Surviving Aberfan BBC4

[EmmaMacGill]

Anyone watching this? It's so terribly sad,
Those poor children

I managed to miss this, will it be repeated?

I've just watched it on iPlayer. I cried right through.

Really powerful documentary. Deals with the disaster but also living in the shadow of the disaster as for all survivors. How it impacted the community more generally.. Touching footage of the young wives and male voice choir. Of it's time no understanding of Ptsd,psychological therapy or counselling, many people hadn't talked about it to anyone for 50 years...

Just caught up on iplayer after watching the Huw Edwards documentary. Dreadful tragedy and still so vivid in the minds of those involved in the school , community and rescue. I guess now it would potentially fall under the auspices of corporate manslaughter yet no one senior at NCB was held to account. Instead the local workforce became scapegoats and there was emotional blackmail on those whose livelihood depended on the pits. Those who appeared were incredibly brave but their pain and stoicism was apparent. Such a poignant programme.

Very moving programme - as have all the others on this subject been recently. It made me realise how much things have moved on - the very thought that the Coal Board expected the community to pay for the clear-up from the money that people had sent is unbelievable.

I also watched Karl Jenkins' Aberfan Cantata Memoria which was incredibly moving. Even though I didn't understand the parts that were in Welsh, the footage shown in the background told the story. I was in bits when they incoporrated the names of all the victims in one of the songs

I remember this happening! Our next door neighbour was always knocking on our door crying when bad things happened. Urging my mum to put the news on. Then my mum stood with her hand over her mouth in horror. The ndn did the same when JFK was assassinated. They're etched into my psyche.

Our school in Edinburgh asked at school assembly to bring in 1 old penny each to send to the families of Aberfan. I was furious when I learned this week that initially the Govt. forced the village/town to pay for the clean-up from disaster funds donated from around the country. Shocking alround IMHO.