Discussion
I think my post has possibly been misinterpreted, which is down to me asking what is basically a
rhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
rhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
gooner1 said:
I think my post has possibly been misinterpreted, which is down to me asking what is basically a
rhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
No work - no pay - they had little or no choice but to go back - different times thenrhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
danllama said:
I'm 29 yet somehow this is the first I've heard of this tragedy (and I don't use that word lightly, it grates me how easily its tagged in to any event these days). This is a true and heartbreaking tragedy. I can't imagine what those poor children went through. Was there ever a greater injustice? 
I'm roughly the same age (30) and when I was at school we learnt about Aberfan in geography, why and how it happened, none of the politics and none of the gruesome details of limbs and bodies stripped of skin by the slag mentioned above. When I learnt about it I remember thinking/hoping they went quickly, reading this thread and the articles I've seen over the last few days has taught me the true horror of what happened. A real tragedy, my heart goes out to those affected. I was born just a year after this but I have clear and heartbreaking memories when discussing this with my father when I was about ten. He had no background in mining, no Welsh history and no connection with the area whatsoever but the disaster, happening just months after my elder brother was born, had clearly touched him very deeply indeed and affected him as a parent for the rest of his days.
Today I was reading the accounts and my 8 year old daughter looked at me and asked why I had tears in my eyes; I explained as best as I could about the loss of so many children around her age in one single moment in time and how many lives were not fully lived out as they perhaps should have been.
She hugged me and I thought of those children, those parents and my father.
Today I was reading the accounts and my 8 year old daughter looked at me and asked why I had tears in my eyes; I explained as best as I could about the loss of so many children around her age in one single moment in time and how many lives were not fully lived out as they perhaps should have been.
She hugged me and I thought of those children, those parents and my father.
gooner1 said:
I think my post has possibly been misinterpreted, which is down to me asking what is basically a
rhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
I understood what you meant. I don't think it was a bad comment. I have been the first person back underground after an event. Nothing quite to this scale, but still. It's strange, silent. You close your mind, pick up your tools and walk. Comforting in a way - like it's normal. When the rest of the crew are looking to your judgement to ensure their safety it focussed the mind pretty quick. rhetorical question.
I of course know how strong Miners are and why they went down this particular pit after the disgraceful and avoidable event.
My inner thoughts were how these men gathered themselves mentally to return.
Apologys if I seemed blasé about this subject,I am anything but.
It is a very rare occurrence when a mining incident happens outside the mine. There are words to that effect in one of the videos I've watched in the past two days - one of the BBC ones with period footage I think. Never heard it put that way before, but it was a profound statement to me. Most miners live with some kind of acceptance that they could get hurt, but it is unfathomable that an incident should claim the lives of the very people they were doing it for in the first place.
I listened to an ICE talk on Aberfan today. If I remember the statistic properly, since 2011 over 1000 people have been killed in similar incidents worldwide. So have we learnt anything at all?
Buffalo said:
I understood what you meant. I don't think it was a bad comment. I have been the first person back underground after an event. Nothing quite to this scale, but still. It's strange, silent. You close your mind, pick up your tools and walk. Comforting in a way - like it's normal. When the rest of the crew are looking to your judgement to ensure their safety it focussed the mind pretty quick.
It is a very rare occurrence when a mining incident happens outside the mine. There are words to that effect in one of the videos I've watched in the past two days - one of the BBC ones with period footage I think. Never heard it put that way before, but it was a profound statement to me. Most miners live with some kind of acceptance that they could get hurt, but it is unfathomable that an incident should claim the lives of the very people they were doing it for in the first place.
I listened to an ICE talk on Aberfan today. If I remember the statistic properly, since 2011 over 1000 people have been killed in similar incidents worldwide. So have we learnt anything at all?
Similar incidents?It is a very rare occurrence when a mining incident happens outside the mine. There are words to that effect in one of the videos I've watched in the past two days - one of the BBC ones with period footage I think. Never heard it put that way before, but it was a profound statement to me. Most miners live with some kind of acceptance that they could get hurt, but it is unfathomable that an incident should claim the lives of the very people they were doing it for in the first place.
I listened to an ICE talk on Aberfan today. If I remember the statistic properly, since 2011 over 1000 people have been killed in similar incidents worldwide. So have we learnt anything at all?
Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
Welshbeef said:
Similar incidents?
Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
Not sure where you got your posting name from, but if there really is a Welsh connection there, you should know!Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
We can see slag heaps on the hills to the front and rear of our house. These have obviously been stabilised, as the pits closed a generation ago - but it does make you think - the slag heaps on one of the hills can be seen from miles away!
Welshbeef said:
Similar incidents?
Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
Toward the bottom of this article - same statistic:Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/special-re...
Trabi601 said:
Welshbeef said:
Similar incidents?
Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
Not sure where you got your posting name from, but if there really is a Welsh connection there, you should know!Are slurry hills close to civilisation still the norm?
We can see slag heaps on the hills to the front and rear of our house. These have obviously been stabilised, as the pits closed a generation ago - but it does make you think - the slag heaps on one of the hills can be seen from miles away!
All around mining areas there are areas where spoils have been tipped, some where just flat ground, now they are huge hills. Drive up the M1 and you will see Markham vale where coal is being recovered from them as they can use this now.
Mining then was different, the power stations just wanted big coal and the rest that was not wanted was tipped, such a wasteful way but money was money so it was the norm.
Since the mines closed and following the disaster, every tip was looked at and any where there was a risk were altered, landscaping and planting helped to tie them in.
In South Wales they tipped on mountainsides which made them even more likely to move. All the tips, in every area moved, but they settled eventually, Aberfan had moved before but no one cared enough who could do something.
Mining then was different, the power stations just wanted big coal and the rest that was not wanted was tipped, such a wasteful way but money was money so it was the norm.
Since the mines closed and following the disaster, every tip was looked at and any where there was a risk were altered, landscaping and planting helped to tie them in.
In South Wales they tipped on mountainsides which made them even more likely to move. All the tips, in every area moved, but they settled eventually, Aberfan had moved before but no one cared enough who could do something.
I was reading the BBC article last evening while sat in a lounge of a hotel in India.
The waiter asked me what was wrong and I explained what the significance of the day was.
He sat at my table and read the article and continually mumbled "Oh my God".
He left in tears, I expect then having to explain himself to his colleagues.
The waiter asked me what was wrong and I explained what the significance of the day was.
He sat at my table and read the article and continually mumbled "Oh my God".
He left in tears, I expect then having to explain himself to his colleagues.
A Sgt I used to work with worked for the Coal board before joining the Police at Bargoed. His job was surveying the tips for movement and slippage.
I used to know one of the Evening standards top photographers-Aubrey Hart - who was sent to the scene. He said that most of the press spent their time digging alongside the other rescuers just pausing occasionally to file reports.
I used to know one of the Evening standards top photographers-Aubrey Hart - who was sent to the scene. He said that most of the press spent their time digging alongside the other rescuers just pausing occasionally to file reports.
s3fella said:
When one looks at the Hilsborough victims families' legal battle for justice, it is amazing these coal board lot got away with it scott free, never even lost their jobs. Possibly shows the power they held in the area at the time and since.
Whats even more sadly ironic is that you have to remember that the National Coal Board, was at that time a Nationalised Industry, and Wilsons Labour Govt of the time didn't exactly come out of this tragedy blemish free, which given the then massive electoral support in the valleys that they enjoyed at that time, was a nice kick in the teeth for it's own kind.aeropilot said:
Whats even more sadly ironic is that you have to remember that the National Coal Board, was at that time a Nationalised Industry, and Wilsons Labour Govt of the time didn't exactly come out of this tragedy blemish free, which given the then massive electoral support in the valleys that they enjoyed at that time, was a nice kick in the teeth for it's own kind.
Not turning this into a political thread but absolutely , -and which govt closed more mines and mines? Yes 80% was labour but Torys got smashed and 30years later it's still them who killed the industry... um no it wasn't it was long dead. aeropilot said:
s3fella said:
When one looks at the Hilsborough victims families' legal battle for justice, it is amazing these coal board lot got away with it scott free, never even lost their jobs. Possibly shows the power they held in the area at the time and since.
Whats even more sadly ironic is that you have to remember that the National Coal Board, was at that time a Nationalised Industry, and Wilsons Labour Govt of the time didn't exactly come out of this tragedy blemish free, which given the then massive electoral support in the valleys that they enjoyed at that time, was a nice kick in the teeth for it's own kind.Aberfan referenced in first question on Radio 4's Any Questions? which was from Wales:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z7d5j
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z7d5j
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