Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. The day the news broke, the NCB general manager had an appointment with a university to get a honorary degree, he decided to keep that appointment rather than go to site. The Queen and the Duke went to site and were given a posy of flowers by one of the few remaining little girls left in the village, she nearly burst into tears rumour has it. The sad thing is the cemetry is maintained by the fund that was set up from donations, and that money is running out now. The Government decided to pay the fund the money it was charged by the NCB to clear the tips/slag heap after the event, but not a penny of interest was added even though it was 30 years later. I remember being thrown across the classroom when the stuff hit us, then I must have blacked out. I woke to the sound of rescuers breaking a window, then I saw [my friend]. I will never forget the sight. There was blood coming out of his nose and I knew he was dead. If I close my eyes I can still see his face as plain as that moment. Pupil, Pantglas Junior School I was there for about an hour and a half until the fire brigade found me. I heard cries and screams, but I couldn’t move. The desk was jammed into my stomach and my leg was under the radiator. The little girl next to me was dead and her head was on my shoulder. Pupil, Pantglas Junior School The rescue We are so used to having coal tipped near the school and this noise sounded just like coal being tipped only much more noise than usual; it was a heavy sound. … I was going towards the school, and I suddenly realised the sound was coming nearer all the time, and the feeling it was the tip came to my mind straight away; so I ran back to the house; my little girl was in bed, so I got her and the wife outside and I went back to the school. … The north side of the school was completely down, and the tip had come right down the road, Moy Road. I went straight into the boiler house of the junior school and raked out the fire. … I came out of the boiler house and saw in the classroom next to the boiler house some children there and they were unable to get out, so I tried to smash the window to get the children out, but there was not enough space to get them out that way. The teacher managed to open the door somehow. … I went in through the door and the children came out past me, out to the yard. Then I went round to the front of the school where Mrs. Williams’ class was. I saw she was in there and she could not breathe – she shouted she could not breathe. So I went in through the window, the window was that height from the yard, you know. I climbed in through the window. There was some children trapped in the masonry; I got those children out, passed them out through the window. After that I went outside again and saw a little girl on top of the tank above Miss Jennings’ classroom. She was right up and wanted to come down. How she got there I do not know. But I got up on the tank and got her down. Then I saw Mrs. Williams, a teacher, and went to the assembly hall and started digging them out. After that I do not know, I cannot remember anything; all I know is my two boys were buried in the rubble. School caretaker Then the next thing I remember was seeing a mass of men coming up from the colliery still with their lamp lights on. That was really moving because they were black, they’d just come off the shift and they’d been sent straight up. And they had their lights on. And after that they just took over from us. Teacher, Pantglas Junior School I went down to work, changed, went down the pit and I hadn’t been down the pit ten minutes when they sent for everybody to come up, that the tip had slide. Well we came up, I couldn’t fathom it out; I’d never seen anything like it. The front of the school was there but there was no back. We went there and we dug and dug all day. Miner and bereaved parent We had to break the front windows and then climb in. … We had no tools – we used our bare hands and anything we could find. But there was nothing anyone could do, between the slurry and the water coming down. That was the worst, not being able to do anything. There’s nothing as bad as that. Bereaved parent The women were already there, like stone they were, clawing at the filth – it was like a black river – some had no skin left on their hands. Miners are a tough breed, we don’t show our feelings, but some of the lads broke down. Miner Peter H The all-new Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 when the loma prieta earthquake struck the bay area in '89..the Nimitz freeway collapsed.... which was basically right across the street from my haus at the time.... we went out that nite and tried to dig people out of the rubble.... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 3:42 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 did you manage to? the valley vegan............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: when the loma prieta earthquake struck the bay area in '89..the Nimitz freeway collapsed.... which was basically right across the street from my haus at the time.... we went out that nite and tried to dig people out of the rubble.... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 3:42 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Peter H Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 I saw that on the news too - both incidents were nasty. Jo - fraggle Friday, October 20, 2006 9:27 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive when the loma prieta earthquake struck the bay area in '89..the Nimitz freeway collapsed.... which was basically right across the street from my haus at the time.... we went out that nite and tried to dig people out of the rubble.... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 3:42 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 sadly, just lots of rubble and blood... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 4:38 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive did you manage to? the valley vegan............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: when the loma prieta earthquake struck the bay area in '89..the Nimitz freeway collapsed.... which was basically right across the street from my haus at the time.... we went out that nite and tried to dig people out of the rubble.... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 3:42 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Peter H Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 sorry............ The Valley Vegan..............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: sadly, just lots of rubble and blood... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 4:38 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive did you manage to? the valley vegan............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: when the loma prieta earthquake struck the bay area in '89..the Nimitz freeway collapsed.... which was basically right across the street from my haus at the time.... we went out that nite and tried to dig people out of the rubble.... peter VV Oct 20, 2006 3:42 PM Re: Aberfan - never forget, never forgive I was only 5 when it happenend, but as it was only 15 ish miles from my home it affected the whole area deeply. My uncle was one of many young men who rushed to site to dig. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Peter H Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. William O. Douglas Peter H Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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