Tomorrow, October 21st, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most tragic events in modern Welsh history. One that was so harrowing and sad, it captured hearts across the world, and one which changed the shape and future of a whole village, and a nation, as they struggled to come to terms with the loss of a generation.

Remembering Aberfan……

October 21st 1966 began as an ordinary day in the coal mining community of Aberfan. Aberfan is a small village in South Wales that was known for it’s proximity to the Merthyr Vale Colliery. Many of the men in the village were employed by the colliery and had been since it opened in the 1860s. Towering above the village were huge piles of mining waste – soils, earth and loose rock, that had been deposited there for the last 60 years. The increasing size and unstability of the tips had caused some concern locally for a few years before that fateful morning, but none of the residents’ worries were taken seriously.

Families were up and out in the foggy Autumn morning, on their way to work and school. Pantglas Junior School opened it’s doors to its pupils as usual, as they flocked in just before the 9am bell. However, just 15 minutes later the fate of the pupils, teachers and staff at the school would be changed forever. At 9:15am, after days of heavy rain, movement started to occur at the top of one of the mining tips, which directly overlooked the school. Suddenly, 120,000 cubic metres of slurry, soil and stones was careering down the mountain towards the village. Within seconds, several houses and the school had become completely engulfed. Walls, doors and windows were smashed and rooms completely filled with mud, rubble and slurry. The children and adults in those rooms didn’t stand a chance against the force of the landslide.

In total, 116 children and 28 adults lost their lives in the Aberfan disaster, but the trauma and aftermath of the events of that day would go on to affect the village for decades afterwards. Fear of further landslides, difficulty dealing with grief, nightmares, health problems and mental illness were just some of the problems that faced the people of Aberfan.

As a result of the Aberfan disaster, the laws governing mine and quarry waste were changed. After a tribunal that lasted 76 days, the blame for the events of that fateful day was attributed entirely to the National Coal Board, who owned and mined the Merthyr Vale Colliery. However no staff members of the Board were dismissed or prosecuted as a result of the enquiry.

Today, a peaceful memorial garden has been built where Pantglas School once stood. It is a place of reflection and remembrance, for those lives that were lost so tragically and unnecessarily, for the people of Aberfan who lost loved ones and suffered the consequences daily, and for the souls of Aberfan who didn’t have the chance to grow old.

On October 21st 2016, the people of Wales will come together to offer solidarity, support and compassion for a community that was forever changed and will never be forgotten ….. Remembering Aberfan

Aberfan Memorial Gardens Image by Stephen McKay on wiki commons