot of flash backs to Aberfan when I was a mother myself and Union Carbide killed thousands in Bhopal. Nothing's changed. Nobody's ever accountable for the harm they cause.
And the victims of Bhopal are still struggling and just forgotten by the world. It's really nice to see someone remember them ❤️
My great grandad Reg was apparently one of the volunteers at the site after it happened and my dad is the exact same age as some of these children growing up in merthyr tydfil right next to aberfan so these stories always hit home. It's horrible what happened and I hope all those poor children are resting in peace now 🤍
My heart goes out to all those parents, the siblings, the friends, and the community. My Father was a proud Welshman, and spoke of this tragedy to us, so it wouldn't be forgotten.
Today we pray for the souls of those lost, and those broken by this obscene tragedy. Those in positions of power should have been held accountable. Actions speak louder than words.
Reat in eternal peace angels.
Cymru Am Bith 🏴🏴🏴
I'm from Liverpool and I was 8 years old at the time, and I can still remember my family being so devastated ofter this disaster.
My father worked in broadcasting, and was handed an emergency news reel to go out on October 21st, 1966. He put it into the machine and, before pressing the button, was privy to the opening frame. - a skewed roof - the school. He and his team watched from the HTV broadcast room as that newsreel went out in stunned silence. He’s never forgotten that moment and still tears up about it
I was living in England ,my father stationed at Lakenheath Air Force Base when this tragedy happened.I was eleven years old.I remember crying watching the news coverage on British television. God Rest Their Souls.❤🙏💙
Whenever a documentary is made of a disastrous event it is usually made up of statistics, reenactments, and explanations. All of this is a cool way to explain the event. THIS is so different. I became so emotionally invested that I had to pause several times just to clear my vision. Heartbreaking but so vivid and warm. This is a must-see film.
I was. A young girl when this happened. It was so so sad my father was from merther. He use to tell us about the mines. It was a terrible disaster. Disaster will never forget. Rest in peace. Not forgotten always in our hearts.
Truely, truely heartbreaking. How someone can cope with such a disaster is beyond me
I live in S.A. and the morning of the Abervan disaster I dreampt about this disaster about 3 hours before it happened. I was hysterical when I woke up. In my dream I watched the whole side of the tip come down and cover the school.I told my parents about my nightmare. In 1970 I flew over to England and hired a car and drove to Abervan. My car broke in Abervan and had to stay over at a B'nB in Merthyr Tydvil. 6 years later we bought our first TV. One night a documentary on this disaster was on TV. As it started all the electrical plugs in our lounge blew.. My husband eventually got the TV working and I was shocked to see how real my dream had been.
❤
This is a very fascinating insight Lynette, and I can relate to it very well. It was only by coincidence that you recall a similar situation that actually happened to my aunt and something which I've never forgotten. I believe it was during the early 1970's when she and her husband, with my 3 cousins had made a detour via this village on their way to catch a ferry over to Ireland. Apparently the car in which they were travelling stopped abruptly and would not restart. She said that they felt and heard a giant thud sound on the roof of the vehicle and an atmosphere so sickly that they were desperate to get out of it quickly. She then noticed that the 3 children in the back of the vehicle were fast asleep and completely unaware of the circumstances. For what seemed an eternity that dark cloud of doom surrounded them and naturally they were extremely frightened. By the time the car did miraculously start up they were never so glad to get back onto the nearest motorway and thank their lucky stars that nobody was hurt. The vehicle received no damage or signs of being hit, but that episode has haunted them ever since, and one I have always remembered. For some unknown reason this documentary appeared on my screen and it gave me goosebumps, I was instantly drawn into it and had to recall the disaster myself by listening intently to the details. Your account is certainly accurate.
I was eight years old and a pupil of a junior school in Cardiff in 1966. We gave our sweets money to a collection being taken for Aberfan. My father worked in Treharris at the time. He sent any picks and shovels he could find down the valley to help others dig for the children. The day is seared on my memory. It was the first time I remember feeling part of a grown up world of tragady.
