Voting Station

Aberfan, Wales

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Location

The Resume

    (1875- )
    Former coal mining village
    Located in the Taff Valley south of the town of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
    Site of the Aberfan disaster (October 21,1966)
    Visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on October 29, 1966

Why Aberfan, Wales might be annoying:

    Its an area of high rainfall.
    It became known after a colliery spoil tip collapsed and led to an avalanche onto the village's houses and the local school school; killing 116 children and 28 adults.
    The tip was determined to be completely preventable and the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB) and the subsequent inquiry placed the blame for the disaster on the organization and nine employees.
    The Merthyr Vale Colliery in question wasn't shut down until 1989.
    Queen Elizabeth II was criticized for sending Prince Philip in her place for a formal visit to the disaster site and for initially refusing to go herself; she eventually relented and made an appearance eight days later.

Why Aberfan, Wales might not be annoying:

    The entire village and an entire generation of kids were traumatized by the events of 1966 (the children who died became known as Aberfan's Lost Generation).
    The families of survivors in Aberfan were treated extremely unfairly and insensitively by NCB leadership.
    The Aberfan Disaster Memorial Fund (ADMF) was established on the day of the disaster. It received nearly 88,000 contributions, totaling 1.75 million pounds.
    In 1997 the British government paid back the 150,000 pounds to the ADMF that was taken out of the fund by the NCB to remove the towering tip surrounding the village.
    The disaster resulted in UK governments framing new legislation to remedy the absence of laws and regulations governing mine and quarry spoil tips.
    The Queen considered her delay in visiting the site of the disaster her 'biggest regret.'
    The Queen returned to visit three times, the last occasion during her 2012 Diamond Jubilee to open a memorial garden at the site of Pantglas Primary School, which was destroyed during the disaster.
    The disaster, its aftermath, and the Queen's visit were all recreated for an episode of Netflix's The Crown with Olivia Colman.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying