Aberfan after forty years, lots of work, & All Bar one

At 9.15 am on Friday, October 21, 1966 a waste tip slid down
a mountainside into the mining village of Abervan, Near Mertyyr Tydfil in outh Wales. It First destroyed a farm cottage in its path, killing all the occupants. At Pantglass Junior School, just below, the children had just returned to their classes after singing "All things bright and beautiful at their assembly. It was sunny on the mountain but foggy in the village, with visibility about 50 yards. The tipping gang up the mountain had seen the slide start, but could not raise the alarm because their telephone cable had been repeatedly stolen. The slide engulfed the school and about 20 houses in the village becore comming to rest. 144 people died in the Aberfan disaster: 116 of them children

As a child Aberfan frightened me ( I was four when the disaster happened),
actually on reflection I think the sadness and fear it instilled in the
adults around me, frightened me more. Last night I watched a programme about
the disaster, and was appalled by one small scene of the original newscast.
The young tv presenter in rather clipped English was "interviewing" local men
who were frantically digging at rubble at the disaster site. He was actually
standing next to a weary middle aged welshman, who was streaked with coal
dust.

"How long have you been digging here?" he asked,

"For a while", the man answered absently.

"Are you digging for anyone you know?", the reporter asked, obviously out of
his depth.

The middle aged man, just looked tired and vague but with an tiny edge to his
voice, said politely

"My mother is under here!"

The reporter had the good grace to looked shocked and ashamed, the difference
between today's more sensitive interviewing style was all too apparent. That scene shocked me more than any of the black and white imagery we have
seen so often of the
school.

Comming home from Uni, I had a ALL BAR ONE moment, saw a small wine bar filled with academics chatting with large glasses of wine and nibbles. After such a busy week I would have killed for a chat with friends, aimless , fun and relaxing! Chris is late home today, I may compensate by a trip to the cinema.