Fabulous documentary. I didn’t know about this disaster until I watched a retrospective on Queen Elizabeth. What bloody appalling arrogance! Asking bereaved parents to “prove” they were close to their children before they could get money? That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard, absolutely loathsome. 🤬
Sick isn't it? Those type of people still walk among us.
@@theeggtimertictic1136 I know. It’s absolutely dreadful.
Thats management for you.
I was in 7th grade in the US when this happened. The Sister turned the TV on. I remember we started to cry for the children there…..
I remember it well because our headmaster called for 2 minutes silence. I was in a Junior school in London.
My heart 💜 is broken, I’m watching this in 2022 and it still resonates the pain of the whole village, RIP to all who recieved their wings that day, and I hope those that survived had joy in their lives. And I hope there was a cold place in hell for the heads of the coal board
I remember. I'll never forget our Welsh Headmasters wife running around the playground screaming until he came out, listened, then they both ran home. My school was similar , but in the East of England. We had lots of fundraisers for Abefan. I had no idea how much of a disaster it was until I was older. 🥀🥀🥀🥀
An event that I will never forget. I was 12 years old and at my school in England. This was at a time when news travelled slowly. We knew nothing had happened.
At lunchtime, I went home. There was a strange atmosphere. I saw people out and about as usual, but some were crying, and most looked unbelievably sad. It was rather frightening, and when I got home, I was not surprised to find mum and my Welsh grandma crying. They told me what had happened. I couldn't believe it.
I didn't want lunch after that and went straight back to school. There, pupils were in groups. Someone had brought the news to the school. I'd never seen the school playground so quiet. Friends came to me to ask if it was true. There was a mixture of horror and disbelief.
Until the end of the day, it was as if the whole school was on autopilot. We moved around the school almost silently. Staff were struggling to keep control of their emotions, many failing. Teachers tried to explain to us what had happened, but, looking back as a retired teacher myself, I can understand how they could not cope.
At the end of the day, I remember more parents than usual waiting for their children. It's strange how some memories stick in the mind. I walked part way home with a group of friends. We were quieter than usual. Maybe it was the same at other schools, I don't know, but my school had a lot of Welsh teachers, and, like me, many pupils had Welsh family members. One of my most shocking memories is that it was the first time I had seen men cry. Back then, it was something that you never saw.
One of my proudest achievements is that a poem that I wrote was selected for a memorial book of children's poems. All these years later, I can not think of any achievement that means as much to me.
Over the years, I've experienced many tragedies, either secondhand, like 9/11, or personally, but none have the same effect as Aberfan. As I wrote this, tears streamed down my cheeks...
I worked at a biscuit factory back in mid eighties. A chargehand there lost 5 of her kids , one son played truant that day and survived he worked there too
Those poor mothers waiting for their kids. If that doesn't pull at your heart strings and give you goosebumps, you're not human.
That government was not human - our government is likewise
I live about 15 minutes away from aberfan and always heard the stories growing up. After watching this I went to visit the memorial garden and the cemetery. The garden was very peaceful and the cemetery was very beautiful with white arches. I read every grave and as a father of 4 it broke my heart. I like to think that the garden and cemetary were so peaceful because the beautiful souls aren't there and all in heaven
A lovely post sending best wishes from Australia. Rest in peace little Angels, and their Teachers.
Reporter: "Do you think there's anybody still here?"
Miner: "Uh... My mother's probably in here."
Reporter: "...."
10:47
Heart wrenching. At 14:00 when you realize an entire classroom of children suffocated in the dark when the slurry blocked the air from coming in. My God.
I was a surveyor on the new development of the old colliery site run by Lovells. And other areas in Aberfan! I visited the cemetery on numerous occasions and it always broke my heart walking past everyone who was taken because of the incompetence of the NCB? I remember my Dad taking me there as a young child and it had a ever lasting memory in my on me, that life is so fragile..NCB were the catalyst in this otherwise avoidable nightmare? God bless all who suffered in this shameful mis- courage of justice! Gob Bless all! Always in our thoughts
I wasn't born until 1971, but I almost feel like I can remember this. My mother was a young primary school teacher in a neighbouring village, newly married and not yet a mother. In our house the name Aberfan was only ever spoken in a choked whisper. The most awful thing imaginable. All the love and heartbreak of those who could only watch is no compensation for those who lost their children in such horror. Awful.
