Aberfan - The Eulogy by Gwyn Thomas

At 9.15am on Friday October 21st 1966, after several days of heavy rain, a huge slag tip above the town of Aberfan in South Wales suddenly liquified and poured down the mountain. The black tidal wave demolished properties in its path and engulfed the Pantglas Junior School in seconds. Of the 144 people who lost their lives that day, 116 were children. The tragedy was totally preventable. The National Coal Board had been warned time and time again of the dangers of dumping slag in such a geologically unstable area above towns. They chose to ignore the warnings claiming it wan't profitble for them to move the slag tips to safer locations. After the disaster, donations from all over the world poured in for the shattered community. However, most of the money never reached Aberfan. Instead the Governmen gave it to the National Coal Boad so that they could move other slag tips overlooking other towns in South Wales.

The great Welsh writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas delivered his own moving tribute to the victims of the tragedy on the BBC the morning of the mass funeral. This is an excerpt from his eulogy

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Gwyn Thomas
• Writer
• Broadcaster
• Aberfan
• Disaster
• Wales
• Welsh
• Eulogy
• Tribute
• Mining
• Coal
• Tragedy

[littlesmew]

@TheInkSplodge

As you are a child it is difficult for you to fully understand; your teachers have chosen for you a subject that is in poor taste. I do think that dramatisations of true tragic events can be made successfully; such as Anne Frank's diary. Such sensitive matters, however should not be placed in the hands of children like yourself as you are not mature enough to treat such things with the gravity required, yet.

[3tangle3]

westminister did shit for these people.....it took the FWA to lobby them on behalf of the locals to get funding

[TheInkSplodge]

@JackArthurEllis Oh, it isnt.

[JackArthurEllis]

@TheInkSplodge Oh it is.

[TheInkSplodge]

@JackArthurEllis only cause you have realised that our performance actually isnt disrespectful or sick.

[JackArthurEllis]

@TheInkSplodge Troll.

[TheInkSplodge]

@JackArthurEllis if you were actually in our drama class you would realise that number two is wrong. and also that we are not making fun of it, and i never said we could put ourselves in their shoes did i? no, and FYI some of our grandparents or parents in our drama class travelled to wales to help when it happened. thats why we are doing this performance.

[JackArthurEllis]

@TheInkSplodge... Number one, it is disrespectful to those who lost children and family in the disaster, number two it sounds like you are making fun of the disaster, which it is NOT, and number three, you could never put yourself into the shoes of those parents digging at the sludge with their bare hands to try and save children. You will probably never experience that. The subject should be left alone.

[TheInkSplodge]

@JackArthurEllis and how is it sick? i never said it was funny, it's part of our course and we have to do it. some of us HAVE to be speaking from heaven.

[JackArthurEllis]

@TheInkSplodge Thats the most sick thing I have ever heard. It is disrespectful, and this disaster is not funny. Your school should be ashamed of themselves. Disgusting.