If any of you have seen the new series of the crown, then you will know that episode three is very moving, a friend of mine who is terminally ill was involved on the day and below is a mail he sent me this week.
I was one of the first police cars to arrive at Aberfan that morning, together with a Chief Inspector Davies, my boss, with a police van with about 10 policemen aboard. Arriving at the pit to be told a coal tip had come down the mountain onto the village. Not knowing what we about to face. He quickly got us together and were ordered to double march up to the school. The roads were lined with people, some crying.
We then led into the school yard, it took our breath away. We tried burrowing in from the windows, to face a wall of sludge moving at a snail pace towards us. I was on the window sill when I heard the retaining blackboard snap and the wall of sludge faster, I shouted get back, get back as it came towards me, and jumped into the yard, ran to the back of it away from the wall. A part door, and part of the blackboard came through the the window. Absolutely terrifying. All happened so quickly. The whole game operation was by Glamorgan police by Chief Inspector E Sanger, of our traffic. Who by the way was my tutor at the training school, but he was a Sergeant then.
I STILL HAVE RECURRING NIGHTMARES OF THAT DAY.
I was there for 11 hours. When I got home, my mother in law had my eldest son in the lounge, he came running to me, I was filthy with coal sludge. I hug him, I hugged him so hard I was hurting, I was sobbing , my mother in law was trying to get me to leave him go. My wife had gone next door, to get my Sargent, and he managed to get me to release my son. My eldest boy still remembers that.
Yes Netflix has shown it, I have watched it, but it was human greed and jealousy that caused it. They don't show that .
I was one of the first police cars to arrive at Aberfan that morning, together with a Chief Inspector Davies, my boss, with a police van with about 10 policemen aboard. Arriving at the pit to be told a coal tip had come down the mountain onto the village. Not knowing what we about to face. He quickly got us together and were ordered to double march up to the school. The roads were lined with people, some crying.
We then led into the school yard, it took our breath away. We tried burrowing in from the windows, to face a wall of sludge moving at a snail pace towards us. I was on the window sill when I heard the retaining blackboard snap and the wall of sludge faster, I shouted get back, get back as it came towards me, and jumped into the yard, ran to the back of it away from the wall. A part door, and part of the blackboard came through the the window. Absolutely terrifying. All happened so quickly. The whole game operation was by Glamorgan police by Chief Inspector E Sanger, of our traffic. Who by the way was my tutor at the training school, but he was a Sergeant then.
I STILL HAVE RECURRING NIGHTMARES OF THAT DAY.
I was there for 11 hours. When I got home, my mother in law had my eldest son in the lounge, he came running to me, I was filthy with coal sludge. I hug him, I hugged him so hard I was hurting, I was sobbing , my mother in law was trying to get me to leave him go. My wife had gone next door, to get my Sargent, and he managed to get me to release my son. My eldest boy still remembers that.
Yes Netflix has shown it, I have watched it, but it was human greed and jealousy that caused it. They don't show that .