I’m an elementary school teacher and I cried for hours after this scene. I can only imagine how that teacher felt, not being able to protect his students.
What gets me most is how the teacher doesn’t duck and cover with the children. He knows there’s no chance of survival but gives his students some small hope all the same.
That’s what I was going to comment. I like how he tries to save them by telling them to get under their desks but he just stands there knowing there’s nothing that can save them.
Its heartbreaking that he says "Jesus Christ" as he know they are doomed and tells the Children to get under the desk so they have some form of hope but doesnt bother doing it himself as he knows in reality it likely won't help. This scene was chilling especially with the screams fading as it cuts to black.
This entire episode was phenomenal. As an American I’d never even heard of Aberfan, so this episode completely caught me off guard and disturbed me. I’m a film major who’s seen countless films and television series, and yet I can think of few other examples in film in which the entire self-contained plot has filled me with greater dread than this. Truly haunting, from beginning to end.
The worst thing about it is the timing. The tips collapsed at 9:15 a.m. If they collapsed an hour earlier the school would have been empty. If they collapsed an hour later the miners would have been in time to evacuate the school.
On the 21st of October 1966 9:13 am, 150,000 tonnes of coal rolled down the mountain from the colliery. 144 people died in this disaster. (28 Adults and 116 children). No one was found alive after 11am and it took people a week to dig out and find all the bodies. Today is the 54th anniversary of this terrible day. As a welsh woman who grew up not far from Aberfan, I will always honour my heritage and think of the people who died this blasted, cursed day.
All these kids should've been my parents age right now, and I can't imagine the teacher not even knowing where to run to. It's like after he told the kids to hide it gave him a few seconds to accept it
The teacher's realization is heartbreaking. It reminds me of a interview I saw with a teacher who survived a tornado when it hit her elementary School. Luckily her and all of the kids survived but they had hid in a small closet. She said she started praying to herself that it would miss them and that they would be okay, but then when the tornado actually hit the school she started praying to herself that she hoped all of their deaths were quick and painless.
Me too. My father grew up near Aberfan and was around the same age as the children who died there. He became an atheist as a result - which, apparently, was quite unusual for someone from South Wales during that period; particularly someone from such a religious family as my father was.
Unfortunately the vast majority died by asphyxiation. Interviews with surviving children also confirmed that many of those that died had been alive initially and calling for help but one by one the crying stopped as they ran out of air. The disaster happened at 9:13am and no survivors were found after 11am.
My great uncle survived this - this all still breaks our family. He lost all his friends and favourite teachers. Aberfan is still grieving awfully. There’s been no real justice at all. They complained and warned authorities about the slag pile for years. My nan said how some of it could come down after rainfall and a couple times knocked down stables. She got a call in work saying that ‘the school’s collapsed’ and she just thought that something else collapsed (can’t remember what and can’t ask her, she’s still got ptsd from it) so she didn’t take it seriously at first. When someone explained what was happening she left and helped to clear the rubble. She was only 17. She cries every anniversary and in the weeks leading to it. She’s 74 now and it’s just as raw as it was back then.
Just pointing out, that in real life, deputy headmaster Dai Benyon did not stand there and watch - he grabbed a blackboard and tried to shield the children. I don't like how he is portrayed here as cowardly or dumbstruck when in reality his final actions were to try to save his students.
@@chooseyourpoison5105 I read that somewhere else. Its a shame the film makers went that way, I know its TV and theres an element of fiction with events, but it would have been fairly simple to make this scene more accurate
@@aubreydavis8822 I agree. I realise the filmmakers will try to dramatise a scene for the sake of ratings by adding in stuff that didn't happen, but in this case, the real story is dramatic enough - there was no need to make stuff up. It just saddens me that people will watch this and think that Dai Benyon just stood there, while in reality he died heroically, trying to shield the children to his last breath.
I'm American. I cannot believe I've never heard of this horrible tragedy before The Crown. Good for the creators for doing this episode. People should know about this. God bless all who were lost. Rest in peace 🙏🙏
The cruelest part of all this is if it had happened one hour earlier the school would have been near empty …. And it was the end of term before the holidays …. It’s the hardest part for me to accept…. Why at the worst possible time.
I never heard this story, but what I find truly well done by the makers of this episode, is the fact that you sense by the filmography that there was something to happen, something dreadful. The scenes of the town outside are dark, almost sinister, with the dark skies, the rain and the looming hillside, and then you have the scenes with the children prior, where they sing, smile, etc in light colours
I can't imagine what was going through that teachers mind knowing that literally within seconds he and his students just little kids were all going to die
@@fredo1070 Poor shitting politician propaganda profiting about such terrible tragedy. The chain of negligence that led to this disaster involved more perpetrators than just those who are not to your political liking. I was deeply touched by this catastrophe, and I empathize greatly with those who lost their loved ones in an event that should never have happened. My deepest condolences from another corner of the world and 55 years of distance.
What's ironic is this is one of the best episodes in the Crown but I can never get through it without crying my eyes out. I actually debate if I should skip it becuase it breaks me everytime but then I sit through it anyway becuase it is written so well.
The Aberfan disaster was 7 years before I was born, but my sister told me years later that, watching the news that night was the one and only time she saw my father cry.
Nansi Williams, the school meals clerk, used her body to shield five children. All five survived, but sadly Williams did not. When her body was found by rescuers, she was still holding a pound note she had been collecting as lunch money.
That particular teacher I believe is meant to be Dai Benyon. In reality, he also grabbed a large blackboard and tried to shield the children. He literally spent his last seconds alive attempting to protect them and he should be remembered for that.
I remember the first time I saw this scene, having no idea what the history was (I'm a quarter Welsh too, I'm ashamed to have learned of this tragedy through Netflix tbh) and I had to pause the episode to compose myself. It is one of the most incredible pieces of television I've ever seen; they made you FEEL it. It was made in such a powerful way that I wouldn't be surprised if barely anyone was able to watch that without some kind of physical reaction. I honestly couldn't describe many scenes from the series but this one is seared into my brain.
I’m an American and I hadn’t heard of Aberfan until this episode. As I was watching it, I was trying to convince myself that surely it was a fully fictional plot line, because I couldn’t bear how heartbreaking it was. I hate that this really happened and that appropriate reparations were never fully made.
Of all the odd ways to learn about Aberfan, I learned of the disaster from reading a Ripley's Believe it or Not comic book. It's been decades so my memory isn't so clear, but my recollection is that people were having dreams about the disaster before it happened.
I'm not sure if this was him but when they dug up the bodies they found the body of a teacher holding in his arms the bodies of 5 children that just broke my heart 💔😢
Watching how the cast and crew brought it all together is so wild because I had the pleasure of watching some of the outdoor scenes be filmed as I live in the village it was shot in. One day, I remember going for a walk and found a series of hearses with prop coffins just parked up on the mainstreet ready to shoot the funeral procession. It took mine and my mother's breath away because the Aberfan tragedy and the injustice of it all is so felt and remembered. It was a surreal and oddly emotional experience because what I knew to be fake before my eyes, was reality for the families of Aberfan and that's so incredibly sad. I'm so glad they handled the story with compassion and didn't over dramatise it (admittedly I'm not from Aberfan and only they could truly give that assessment).
I am German and I never heard about the Aberfan disaster before. That's why I screamed and cried in shock when I watched this episode, all the poor children burried and died in the rubble. That's so horrible 😢
What made this tragedy even more appalling were the callous actions of the National Coal Board afterwards. Despite knowing what had happened, its chairman Lord Robens attended his investiture as Chancellor of Surrey university and didn't arrive in Aberfan to direct the rescue operation for 36 hours. The NCB then denied liability by saying it was unaware that the slurry tip had been placed over a natural spring in breach of safety regulations despite a previous land survey which proved it was lying. Most disgusting of all however was the NCB took £150,000 (£2.7 million today) from the disaster relief fund to pay for clearing the other slurry tips, some of which had also been illegally placed and were just as unstable as the one that collapsed onto Aberfan.
When I first saw this episode, I read "Pantglas Junior School" on the front gate....and I knew immediately what was going to happen. I didn't stop crying the entire episode.
Such a sad and heartbreaking tragedy! I saw that mountain of coal and knew something bad was going to happen, this scene was soo terrifying to watch. All of those children losing their lives like that just gut and heart wrenching.
I remember this tragedy happening, I was 6 at the time. I remember saying prayers in assembly at school and holding a minutes silence on the days of funerals etc. The scene in this TV series, which I have never seen, is absolutely chilling , really, really graphic and totally terrifying. My heart goes out to all those poor little kiddie's and school staff who died in this appalling disaster and also to their poor parents and relatives. 🙏🥀
Absolutely gut wrenching! I have a 9 year old son and can only think of him while watching this episode 😰😰😰 my father is from England and was 13 when this happened. I can’t even imagine the horror these sweet souls were left to encounter! 💔💔💔
When I watched this episode I knew this scene was coming and I wasn't prepared for how horrific it was. The disaster happened well before I was born so all I know of is the events. But seeing this dramatization was just heart wrenching.
Getting my kids ready for school will never be the same after watching the Aberfan episode.. I have four of my kids at the same school … combing their hair just like those moms did that morning.. maybe even had an argument because they had to hurry up.. terrible
My first girlfriend used to live in Merthyr Vale. One of her older sisters was supposed to be in school when the tragedy struck, but didn’t go because she was ill. For a long time afterwards, the whole family were vilified by parents of those who died. Every time I went to my (then) gf’s house when dating you couldn’t help but look up, especially if driving in. Even then, in what would have been from 1986 onwards, you could see the dark remains of one of the greatest tragedies ever to hit not just the UK, but the whole world.
How do you mean they were vilified? (Genuine question, I'm not trying to be rude or anything) I have heard that some of the parents of the children who perished could not bear to see the surviving children and would avoid them, leading a lot of those poor kids to feel survivor's guilt. Also that a lot of the village inhabitants would panic at the sound of rain on the roof due to associations with that terrible morning. If only PTSD had been better understood back then. Just a terribly sad situation all round.
The fact they were vilified is so wrong and fucked up because it`s not at all their fault like why were they even vilified at all or was it because people wanted to blame them and take out their grief and anger out on them?
@@ashleyyoung6107 Its human nature to want to blame someone - anyone - I guess, even though it obviously wasn't the survivors fault. As a parent it would hurt to see other kids from that same school growing up and living their life when your own kid never got that chance, and you'd resent those kids even though you knew rationally that they had nothing to do with what happened. Human emotions rarely follow logic.
I was reading a news article ab this and I read that a teacher died holding 3 kids and the corpse was still holding the three kids corpses that’s the most sweetest and saddest thing I had ever read
Conocí el hecho de Aberfan (1966) por primera vez cuando leía un libro sobre los sueños y los misterios que los envuelven. Era 1994 y en ese entonces tenía 9 años. Me impactó mucho y nunca olvidaré la primera imagen que vi al respecto; era una imagen a color tomada desde un helicóptero, creo yo, sobre cómo quedó el lugar después de la tragedia. El capítulo sobre Aberfan en The Crown, para mí, el más emotivo y triste. Excelente recreación para un momento que marcó a la parte sur de Gales.
Why always children have to suffer a lot on these catastrophes like wars, irresponsible facts from adults ? It’s absolutely horrible and sad, adults always fighting, arguing,, hating each others, fighting for power, and always putting children to suffer! Always the greediness and power !
This episode reminded me of the sinking of the Ferry Sewol in Korea. A bunch of high school students went on a trip and while traveling there the ship sank, and like 5/6 of an entire class from an HS ended up dead
A channel named dark history brought me here. I can only imagine how scared the children were because when I was a child, I was scared of a lot of things. pain Heights drowning claustrophobia
I cried so hard while watching this episode... 🥺 Childhood is supposed to represent innocence, dreaming, having fun and folks, learning...but certainly not death. 😭💔 I cried as if all these little innocent kids were my children...
The teacher is supposed to be Michael Davies a 21 year old teacher newly qualified from Tredegar. Pantglas was his first teaching post. Bendith Duw ar Aberfan 🏴🏴🏴💔
I was born in the United States the year that this incident happened, but I did not learn about the incident until several years ago when I read Iain Murray's two-volume biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and it hit me hard and powerfully when I learned of it.
A day our quiet mountain moving country shall never forget, the day the earth moved is the day we lost a village’s whole next generation. Rest in peace.
The Aberfan disaster was simply a sight to behold. It all started on October 21st, 1966 in the Welsh village of Aberfan, where a coal-mining tip decided to take a little tumble. But oh no, this wasn't your average small collapse, this was a massive avalanche of black sludge that engulfed the entire village. It was like a scene from a horror movie, but without the budget. The villagers were just minding their own business, probably sipping on some tea and gossiping about the latest sheep shagging scandal, when suddenly they were buried alive under a mountain of coal waste. Talk about a coal-ossal disaster, am I right? And the worst part is, no one saw it coming. Not even the psychic sheep predicted this one. It was like God just decided to play a cruel joke on these poor people. 'Oh, let's see how they like a mountain of sludge ruining their day,' he must have chuckled to himself. But let's not forget about the children. Yes, the innocent, unsuspecting children who were just trying to learn their ABCs and play with their Pokemon cards. They were the primary victims of this tragic event, with 116 of them losing their lives. But hey, at least they didn't have to worry about finishing their homework that day. And the aftermath was just as disastrous. The rescue efforts were hindered by, get this, rain. That's right, the Gods just couldn't resist adding insult to injury. It was like the ultimate game of 'Let's see how much we can screw with these people's lives.' But of course, leave it to the British government to make things even worse. They not only took their sweet time in responding to the disaster, but they also had the audacity to charge the surviving families for the cleanup costs. I mean, talk about adding insult to injury. 'Sorry your kids died, but can you pay for the mess they caused?' But hey, at least we got some good jokes out of it, right? I mean, have you heard the one about the Aberfan villagers playing hide and seek? They still haven't found little Timmy. Yikes. Anyway, in typical British fashion, we'll just sweep this disaster under the rug and continue to sip our tea and pretend like it never happened. Cheers to that.
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, . 'Twas God that made them all. Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing color, He made their tiny wings. The purple headed mountains, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brightens up the sky. The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one. He gave us eyes to see them, And lips hat we might tell, How great is the Almighty, Who has made all things well.
It's heartbreaking that running would have also doomed them, as this flood of coal and dirt went PASSED the schools(practically buried the school) so this is what u call a "no win" scenario
😢 🙏🏿🕯️💔 This was my actual birthday 🎂 My Mum remembers the announcement on the radio 📻 as she was in hospital 🏥 that very morning 😧 I was born later that evening 🗓️ Please NEVER forget them .....⏳ 😇❤️Xx
There was no justice for Aberfan. Those people lost their children and the culprits walked free. It makes you sick.
Seems to have worsened even today... Too many backstabbers quit deny and run away just as the dust settles much too often...
that is what the world has become today. That's why u need power in life. A common citizen will always be the sufferer.
Those who were so negligent should have gone to prison for a very long time.
Prelude to Bhopal
Same as Grenfell Tower. Disgusting.
I’m an elementary school teacher and I cried for hours after this scene. I can only imagine how that teacher felt, not being able to protect his students.
Looks like the teacher didnt have much time to think about it
Cringe
@@arthurmead5341 You must be a child. Learning a word from the internet and repeating it until it has no meaning is the definition of cringe.
@@jettmclachlan1804 Cope
I like how the teacher didn’t immediately dive under his desk. He looked to make sure all of his students were under their desks.
What gets me most is how the teacher doesn’t duck and cover with the children. He knows there’s no chance of survival but gives his students some small hope all the same.
Imagine being that teacher knowing you and all those kids are doomed there's nothing you can do
That’s what I was going to comment. I like how he tries to save them by telling them to get under their desks but he just stands there knowing there’s nothing that can save them.
@@johnwheatley5641 hits hard
Its heartbreaking that he says "Jesus Christ" as he know they are doomed and tells the Children to get under the desk so they have some form of hope but doesnt bother doing it himself as he knows in reality it likely won't help.
This scene was chilling especially with the screams fading as it cuts to black.
Exactly what I was thinking. He couldn't reassure them or anything.
you could run and try to hide behind pillars etc...
This entire episode was phenomenal. As an American I’d never even heard of Aberfan, so this episode completely caught me off guard and disturbed me. I’m a film major who’s seen countless films and television series, and yet I can think of few other examples in film in which the entire self-contained plot has filled me with greater dread than this. Truly haunting, from beginning to end.
The worst thing about it is the timing. The tips collapsed at 9:15 a.m.
If they collapsed an hour earlier the school would have been empty.
If they collapsed an hour later the miners would have been in time to evacuate the school.
And the fact this was based on a true story is the worst part
On the 21st of October 1966 9:13 am, 150,000 tonnes of coal rolled down the mountain from the colliery.
144 people died in this disaster. (28 Adults and 116 children). No one was found alive after 11am and it took people a week to dig out and find all the bodies.
Today is the 54th anniversary of this terrible day. As a welsh woman who grew up not far from Aberfan, I will always honour my heritage and think of the people who died this blasted, cursed day.
All these kids should've been my parents age right now, and I can't imagine the teacher not even knowing where to run to. It's like after he told the kids to hide it gave him a few seconds to accept it
The saddest thing is that it took them a week to find all of the bodies, they could have been in so much pain for a long time
As a welsh woman myself who grew up an hour outside of this disaster, I understand
@@alycercoyle8223 yeah same. 😔
Your comment is truly beautiful. One Welsh woman to another :)
The teacher's realization is heartbreaking. It reminds me of a interview I saw with a teacher who survived a tornado when it hit her elementary School. Luckily her and all of the kids survived but they had hid in a small closet. She said she started praying to herself that it would miss them and that they would be okay, but then when the tornado actually hit the school she started praying to herself that she hoped all of their deaths were quick and painless.