Every year, I watch documentaries on Aberfan, in remembrance.
I'm early this year. And I'm grieved once again. Sickened. Saddened. A hopeless sympathy for the victims and their families. As though it was yesterday. I'm from Port Talbot (we've had a share of tragedy) born 1970. But I feel for them deeply.
My father said that he and his friends raised funds for the families but that it had been stolen in the charities distribution. Insult to injury.
Disgusting.
Love to the village from me and my dad. Nobody can take that away ❤
It seems always that way. Our home was destroyed in Hurricane Harvey and the Red Cross took in millions of dollars. In our city of Dickinson, Texas, not one family got a single bit of help out of the Red Cross. I despise that organization.
Beautiful comment!
We remember dearly how much all of us cherished every single child that lived and adored them. WE STILL LOVE THEM WITH OUR WHOLE HEART, sincerely from our hearts. Those few children left alive were our future and the small amount we witnessed AND PRAYED NON STOP
I'll never forget this all on the news and my mum crying as they were my age
I was a 5 year old Welsh girl when this tragedy happened living in a similar community .The grief of the Welsh people over losing their children in this horrific still remains.
I am from the States. I have been haunted by this tragedy since I read about it in 1995, specifically Pentglas student Eryl Mai Jones. It was touching that she was buried between classmates Peter and June. My condolences to their families. Rest in Peace, friends!* There is a memorial plaque- I know I read it and saw it in media- inscribed, "To those we love and miss so very much." I remember reading an article from a contemporary newspaper where a father and son who lost their little girl looked at the night sky and decided one of the stars was "our Sandy." Again, my condolences. Rest in Peace, Sandy.
This video puts everything I have read about Aberfan into perspective.
Thank you very much for posting this. It is an excellent eyeopener for those naive enough to believe that corporations care about their workers and that governments care about their constituents. May God grant eternal rest to those who needlessly lost their lives, and peace to those they left behind. God bless Wales and her people.
I was 9 years old at the time and remember the coverage on the TV. It was probably my first taste of grief and I could feel it during the coverage.
Same here I was 7
Heart breaking ❤️, the neglect of the coal board caused this terrible disaster x
This happened before I was born. I was watching bits of the crown and saw this. How absolutely horrific. I tried watching twice to get the details, but couldn't stop crying. God, just no words. The fact that they had to fight the NCB. How stupid to put that above a town. Anything like that is unstable. I hope they didn't drown in that muck, and God was merciful. Those poor children. I live in the U.S. my heart goes out to the victims and survivors.
NCB?
@@sanbornolsen National Coal Board
@@Scum8ag They weren't nice?
@@sanbornolsenNational Coal Board.
15:32... To hear the voice ... the sound of ‘deep, resigned grief’ listen to this beautiful lady speak about the loss of her child.
😭🙏
The man who said I know where my son is he’s buried in that classroom at the end the poor man was in shock he’s doesn’t want to except it R.I.P to all who lost there life in this disaster 🥺
27th October 1966 the day of the mass funeral was my 9th birthday, I remember this disaster as it were yesterday, I remember all my school friends reaction and the address from the headmaster at morning assembley. Stayed very vivid in the mind as we were the same age group as the majority of those innocent lives lost.
Disgusting the way the bereaved families were treated!
Watched this multiple times but it’s still heart wrenching to think of how these children/ teachers/ residents died, the sheer volume of deaths, what the parents went through and how preventable it was. 💔💔💔🏴
My uncle was called in to dig people out etc. never the same spoke about it once just after then never again. The pain in his eyes was heart breaking even though I was a youngster
I will be visiting here soon with my husband to lay some flowers something I have wanted to do for years my grandmother was heartbroken and talked about this terrible disaster for years 😥💜💐
Those who govern never cease to amaze me in their callousness and complete disregard for the people who suffer because of their absolute negligence and arrogance. What happened at Aberfan is the ultimate tragedy ~ never to be forgotten. 😢
My Grandma lived up in Maerdy in James Street a row down from the top of the mountain. My Dad and his friends used to play up the mountain when they were children. It was full of streams and water, as all Welsh mountains are due to geological features and high rainfall. Luckily the coal mine was further to the right of the mountain and somewhat down the side away from the residences. However you could see ‘slag tips’ on the opposite side of the valley which was vacant of houses. It was after seeing these tips as a child that I was first told about the Aberfan disaster. Everyone in Wales knows this disaster and we still mourn it today. The community of Aberfan will never get over this, a whole generation of children were lost and few got away unscathed. Everyone knew someone who’d lost a child or multiple children as well as parents and you can never get away from that…..
