The Children of Aberfan: A heart-breaking true story of loss, community and courage

The story of a tragedy never forgotten, and a community who came together to mourn a generation of children

In October 1966, a small Welsh mining village was hit by disaster. Heavy rain had been pounding the village for days and over time filled a tip containing coal waste, situated high above the village. Within minutes, the coal tip had slid down the mountain, engulfing a farm, several houses and a school, and ultimately killing 28 adults and 116 children. It was a man-made disaster, the likes of which had not seen before, and which attracted the attention of the world’s media. Aberfan would become synonymous with tragedy as the small, close-knit village mourned the loss of an entire generation of children.

In The Children of Aberfan those who were actually there – rescuers, parents, teachers, neighbours and children – tell the full story of the tragic event. Moving and simply told, in the voices of the people on the ground, it is a story about a grieving community, about a disaster long foretold but ignored by those in power; and about the heroism and dignity of those who were left behind.