That sounds terrifying I can’t imagine just switching my prayer to that
Grand son of a miner here -This broke my heart.
You are not alone
Same here
Same x
Me too. My father grew up near Aberfan and was around the same age as the children who died there.
He became an atheist as a result - which, apparently, was quite unusual for someone from South Wales during that period; particularly someone from such a religious family as my father was.
@@jamesmason8436 I can understand your father. Why should we believe in God after having seen this horror...?
I pray to God the people died quickly and didn't slowly suffocate!
Some were still gasping for breathe... It must have been heartbreaking for the parents to experience
Unfortunately the vast majority died by asphyxiation. Interviews with surviving children also confirmed that many of those that died had been alive initially and calling for help but one by one the crying stopped as they ran out of air. The disaster happened at 9:13am and no survivors were found after 11am.
My great uncle survived this - this all still breaks our family. He lost all his friends and favourite teachers. Aberfan is still grieving awfully. There’s been no real justice at all. They complained and warned authorities about the slag pile for years. My nan said how some of it could come down after rainfall and a couple times knocked down stables. She got a call in work saying that ‘the school’s collapsed’ and she just thought that something else collapsed (can’t remember what and can’t ask her, she’s still got ptsd from it) so she didn’t take it seriously at first. When someone explained what was happening she left and helped to clear the rubble. She was only 17. She cries every anniversary and in the weeks leading to it. She’s 74 now and it’s just as raw as it was back then.
Bless you all ❤
Fake
@@user-fm8ke5zm5i why would you say something like that?
@@shilothorp8691 Fake.
@@user-fm8ke5zm5i so you're like 10?
As a dad, this fills me with dread. I was nauseous watching this the first time, knowing what was about to happen
Just pointing out, that in real life, deputy headmaster Dai Benyon did not stand there and watch - he grabbed a blackboard and tried to shield the children. I don't like how he is portrayed here as cowardly or dumbstruck when in reality his final actions were to try to save his students.
@@chooseyourpoison5105 I read that somewhere else. Its a shame the film makers went that way, I know its TV and theres an element of fiction with events, but it would have been fairly simple to make this scene more accurate
@@aubreydavis8822 I agree. I realise the filmmakers will try to dramatise a scene for the sake of ratings by adding in stuff that didn't happen, but in this case, the real story is dramatic enough - there was no need to make stuff up. It just saddens me that people will watch this and think that Dai Benyon just stood there, while in reality he died heroically, trying to shield the children to his last breath.
Not even a mom here, this episode gives me some serious goosebumps.
I'm American. I cannot believe I've never heard of this horrible tragedy before The Crown. Good for the creators for doing this episode. People should know about this. God bless all who were lost. Rest in peace 🙏🙏
0:09 - I think that blond haired boy is suppose to be survivor Jeff Edwards. He was 8 years old at the time and still has survivors guilt.
There’s more than one survivor.
@@jojomakes at the school?
@@amt-vi1uo yes. Even a teacher who survived it just died last year.
@@thomaspulliam5852 I think the person you're talking about, pulled several children alive from the buried Hall, they still kept in touch.
My Grandad was born in Aberfan in 1929, he moved to England when he was 16, he couldn’t watch this episode. I wept when I watched it.
The cruelest part of all this is if it had happened one hour earlier the school would have been near empty …. And it was the end of term before the holidays …. It’s the hardest part for me to accept…. Why at the worst possible time.
I never heard this story, but what I find truly well done by the makers of this episode, is the fact that you sense by the filmography that there was something to happen, something dreadful. The scenes of the town outside are dark, almost sinister, with the dark skies, the rain and the looming hillside, and then you have the scenes with the children prior, where they sing, smile, etc in light colours
I can't imagine what was going through that teachers mind knowing that literally within seconds he and his students just little kids were all going to die
“God, protect them all.”
This is what happens when corporates pocket politicians
Exactly we have witnessed the same thing with the Beirut explosion
@@muratqitaku56 beirut explosion was a result of gross negligence
@@aumelb aberfan was a result of gross negligence too.
Not really, British Coal was nationalised. Socialism was responsible. Murdered by the Coal Board was the motto.
@@fredo1070 Poor shitting politician propaganda profiting about such terrible tragedy. The chain of negligence that led to this disaster involved more perpetrators than just those who are not to your political liking. I was deeply touched by this catastrophe, and I empathize greatly with those who lost their loved ones in an event that should never have happened. My deepest condolences from another corner of the world and 55 years of distance.