Yes, I agree. This was corporate manslaughter. No doubt.
My mum remembered this on the news she was 12 at the time. The whole of the UK was shocked.
I was 11 when this happened, living nowhere near Wales. But I remember it so clearly, as do many others it seems. It was the first shocking event of my life. I can still see my mother sitting on the sofa watching the news and crying her eyes out. The fact that the mining company was never held to blame is beyond unbelievable. If any of those responsible are still living I hope they bow their heads in shame and have never had a good night's sleep since. I hope they are forever haunted by the images of those poor parents.
Such a horrible disaster so heartbreaking my heart goes out to these poor people who lost their children and
There’s something about those tiny wood coffins that just rips at my heart strings…and brings tears to my eyes.
I cry every time I watch a documentary about Aberfan so sad 😢
Thank you for showing this. I remember it happening, thankfully not anywhere near it. A tradegey indeed.
On this day, 58 years ago on the 21s October.....I remember the lives that were lost ❤ and pray for the families of those who lost loved ones
56 years ago today and I still remember hearing about it, those poor children, the same age as I was at the time and their teachers, how Sad, R.I.P
I remember us praying at our primary school for the children in Aberrfan. It was quite shocking as a 7 year old.
Yes we said prayers also.
Same as mine ❤
Love how media will never change, this house has just come down, people digging with bare hands too help and there the news broadcaster just shoving microphones into the faces of these people 😫 that dude like "yeah my mother might be in there" really hit, you could see the annoyance he had towards the reporter.
Well, in the other hand all those disasters and their victims would have been forgotten, unnoticed and nobody would care...
Yes seeing a capable man standing there when he coukd have been helping dig them out. Poor man lost his mother and the reporter was doing his job as the country wanted to know about it. It was something noone in the UK coukd ever forget
Those families and community watching that the pain and loss must have been overwhelming. RIP 🙏🏽🌻🙏🏽
56 years ago, I was 2-years-old. Such a terrible disaster, one of the worst ever, tested people's faith in God. May they all RIP 🌼
So sad, I've been to Aberfan. When I was a kid all our holidays where spent in different parts of wales and we visited the cemetery, it's heartbreaking to see them all in a row 😢
This is exactly what I thought of when the Oso landslide happened. You just knew that unfortunately, no one was coming out of homes that had been overtaken by the mud. I can't imagine the trauma caused by witnessing such horror.
You thunk it can't get worse, but then the "charity organization" wgere all the donations went, waltzes in with their asinine rules for payments based on CLOSENESS! 😵
These poor people were victimized over and over again by the ones that should have been helping them
But, they were the victims. Do you mean vilified?
They were treated as troublemakers by the Ncb.
@@stephenowens3687 Yes, they told people if they complained about the tips, the pit would have to close. The NCB were a bad organisation, they were so powerful, nothing could be done. It's so sad
I was a young boy at school in North London when this happens. We were all called into the assembly hall and the headmistress told us what had happened. We were then lead in a prayer. I have never forgotten it.
So sad. Until I watched The Crown. I never knew about this disaster. So sad. I would've been 3 yrs old when this happened. What am awful way they treated the surviving Mother's and Father's. I pray God will continue to heal your hearts. I live in America and want you to know Jesus still sees you Mommy and Daddy.
Same, found out while watching the crown also.
11:36
The poor man whose son is most likely among the dead 😔💐
😔😔🙏🙏 RIP aux enfants et professeurs c'est horrible
So sad I’m in tears. X Durham Miner.
My parents were only little, around four (?) so I obviously wasn't born until much later (the eighties) but this is utterly tragic. A whole generation of children lost so suddenly 😔.
