Boots & Bread
...Industrial Heritage & Hardship
Aberfan is a small mining village in south Wales. In 1966, heavy rain caused a coal slag heap to collapse. The ensuing landslide engulfed the local primary school, killing 144 people, most of them children. The aftermath was badly managed, with some donations to the Relief Fund being used to pay for the corporate clear-up. The FWA (Free Wales Army), angered by the blocking of relief claims, helped local people with their applications for compensation. Laurie Lee (1914-1997) visited Aberfan in autumn 1967, and was moved to write the essay The Village that Lost its Children. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disaster, poet and playwright Owen Sheers (b. 1974) wrote The Green Hollow, a ‘film poem’ based on the voices and memories of those involved. Black River by Louise Walsh, published in 2016 is also worth a read.
Aberfan Disaster Memorial Garden
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- Region : South East Wales
- Grid Ref : SO 06970 00421
- GOOGLE Map
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Aberfan is a small mining village in south Wales. In 1966, heavy rain caused a coal slag heap to collapse. The ensuing landslide engulfed the local primary school, killing 144 people, most of them children. The aftermath was badly managed, with some donations to the Relief Fund being used to pay for the corporate clear-up. The FWA (Free Wales Army), angered by the blocking of relief claims, helped local people with their applications for compensation. Laurie Lee (1914-1997) visited Aberfan in autumn 1967, and was moved to write the essay The Village that Lost its Children. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disaster, poet and playwright Owen Sheers (b. 1974) wrote The Green Hollow, a ‘film poem’ based on the voices and memories of those involved. Black River by Louise Walsh, published in 2016 is also worth a read.
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