Aberfan remembered II
October 24th, 2016
The morning of Friday 21st October 2016 arrived cold, crisp, clear and sunny. I drove from Merthyr Tydfil via the nearby village of Troed-y-rhiw to a busy Aberfan already filling with cars and parked on a steep street before walking quickly up to the cemetery for the 0915 memorial service. I was handed the leaflet below on approaching the memorial area. (see footnote)
Despite the chill in the air, as the morning wore on the sun’s warmth won through and before long it was a lovely morning up on the hillside on this sad occasion.
The cemetery was occupied around the area of the childrens memorial with bystanders beyond but the gathering was modest rather than overflowing and the majority appeared to be family and friends, with some visitors and a few scattered and discrete press photographers.
View to the nearby village of Merthyr Vale
Having paid my respects I walked slowly back down the hill and past the sad remains of the Capel Aberfan destroyed by an arsonist last July 2015. That this took place the year before the 50th anniversary is appalling bearing in mind that it was used a temporary mortuary for some of the children who died at the school, and would otherwise have been part of the events this year.
Capel Aberfan (arson 2015)
Walking past the memorial garden I saw television satellite trucks parked beyond the playground. In the cemetery I had noticed two men with earpieces more suited to the security services but realised now they were talking to their colleagues elsewhere in the broadcast vans, although there did not appear to be any television cameras in the cemetery.
TV trucks near the Memorial Garden
If you read Tony Austin’s book you will find many references to “The Mack” the Macintosh Hotel which appears to have been more of a pub than a hotel from what I can understand. It looks derelict now, sadly, and has clearly seen better days but retains the name on a lamp over one entrance.
The Mack
An American journalist who covered the disaster for Life magazine stayed there and has written an interesting series of articles with photographs, all linked below:-
Footnote
It became clear at the 0915 memorial service in the cemetery that photography was not encouraged and with that in mind I took very few, discreetly, and have used only one, edited, at the top of this page with no larger version in order that no-one may be readily identified. I simply want to illustrate the scene, not intrude on the grief of others. My photograph was taken after the service had ended when many people had dispersed.
Postscript
I returned on Saturday morning to take a few photographs of the flowers but arrived too late, the place was full of other visitors doing the same thing. However I managed to take a few without people in them so here they are below:-
