General Chat

Remembering the 144 (mainly children)
who were tragically killed in the Aberfan disaster in 1966,
the Anniversary is today

The people of the Aber Valley will never forget them. and nor will we :-( :-(

never to be forgotten, a rainy Friday morning when news started tricking through, with no one believing it at first - a significant date for me too - the day from which I counted the start of my pregnancy, and today is the anniversary of the death of my lovely OH - I don't like October much

Remember it. very tragic for the community RIP you dear little Angels <3

I was 10 when this happened
I will never forget those parents faces
as they waited for news
May those little ones RIP

Such a sad day. All those children, shocking. We remember them.

Ann ((((((hugs))))))

I left work early on Fridays and that Friday went shopping. After going to M and S remember walking towards another shop and seeing the news hoardings outside W H Smith's and stood there in horror. Cut short my shopping and went home. Shopping for clothes seemed so trivial.

Will never forget the horror of that weekend as the death toll rose and the realisation how many families had lost children and what it meant to the village.

Always remembered. <3

Unbelievable seeing the coverage on black and white TV and watching the tragedy unfold throughout the following days. I can still clearly see the heartbreaking scenes and the faces of those poor people whose lives changed forever on that October day. RIP.

Sending AnnC a (((hug))) right now.

An unbelievable tragedy that changed the lives of so many....RIP <3

Reflection and thoughts RIP <3

and last month some local low life deliberately set fire to the chapel in Aberfan - the chapel that was used as a mortuary for the many bodies

when you drive past Aberfan on the upper road above the village you can clearly see the row or memorial arches down in the valley commemorating each life lost

In memoriam of the the one hundred forty-four dear souls lost.

I remember, as a member of Round Table in the North East of England 50 years ago collecting on behalf of Aberfan.

And the people of Aberfan were billed for the clearing of the spoil heaps.

Somehow, when I remember Aberfan, I remember the world being grey. I think it was because it was on the television in black and white but the grey seemed so apprpriate.

you're right Sharron - money for clearing the slag heap was taken out of the donations given from all over the world

This not a political statement but it was Tony Blair's government who cancelled the 'debt'.

We have been discussing this for a couple of weeks on our local site.

I can remember watching the news reports and unable to take it all in.

For those that don't remember it there are some very touching video reports on YouTube, please take the time to watch a couple.

Some who helped retold their stories others never mentioned their experiences ever, not even to their family.

I was 9 years old when this tragedy happened, the same age as many of the children that died that day.

I too remember watching it on the news, and being very upset.

Thinking of those lost children and their teachers today.
Also their poor families.


Always Remembered <3

a few survivors ended up in our local psychiatric hospital - some consumed with guilt because their child was safe - had the slide occurred about ten minutes earlier the classrooms would have been empty

Let us remember the children and adults of this sad day
Anthony Wayne England 8. Anthony David Hill 8.
Angela Vaughan Hopkins 7. Annette Hughes 9.
Ann Catherine Lee 8. Arthur O'brien 8. Andrew Rees 14.
Annette Smith 9. Anthony John Sullivan 10.
Avis Elizabeth Sullivan 9. Anthony Joseph Watkins 10.
Angela Williams 8.
Brian Davies 8. Brian Michael Gough 9, Barbara Eileen Minney 9
Carol Anderson 9. Carol Ann Carpenter 9. Christine George 10.
Carl Minett 7. Cheryl Mortimer 8. Christine Prosser 9. Corwyn Thomas Reakes 10. Carol Williams 8.
Dennis Arscott 8. Desmond Carpenter 10. Daphne Fudge 8.
Dwynwen Griffiths 9. David Morgan Davies 9. David Gareth Davies 10. David Trevor Davies 10. David William Williams 8.
Edwina Bartlett 9. Edwin Davies 8. Eryl Mai Jones 10.
Edward Clive Mumford 11.
Gareth Evans 3 months. Gillian Gough 8. Gillian Irene Jones 11.
Graham Williams 8.
Howell Lloyd Evans 7. Howard David Prosser 9.
Ian Dougall 9.
Jeannette Lynne Brown 10. Jennifer Haines 8. Jean Winifred Evans 10. Janet Jones 9. John Islwyn Jones 10. John Anthony King 9.
Jean Launchbury 10. Jeffrey Needs 9. Jill Elizabeth Parfitt 9. Jacqueline Powell 8. Julie Pryce 8. Julie Jeannine Regan 9.
Joseph Wilkshire 8. June Margaret Williams 10.
Kelvin David Andrew 10. Kay Bowns 10. Katherine Elizabeth Evans 3. Kevin Thomas Jones 9. Karen O'brien 8. Keith Williams 9.
Linda Anderson 10. Lynn Harding 9. Linda Hodgkinson 8.
Layton Kerrie Reakes 9. Lorraine Rosa Isabel Richards 10.
Malcolm Andrew 8. Merrill Barnard 11. Michael Collins 10.
Michael Fitzpatrick 7. Maralyn Carol Howells 9. Maureen Mary Evans 8. Mecia James 9. Michael Jones 13. Maralyn Minett 10.
Megan Owen Robbins 10. Martine Anne Short 9.
Norma Mumford 10.
Peter Collins 10. Pamela Heaman 10. Paul Davies 8. Paul Jones 9. Phillip Mumford 9. Patricia Probert 12. Paul David Roberts 10.
Peter Williams 10.
Royston Barrett 10. Robert Breeze 10. Raymond John Collins 14. Richard Philip Goldsworthy 10. Roger Dyfrig Hayes 9.
Royston Hodgkinson 9. Robert Coffey 14. Royston Carl Davies 9. Robert Orville Jones 8. Robert Garfield Jones 9.
Robert George Minney 10. Roger Colin Summers 9. Randolph Tudor 10.
Susan Mary Crotty 10. Sandra Pauline Donovan 10.
Sheila Fitzpatrick 13. Stephen Vaughan Hopkins 10.
Susan Jones 9. Sharon Lewis 9. Sandra Leyshon 9.
Susan Lewis Meredith 8. Susan Probert ?.
Sylvia Francis Richards 9.
Trevor Timothy Gray 9. Terence Malcolm Davies 10. Thomas Probert 7.
Valmai Mary Owen 8. Vincent Clark Parfitt 12. Victoria Marie Symonds 10.
Yvonne Drage 11.
Albert Mytton 64. Ann Jennings ?. Brian Harris 24.
Catherine Jones 75. Charies Thomas 60.
David Beynon 47. Evan George Carston 64. Evelyn Mary Jones 61, Frederick Hanson 78. Glenys Gabriel Jones 46. Graham Russell 26. Gwyneth Collins 34. John Morgan Evans 65. Lewis Jones 46.
Lucy May Mytton ?. Margaret Jayne Carston 61, Margareta Bates 35. Marjorie Ann Rees 22. Marjorie Christine Evans 26, Michael Davies 21, Myrtle Irene Thomas 54. Nancy Williams 44. Patricia Evans 32,
Richard Jones 48. Sidney Russell 53. Tydfil Jane Taylor 73.

Oh my goodness, what an appalling thing that was. I can remember that I was playing with my son who was two at the time, when it was reported on the radio. I remember thinking how shocked the announcer sounded and looking at my little boy and bursting into tears.