January: A disaster fund to aid the village and bereaved, launched by the mayor of Merthyr, was closed after receiving nearly 90,000 contributions totalling £1.6 million. Villagers even ended up having to pay for the removal of the tip from the disaster fund set up to help them. The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip at around 9:15 am on 21 October 1966. The Aberfan Disaster Memorial Fund, which was set up on the day of the disaster, raised the equivalent of $16.6 million in modern dollars. The scandal of Aberfan is that these people then had to fight the authorities for justice. Sir, We have a few programmes on BBC Wales for the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster and the ensuing scandal.

The fund was worth £1.75 million overall. In truth, the NCB had been warned more than once about the potential dangers of the waste tips above Aberfan. South Wales has known tragedy but Aberfan was different: previous valleys disasters were mining accidents, leaving the women waiting anxiously for news of their husbands. The scandal of Aberfan is that these people then had to fight the authorities for justice. Charles will unveil a plaque in memory of the victims of the disaster and sign a book of remembrance, after visiting the Aberfan Memorial Garden on the site of Pantglas School. August 3: The report into the Aberfan Disaster Tribunal is published. There is no doubt in my mind that the NCB literally got away with murder on October 21, 1966. The money was not repaid to the fund until 1997. The National Coal Board led by its odious chairman Lord Robens attempted to absolve itself of any blame, claiming it was a ‘natural disaster’. But Aberfan was a scandal as well as a tragedy. If Aberfan happened today, it would result in prosecutions for corporate manslaughter.

The state-owned National Coal Board ignored all the warning signs. In 1966, men and women shared the vigil, and later the grief.