RIP little ones and the others
Those poor babies😢
I am amazed at how Stoic People were then I still pray for the kids who never made it. I was 5 then but it horrified me and My Mother as far away as Arbroath.
Old Lord Baggy Eyes is probably dead at this point facing his harsh karma.
Edit: Dang, he wasn't only ugly on the outside, he was hideously evil on the inside. I hope his family is reading this comment. 🤨
Lowest pit of hell
His descendants probably don’t even care 😢
The day that the heart of wales was broken into a thousand pieces,
I cannot imagine the tears of the parents that lost their children.
yes you can Rusty - you have a heart
Half of my grandads house was demolished by the rubble
Sorry to hear that.
I visited Aberfan yesterday to pay my respects. I was just 13 when it happened.
@@Rich6Brew my grandad was on his way to college, his cousin died, though.
Funny thing, my best friends family (we met when we were 7 by coincidence) were from that village and were also one of the first people on the scene.
I don't know why I remember this because I was only one year old at the time...maybe I remember my parents talking about it at the time???
I also remember watching the first man walking on the moon on a black and white TV....I remember many things and sometimes it gets me in trouble!
I feel so sorry you all it is heart breaking still now to this day i cant even imagine that day My ❤️ goes out to every single one of you So sorry for your loss😢xx
What marvellous women done their children proud !
It is pronounced AberVan. In the Welsh alphabet One F is a V, two FFs is F.
Cymru am byth 🏴🏴🏴🏴
Wales for ever
I remember as a 14 year old girl writing in my diary about this dreadful disaster
Omg 😑 I never heard of this disaster before, it's terrible what happened and so very sad
No puedo creer como esos padres pudieron hablar sin soltarse a llorar, sabiendo que su hijo estaba ahí enterrado.
Obviously, they're in total shock!
The Labour government at the time did not care about people because they were guaranteed votes from them anyway. George Thomas was a shady guy and Robens was arrogant, Miners we told that if they complained about the tip the pit would close. Mines were losing money from the 1960s as coal usage diminished. No steam trains and oil / gas central heating was increasing. I lost many members of my family in the industry due to " dust " working in the industry. I and many others may not have existed if the coal industry was not formed. and a generation wiped out due to the NCB , shame on them and shame on Labour
i remember this awful things that happened I was 1 years old at the time many years later on a holiday we passed the awful leftover what happened never get over that.
My grandpa was there helping finding people
I was 10 years old on Thursday December 22nd 1966 and I well Remember the Aberfan disaster I was too young to understand and it wasn't till 50 years later when I saw the old film from that Mining village I was Shocked like the whole County and this sort of thing must never be allowed to happen again
The dignity of these pooir people is breathtaking ⚘️⚘️
i know a place where this could happen, currently, if the slag heaps fail, nothing in the way but i suspect local council have given green light for houses to be built below it...
My granddad would always talk to me about this
RIP TO ALL THE PEOPLE LOST LIVES
I was born the day before it happened
So tragic 😢😢
Northumberland born Canadian the son cousin nephew of coal miners I was very young at the time it still hits home.
This is absolutely heartbreaking!
God bless all those victims, family and friends.
This has really upset me!
And the government only paid £645 per child compensation.
It is equivalent to £5,283.20 now
Terrible!
@@YoungTanzNF still not enough.
they got some of the public donation money back eventually and it forms a trust fund for the injured survivors and helps with college fees for the next generation.
My goodness, what a price for life.
💚 RIP ❤
Terrible
I wonder was that one body ever found and if the family ever got closure. This is so horrific to think how horribly they all passed on, breathless and gasping for air when all there is, is dirt and mud. Lord I hope they’re all in your arms safe and sound now no more pain now more suffering, in Jesus name, AMEN😔👏🏽. I have my own kid I’m 20 and I couldn’t imagine this, my condolences to all the families.
1966 again They love them 6s You either know or not GODBLESS all who who lost 🙏❤️💯☘️
Tragic. Shame on the coalboard and succesive governments as usual.
I never heard of this until today, it’s really so tragic, It’s ❤breaking.