What's ironic is this is one of the best episodes in the Crown but I can never get through it without crying my eyes out. I actually debate if I should skip it becuase it breaks me everytime but then I sit through it anyway becuase it is written so well.
0:38
The scream as the rubble runs them over and it cuts to black is chilling.
Just. Chilling.
My grandads brother died in the Aberfan disaster really broke my heart this
The Aberfan disaster was 7 years before I was born, but my sister told me years later that, watching the news that night was the one and only time she saw my father cry.
To me, the most moving episode of the Crown
Those parents digging for their children…. Breaks my heart.
Nansi Williams, the school meals clerk, used her body to shield five children. All five survived, but sadly Williams did not. When her body was found by rescuers, she was still holding a pound note she had been collecting as lunch money.
Wow this got me.
They had no chance! Teacher did what he could telling them to get under the desks
That particular teacher I believe is meant to be Dai Benyon. In reality, he also grabbed a large blackboard and tried to shield the children. He literally spent his last seconds alive attempting to protect them and he should be remembered for that.
I remember the first time I saw this scene, having no idea what the history was (I'm a quarter Welsh too, I'm ashamed to have learned of this tragedy through Netflix tbh) and I had to pause the episode to compose myself. It is one of the most incredible pieces of television I've ever seen; they made you FEEL it. It was made in such a powerful way that I wouldn't be surprised if barely anyone was able to watch that without some kind of physical reaction. I honestly couldn't describe many scenes from the series but this one is seared into my brain.
You think thats bad? I learned of the The Tulsa Race Massacre from HBO! And I love history and grew up in New England!
This scene fucked me up 😭 poor babies. Poor teacher... Facing imminent death head on.. their last moments must have been so terrifying
I’m an American and I hadn’t heard of Aberfan until this episode. As I was watching it, I was trying to convince myself that surely it was a fully fictional plot line, because I couldn’t bear how heartbreaking it was. I hate that this really happened and that appropriate reparations were never fully made.
Of all the odd ways to learn about Aberfan, I learned of the disaster from reading a Ripley's Believe it or Not comic book. It's been decades so my memory isn't so clear, but my recollection is that people were having dreams about the disaster before it happened.
I'm not sure if this was him but when they dug up the bodies they found the body of a teacher holding in his arms the bodies of 5 children that just broke my heart 💔😢
Watching how the cast and crew brought it all together is so wild because I had the pleasure of watching some of the outdoor scenes be filmed as I live in the village it was shot in. One day, I remember going for a walk and found a series of hearses with prop coffins just parked up on the mainstreet ready to shoot the funeral procession. It took mine and my mother's breath away because the Aberfan tragedy and the injustice of it all is so felt and remembered. It was a surreal and oddly emotional experience because what I knew to be fake before my eyes, was reality for the families of Aberfan and that's so incredibly sad. I'm so glad they handled the story with compassion and didn't over dramatise it (admittedly I'm not from Aberfan and only they could truly give that assessment).
I am German and I never heard about the Aberfan disaster before. That's why I screamed and cried in shock when I watched this episode, all the poor children burried and died in the rubble. That's so horrible 😢
What made this tragedy even more appalling were the callous actions of the National Coal Board afterwards.
Despite knowing what had happened, its chairman Lord Robens attended his investiture as Chancellor of Surrey university and didn't arrive in Aberfan to direct the rescue operation for 36 hours. The NCB then denied liability by saying it was unaware that the slurry tip had been placed over a natural spring in breach of safety regulations despite a previous land survey which proved it was lying.
Most disgusting of all however was the NCB took £150,000 (£2.7 million today) from the disaster relief fund to pay for clearing the other slurry tips, some of which had also been illegally placed and were just as unstable as the one that collapsed onto Aberfan.
This scene broke my heart
“Buried alive by the NCB…”
How “Lord” Robens ever slept at night puzzles me.
Those poor children..I can't imagine how the parents felt..
When I first saw this episode, I read "Pantglas Junior School" on the front gate....and I knew immediately what was going to happen.
I didn't stop crying the entire episode.
Neither did I...
I watched it. I can never watch it again, the episode was just too much.
Such a sad and heartbreaking tragedy! I saw that mountain of coal and knew something bad was going to happen, this scene was soo terrifying to watch. All of those children losing their lives like that just gut and heart wrenching.
He saved at least some of their lives
I remember this tragedy happening, I was 6 at the time. I remember saying prayers in assembly at school and holding a minutes silence on the days of funerals etc. The scene in this TV series, which I have never seen, is absolutely chilling , really, really graphic and totally terrifying. My heart goes out to all those poor little kiddie's and school staff who died in this appalling disaster and also to their poor parents and relatives. 🙏🥀
Absolutely gut wrenching! I have a 9 year old son and can only think of him while watching this episode 😰😰😰 my father is from England and was 13 when this happened. I can’t even imagine the horror these sweet souls were left to encounter! 💔💔💔
If only it happened 1 hour before. Most of the kids would have still been at home 😫
That's one of the most horrifying scenes in any movie; doubly so because it actually happened.
who else cried after seeing this?
I cry every time I see this scene
When I watched this episode I knew this scene was coming and I wasn't prepared for how horrific it was. The disaster happened well before I was born so all I know of is the events. But seeing this dramatization was just heart wrenching.
Getting my kids ready for school will never be the same after watching the Aberfan episode.. I have four of my kids at the same school … combing their hair just like those moms did that morning.. maybe even had an argument because they had to hurry up.. terrible
My godmother told her mother she was too sick to go in to school that day, a decision that coincidentally saved her life... but not her brother's.
"If anything can go wrong, it will, at the worst possible time." Wise words.
My first girlfriend used to live in Merthyr Vale. One of her older sisters was supposed to be in school when the tragedy struck, but didn’t go because she was ill.
For a long time afterwards, the whole family were vilified by parents of those who died.
Every time I went to my (then) gf’s house when dating you couldn’t help but look up, especially if driving in. Even then, in what would have been from 1986 onwards, you could see the dark remains of one of the greatest tragedies ever to hit not just the UK, but the whole world.
How do you mean they were vilified? (Genuine question, I'm not trying to be rude or anything) I have heard that some of the parents of the children who perished could not bear to see the surviving children and would avoid them, leading a lot of those poor kids to feel survivor's guilt. Also that a lot of the village inhabitants would panic at the sound of rain on the roof due to associations with that terrible morning. If only PTSD had been better understood back then. Just a terribly sad situation all round.
The fact they were vilified is so wrong and fucked up because it`s not at all their fault like why were they even vilified at all or was it because people wanted to blame them and take out their grief and anger out on them?
@@ashleyyoung6107 Its human nature to want to blame someone - anyone - I guess, even though it obviously wasn't the survivors fault. As a parent it would hurt to see other kids from that same school growing up and living their life when your own kid never got that chance, and you'd resent those kids even though you knew rationally that they had nothing to do with what happened. Human emotions rarely follow logic.
Thankful for the creators for not putting screams in when the windows came through.
I was reading a news article ab this and I read that a teacher died holding 3 kids and the corpse was still holding the three kids corpses that’s the most sweetest and saddest thing I had ever read
Conocí el hecho de Aberfan (1966) por primera vez cuando leía un libro sobre los sueños y los misterios que los envuelven. Era 1994 y en ese entonces tenía 9 años. Me impactó mucho y nunca olvidaré la primera imagen que vi al respecto; era una imagen a color tomada desde un helicóptero, creo yo, sobre cómo quedó el lugar después de la tragedia.
El capítulo sobre Aberfan en The Crown, para mí, el más emotivo y triste. Excelente recreación para un momento que marcó a la parte sur de Gales.
They shouldn't have had the colliery on top of that hill in the first place
So that's how death comes. Mercilessly, but silent.
The Crown everyone should see such a history lesson. Hard times yet tv views man on the moon I remember watching on tv
i was only 3 yrs old at the time, Aberfan, a very sad part of history 😪😪
Few things on tv shows made me feel as sad as this episode did
magistral y desgarrador a la vez, la forma en como crearon esta escena hace que caigas en depresion al imaginar a esos pobres niños
At least he gave them hope at their very last moment
I remember this very well. It was a terrible tragedy. Miners came up top and tried to dig out their own children.
RIP
Why always children have to suffer a lot on these catastrophes like wars, irresponsible facts from adults ? It’s absolutely horrible and sad, adults always fighting, arguing,, hating each others, fighting for power, and always putting children to suffer! Always the greediness and power !
This episode reminded me of the sinking of the Ferry Sewol in Korea.
A bunch of high school students went on a trip and while traveling there the ship sank, and like 5/6 of an entire class from an HS ended up dead
My grandfather went to Aberfan to help when this happened. He never talked about it.
Oohh my goodness that broke my heart 😭😭
That teacher was very brave
certain death=/=bravery
I cried!
