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Aberfan Disaster, Disaster Fund

The national Coal Board took money from the disaster fund, to remove the tip !. Although they were forced to pay this back later. Blame for the disaster rests upon the National Coal Board. This is shared, though in varying degrees, among the NCB headquarters, the South Western Divisional Board, and certain individuals. … The legal liability of the NCB to pay compensation of the personal injuries, fatal or otherwise, and damage to property, is incontestable and uncontested.

The Aberfan Disaster touched the hearts and consciences of not only Britain but the World. The loss of so many young lives, together with the underlying suspicion that this was the price of years of cheap coal, led to a widespread anxiety to do something to help. The Mayor of Merthyr immediately launched a Disaster Fund to aid the village and bereaved. Donations flooded in out of sympathy, grief and guilt. By the time the Fund closed in January 1967, nearly 90,000 contributions had been received, totalling £1,606,929. The Fund's final sum was approximately £1,750,000. In 1997 pounds this represented approximately £17.5 million.

From its outset the Fund faced difficulties. Its legal status was unclear and there were fears that any money it gave out immediately could influence future compensation claims against the NCB. Yet the provisional committee, largely consisting of members of Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council and other local dignitaries, decided to pay out some money forthwith to those affected. As the Fund grew, so too did the worries of the village and donors over how the money would be used. The minimal representation the village had on the provisional committee added to the concern and disquiet. Media exaggerations of the split that existed between the committee and the village fuelled the flames. Some donors wanted the entire fund to go to the bereaved, others felt that it should benefit the wider community, a few that it should be used to remove the remaining tips.

Aberfan Coal Mines Slag Heap Shale Cracks Land Slide Farm Cottage Pantglas School Tribunal Ncb Fund Aberfan Today