P-06-1270 Make October 21st an official Memorial Day for those killed and affected by the Aberfan Disaster

This petition was submitted by Claire Davies, having collected a total of 53 signatures.

Text of Petition:                    

At 9.15 am on Friday, October 21, 1966, a waste tip above the mining village of Aberfan began to slide down the mountainside, firstly destroying a farm cottage and killing all its occupants. It then approached Pantglas Junior School, where the children had only just returned to their classes after singing All Things Bright and Beautiful at their morning assembly. The slide then engulfed the school and about 20 houses in the village, killing 144 people, including 116 school children.

Additional Information:

On 26th October 1966, a tribunal was appointed to inquire into the causes of and circumstances relating to the Aberfan disaster, which was chaired by Welsh barrister and Privy Councillor Lord Justice Edmund Davies.

The Tribunal's report found that

* The blame for the disaster rested entirely with the National Coal Board, and their "total absence of a tipping policy"

* Repeated warnings about the dangerous condition of the tip had been ignored.

* The tips had never been surveyed and were continuously being added to in a chaotic and unplanned manner. The disregard for the unstable geological conditions and the NCB's failure to act after previous smaller slides were found to have been major factors that contributed to the catastrophe.

This innocent people should never be forgotten and should always be remembered. The 21st October should be made a national Memorial Day to remember and never forget.

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 05/12/2022.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed that whilst the Welsh Government is unable to designate a national holiday, they may now raise this as part of future discussion with UK Government. It was also highlighted that all national colliery disasters are commemorated in the National and Universal Mining Memorial Garden. In light this Members agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner.

Full details of the consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 23/05/2022.

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Montgomeryshire
• Mid and West Wales

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