A channel named dark history brought me here. I can only imagine how scared the children were because when I was a child, I was scared of a lot of things. pain Heights drowning claustrophobia
Todavia me da escalofrios esta escena
I cried so hard while watching this episode... 🥺
Childhood is supposed to represent innocence, dreaming, having fun and folks, learning...but certainly not death. 😭💔
I cried as if all these little innocent kids were my children...
It’s a miracle any of those poor children survived that
I think this is the only dramatised version of the Aberfan disaster. I haven't seen any others. I learned about it in English class
If it's any consolation, they would've been killed instantly due to the weight, speed, and force of it
The teacher is supposed to be Michael Davies a 21 year old teacher newly qualified from Tredegar. Pantglas was his first teaching post. Bendith Duw ar Aberfan 🏴🏴🏴💔
happening so close to my home this brakes my heart
This scene haunts me to this day.
This was so sad for real !!
I was born in the United States the year that this incident happened, but I did not learn about the incident until several years ago when I read Iain Murray's two-volume biography of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and it hit me hard and powerfully when I learned of it.
Oh God....
A sad memories for the Aberfan , Wales..
A day our quiet mountain moving country shall never forget, the day the earth moved is the day we lost a village’s whole next generation. Rest in peace.
The Aberfan disaster was simply a sight to behold. It all started on October 21st, 1966 in the Welsh village of Aberfan, where a coal-mining tip decided to take a little tumble. But oh no, this wasn't your average small collapse, this was a massive avalanche of black sludge that engulfed the entire village. It was like a scene from a horror movie, but without the budget.
The villagers were just minding their own business, probably sipping on some tea and gossiping about the latest sheep shagging scandal, when suddenly they were buried alive under a mountain of coal waste. Talk about a coal-ossal disaster, am I right?
And the worst part is, no one saw it coming. Not even the psychic sheep predicted this one. It was like God just decided to play a cruel joke on these poor people. 'Oh, let's see how they like a mountain of sludge ruining their day,' he must have chuckled to himself.
But let's not forget about the children. Yes, the innocent, unsuspecting children who were just trying to learn their ABCs and play with their Pokemon cards. They were the primary victims of this tragic event, with 116 of them losing their lives. But hey, at least they didn't have to worry about finishing their homework that day.
And the aftermath was just as disastrous. The rescue efforts were hindered by, get this, rain. That's right, the Gods just couldn't resist adding insult to injury. It was like the ultimate game of 'Let's see how much we can screw with these people's lives.'
But of course, leave it to the British government to make things even worse. They not only took their sweet time in responding to the disaster, but they also had the audacity to charge the surviving families for the cleanup costs. I mean, talk about adding insult to injury. 'Sorry your kids died, but can you pay for the mess they caused?'
But hey, at least we got some good jokes out of it, right? I mean, have you heard the one about the Aberfan villagers playing hide and seek? They still haven't found little Timmy. Yikes.
Anyway, in typical British fashion, we'll just sweep this disaster under the rug and continue to sip our tea and pretend like it never happened. Cheers to that.
Pokémon wasn’t a thing until the 90s.
I’ve watched the crown and why have I not seen this
How could you have missed it? Season 3, Episode 3.
OMG
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, .
'Twas God that made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing color,
He made their tiny wings.
The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips hat we might tell,
How great is the Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Why would a god that benevolent and wonderful allow something like this to happen then
Amazing how anyone can sing this seriously
I’m coal miners great granddaughter here it made me cry
Knowing that this actually happened makes this scene beyond horrific.
Under the desk... It's like the "duck and cover during a volcano eruption" from south park.
They never got to sing that song...
It's heartbreaking that running would have also doomed them, as this flood of coal and dirt went PASSED the schools(practically buried the school) so this is what u call a "no win" scenario
I keep thinking this happened like 50 miles away from me or something but I'm only a mile or two away
Man i wish those who are responsible can see this scene over and over again on their dreams!
😢 🙏🏿🕯️💔
This was my actual birthday 🎂
My Mum remembers the announcement on the radio 📻 as she was in hospital 🏥 that very morning 😧
I was born later that evening 🗓️
Please NEVER forget them .....⏳
😇❤️Xx
Hey I’m sorry but I can’t find it in Netflix, well I did but it’s a different one 🙁, I really want to see it 😢
Jesus. I remember seeing this on the news in the US. Absolutely terrifying. (Note to self: Must start watching The Crown.)
Night night
Whats the name of this episode pls
Aberfan
This is so sad
What titlle in netflex sir?
What is the title?
Cymru am byth