THE “incredible” effort of British Red Cross volunteers in the aftermath of the 1966 Aberfan disaster can be revealed after an archived report was studied.
At around 9.15am on October 21, 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed after heavy rain, causing the slurry to slide down a hill, demolishing and engulfing most of Pantglas Junior School. Of the 144 who died, 116 were children.
A Red Cross report, written by the Cardiff Branch, documented the work carried out by around 750 volunteers in the immediate aftermath of the disaster - which is depicted in the new series of Netflix series The Crown.
Soldiers from the Army Apprentices School at Beachley work amid the wreckage in Aberfan days after the coal tip slid into the village. Picture: PA
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“Personnel received and washed the bodies of victims, working continuously in the chapel which had been converted into a mortuary," it said. "They carried stretchers and coffins.
“Volunteers cared for the distressed and shocked survivors and for the rescue workers. They distributed food parcels and sweets, hot food and drinks.”
Rev. June Vaughan, who volunteered to help, said she initially thought “we’re going to be alright” when she saw the miners coming from the colliery.
Stretchers are kept in readiness in the hope that further bodies will be unearthed as excavation continues on a row of seven houses that have disappeared in the black avalanche in Aberfan. Picture: PA Wire
“The miners know all about rescue work, they’re going to rescue these children," she said.
“But there was no hope.”
Volunteers stayed up throughout the night to sort through the “vast supplies” that arrived after the disaster, including 1,000 blankets, 200 cooking pans, 30 cutlery sets and an “uncountable quantity of fruity drinks", alongside 10,000 cigarettes, the report added.
Red Cross volunteers came from across the UK, Rev Vaughan, who was awarded an MBE for her services to the community in Aberfan, young people and the Red Cross, recalls.
Rev June Vaughan
“The group that I was working with were more local," she said.
“In the beginning, we knew nearly everybody.
“But after that, we’d meet a lot of people who were not local but had come to help.
“It was absolutely incredible - how many came to help in such a small village like ours.”
An earth-moving machine bores into the barrier many yards deep, which is blocking a street in Aberfan after a coal slurry had engulfed the Pantglas Junior School. Picture: PA Wire
- The Red Cross is currently looking for emergency response volunteers in South Wales. For more information, please visit jobs.redcross.org.uk
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