Friday 23 September 2011

South Wales

"In those days, the blag slag, the waste of the coal pits, had only begun to cover the side of the hill. Not enough to mar the countryside nor blacken the beauty of our village. For the colliery had only begun to poke its skinny black fingers between the green"

(Philip Dunne screenplay based on 'How Green was my Valley' by Richard Llewellyn)






By noon 436 of the men who had descended the mine for the days work had been bought safely to the surface. Leaving 485 still below.
For these caught in the immediate theatre of the blast, there seemed little hope, for to  the horrer of the blast there had been added the terror of fire and no rescue party, however intrepid, and there was no lack of brave men ready to answer the call of the most forlorn hope-could live through that raging furnace.

(South Wales Daily News Wednesday October 15th 1913. Report of the  Senghenydd Colliery Disaster)

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