Aberfan

[steve davies]

Yes back in 1974 at their place, city fans went berserk in response and rioted on the streets of Bristol leading to the most ever arrests for football related disorder at that time.

I remember that night like yesterday watching city fans in their 50s and 60s turning cars over in the side streets. Over a 100 arrests but Lincoln Halinan who was a magistrate in cardiff who had just begun jailing city fans for disorder offered to defend each and every city fan charged. I believe all charges got dropped but I don't believe tomorrow is the right game for a minutes silence

[elytillidie]

Anyone else watching "The young wives club" on itv at the moment?
If not, catch it on iplayer. Heartbreaking, poignant, beautifully done.

So sad watching that, and also reading the story and seeing the photo's in the posted link (http://icrapoport.com/nightmares-of-a-disaster/) affected me deeply.

[Sloop_Jon_Bee]

Exactly, the Sheffield Wednesday match on the 19th is far more.appropriate to commentate something that happened on the 21 October.

[The Bob Banker Spanker]

Better class of fans as well to respect the minutes silence are Sheff Wed.
Dread to think what the Bristolians would've been like.

[ian gibson]

Better class of fans as well to respect the minutes silence are Sheff Wed.
Dread to think what the Bristolians would've been like.

I agree. Last season a load of Sheffield Wednesday lads came down for a drink with us in Canton and they were a good bunch of lads, no problems at all.

[Robin Friday's Ghost]

If we head north for an away game we often stop at Bramley Social Club. The barman and his family there are Wednesday fans. Good sorts.

[Dublinblue]

http://icrapoport.com/nightmares-of-a-disaster/

This is worth a look. A series of photos at the time taken by an American photographer. Moving piece at the bottom of the link too about John Collins 'The man who lost everything'.

Thanks for sharing this - I found it very moving.

Here's a good piece by Huw Edwards on the NCB getting away with it http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/think...-remember-thi/

Also recommend this piece by Owen Sheers about his film to be shown on Friday and Sunday.

[Since62]

Wonderful to see the Welsh squad there today paying their respects. Great, great move.

50 years ago. I remember my mum and dad telling me about all those children dying, all those kids just my age dying under the coal.

Heartbreaking.

I was reminded yesterday by my mother that my father was there in the immediate aftermath of the disaster as part of a team of Cardiff firemen who made their way up to help as best they could. She said that , on his return home , she had never seen him looking so pale , so quiet and so upset and that what he saw haunted him for years afterwards.

As for a tribute , there is a thread on here about the Trust organising with the club to hold a minutes silence before the game on Wednesday. We have also contacted the Sheffield Wednesday Trust people so they can pass the message on to all the travelling supporters who I am sure will treat it with the utmost respect.
The plea from the Trust is for everyone , if at all possible , to take their seat in the ground in plenty of time to observe the tribute in order to try and avoid it being spoiled by the noise of people entering the stadium bowl.

Keith

[Cyclops]

Wales Online today:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-o...awful-12023741

[Elysium]

A truly dreadful episode in our history, one that we can hope will never ever be forgotten and, hopefully, never ever repeated.

[Elysium]

https://thevietgwent.wordpress.com/2...system-at-all/

An excellent blog article on the disaster, well worth reading.

[Vimana.]

Fascinating and moving programme presented by Huw Edwards on BBC One Wales earlier.
Should have been broadcast on BBC One National.
But .. it's just welshy wales...

Disgraceful and tragic outcome due to (and followed by even more) ignorance and arrogance by the 'big-wig' buffoons of the time, who should have taken some responsibility.

And a community so very, very badly let down by Wilson's Labour Gov't and the Coal Board, both of whom somehow maintained a loyalty in the locality during the decades thereafter .

[kingbillyboy]

Fascinating and moving programme presented by Huw Edwards on BBC One Wales earlier.
Should have been broadcast on BBC One National.
But .. it's just welshy wales...

i watched it in london on uk bbc.

[BLUETIT]

Fascinating and moving programme presented by Huw Edwards on BBC One Wales earlier.
Should have been broadcast on BBC One National.
But .. it's just welshy wales...

Disgraceful and tragic outcome due to (and followed by even more) ignorance and arrogance by the 'big-wig' buffoons of the time, who should have taken some responsibility.

And a community so very, very badly let down by Wilson's Labour Gov't and the Coal Board, both of whom somehow maintained a loyalty in the locality during the decades thereafter .

As above post has stated, it was on National BBC.

[MacAdder]

As above post has stated, it was on National BBC.

It is making national news, as it damn well should.
I listened to J Vine show yesterday whilst driving. He had the phone-in dedicated to the Aberfan disaster and, though he gets my back up most of the time, this was really moving and tastefully done.
The elder sister of one of the victims, who was eleven at the time and in a different school (the same lady I watched this lady on the wives of Aberfan after somebody posted a link the other day) was featured.

Anyway she phoned in describing how she heard and coped with the tragedy of losing one of her siblings, how her parents stayed strong for their younger children and how she herself wanted to be teacher (which she became) to make her parents proud of her. Basically dedicating her whole life to her sister and the tragic events.
I had to pull over as I found welling up and finally sobbing.

Then the appalling account of how the NCB were in denial and the propaganda releases seemingly exonerating themselves from any blame. The tears quickly turned to anger, especially how the lady described the wait for the miserly compensation they eventually got and she did so without any anger herself, with dignity.

Dreadful episode in our history and so glad it is making national news, shaming the then leaders of our 'democracy'.

[Elysium]

Huw

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/think...-remember-thi/

Lest we forget.

[Vimana.]

As above post has stated, it was on National BBC.

Apologies for my daft assumption.
That is good to hear - very pleased.

[Phill Stants brother]

IMG_1572.jpg

[CCFC CASUAL]

Unless youre from the village I dont think people can fully understand or appreciate the enormous impact this disaster had on the people of the village and the future generations to come.

I live just 4 miles away and I know many people from that area, including Jordi Cule who has posted on this thread, and there seems to be a bond amongst the folk of that village that cannot be described or put into words.

[TH63]

Unless youre from the village I dont think people can fully understand or appreciate the enormous impact this disaster had on the people of the village and the future generations to come.

I live just 4 miles away and I know many people from that area, including Jordi Cule who has posted on this thread, and there seems to be a bond amongst the folk of that village that cannot be described or put into words.

I can understand what you mean. I was nearly four at the time, living in Newport, but can still remember how upset my mum was and the thought of so many children of a similar age to myself losing their lives was hard enough for me to take.
It's something that defined my early childhood and will never forget so how other children felt at surviving that and losing their friends, siblings and parents is almost unimaginable.

[LordKenwyne]

There wasn't a UK wide minute silence, but I don't think we could ask for more for the coverage it has had.

[Robin Friday's Ghost]

There wasn't a UK wide minute silence, but I don't think we could ask for more for the coverage it has had.

I work in Bristol and went to get my haircut lunchtime. I picked up a copy of the Mirror and was genuinely surprised to see that Aberfan didn't feature at all on the front page, let alone as the lead. I flicked through the paper and there was one article about a 1/3 page about half way through. There was a copy of the Sun too but I didn't bother looking at it. I'd imagine the Welsh version of the Mirror would have had more coverage but it was still very disappointing it got virtually no coverage in the English version.

To be fair, the national radio has been pretty good today.

[Pearcey3]

While on the subject of The Aberfan disaster, this Friday is the anniversary of the Senghenydd pit disaster which claimed 439 lives on October the 14th 1913, the worst disaster in British mining history. When fines were levied against the pit owners and manager, they came to a derisive £24, one newspaper commented, that meant that miners lives were worth just ‘£0 1s 1 1/4d’ - a sum that, these days, would equate to no more than six pence!! The people of South Wales have taken some shit over the years.

So true. Shameful that no Governments have ever bothered to redress the wrongs. Miners lives as well as children at Aberfan's lives seemingly worth almost nothing. It was bad enough that these appalling incidents happened in the first place. To compound that by pitiful redress is a disgrace.

[Jordi Culé]

I can understand what you mean. I was nearly four at the time, living in Newport, but can still remember how upset my mum was and the thought of so many children of a similar age to myself losing their lives was hard enough for me to take.
It's something that defined my early childhood and will never forget so how other children felt at surviving that and losing their friends, siblings and parents is almost unimaginable.

The pain everyone feels (especially if you're a parent) is that your worse fear is to lose your child or children as was the case for some.

I took my boys to school today, they attend the local school in Aberfan. There was an extra cwtch and kiss (although the 7 year old wasn't too pleased). You can't imagine your kids going to school and not coming back, it's unimaginable but it happened 50 years ago.

Although it was tragic it was also preventable and that's the real tragedy.

[jeepster]

The pain everyone feels (especially if you're a parent) is that your worse fear is to lose your child or children as was the case for some.

I took my boys to school today, they attend the local school in Aberfan. There was an extra cwtch and kiss (although the 7 year old wasn't too pleased). You can't imagine your kids going to school and not coming back, it's unimaginable but it happened 50 years ago.

Although it was tragic it was also preventable and that's the real tragedy.

I still cwtch and kiss my children even now,and they are all adults and some with kids of their own.I even kiss my Mrs every day on the way to work and i tell her i love her .