Wales comes to a standstill to remember Aberfan
Survivors of the Aberfan disaster wept as a minute’s silence ticked by to mark the 50th anniversary of a tragedy that took 144 lives – 116 of them children.
Around 150,000 tonnes of coal waste slid down a hillside in the small Welsh mining village before engulfing Pantglas Junior School and surrounding houses on 21 October 1966, and yesterday residents took part in an emotional day of commemoration to pay their respects to the dead, but also those whose lives had been devastated by that fateful day.
About 1,000 people attended a memorial service at the Aberfan Cemetary at 9.15am. That was the time
tragedy stuck, and the minute’s silence to mark it was replicated across Wales - with shopping centres, schools, hospitals and law courts all coming to a standstill. Those attending the memorial included Wales's First Minister, Carwyn Jones, and Jeff Edwards, the last person to be pulled out of the wreckage alive.
Those rescued from the debris of the junior school laid floral wreaths to their dead classmates, as the local community stood shoulder-to-shoulder or arm-in-arm. They then made their way down the hill to attend a special reception attended by the Prince of Wales.
Attending the event was 58-year-old Diane Fudge, whose twin sister Daphne died in the tragedy. Mrs Fudge, a school teacher who now lives in Bristol, told Press Association: “This has been the first time I've ever come to an event in connection with the disaster. I guess you could say I'm finally facing my demons. Losing my twin sister meant that I am always reminded about what happened that day. It has been good to talk with my old school friends - many of them I have not seen in years. I think that seeing them and talking has helped.”
The Prince of Wales privately laid a wreath to the victims and planted a sweetgum tree in the Aberfan Memorial Garden in addition to attending the reception and giving a speech. He also read out a message from the Queen that paid tribute to the “indomitable spirit” of the people of Aberfan five decades after the tragedy.
“We will all be thinking about the 144 people who died - most of them children between the ages of seven and ten - and the hundreds more who have lived with the shock and grief of that day, summed up by one poet who said simply, 'All the elements of tragedy are here',” part of the message said.
The disaster unfolded, following days of heavy rain, when excavated mining debris from the Merthyr Vale Colliery was dislodged and flowed down the hillside. The waste material had been piled on the side of Mynydd Merthyr - above Aberfan - for years, with many worried about the risk of potential movement. Children in Pantglas Junior School were just getting ready for lessons when the building was hit. About half the children from the junior school died in the tragedy, which happened on the last day before half term.
Despite a 76-day public inquiry, no-one faced prosecution or lost their job over the incident.
Many of the survivors still bear the emotional scars. Irene Hollett, 58, of Troedyrhiw, told PA: “It can be a double-edged sword. A lot of people don't want to talk about it. I really feel for the parents of those who died, because seeing us grow up and even be here today it must be hard for them because we are a reminder of what their son or daughter could have been like.“
Another survivor, Jannett Bickley, 58, said it “can be hard to move on” but she realises the significance of the commemorations. “On one hand you want to move on, but it's also important that what happened should never be forgotten,” she added