The little girl’s belongings that tell the story of the Aberfan disaster
The Little Girl’s Belongings That Tell the Story of the Aberfan Disaster
As the 60th year of the Aberfan tragedy approaches, a collection of personal items now serves as a testament to the event that claimed 116 children and 28 adults in 1966. Among these artifacts is a school notebook belonging to Marylyn Minett, a 10-year-old girl who once wrote about the era’s notable moments: a rocket’s launch, a volcanic eruption, and a visit to Merthyr Tydfil with her auntie Pam. Her teacher had scribbled in the margin, “This isn’t news,” unaware that her words would soon be overshadowed by the news that would change lives forever.
Weeks after writing those entries, Marylyn and her teacher became part of a global story when a coal waste pile collapsed, cascading down the hillside and burying the village’s primary school and nearby homes. The Minett family’s contribution to preserving this memory includes Marylyn’s schoolbooks, alongside objects from her younger brother Carl, who was seven at the time of the disaster. These items are being entrusted to Amgueddfa Cymru, Wales’s national museum, to honor the lives lost on 21 October 1966.
Gaynor Madgwick, Marylyn’s sister, explained the significance of the donations. “Each of these things shows who they were,” she said. The family also shared a dress they believe belonged to Marylyn, discovered in 2025 wrapped in paper and hidden within the kitchen wall of their former home. Their father, Cliff Minett, had built the bungalow after the disaster, burying the dress as a way to “preserve Marylyn, wanting something to last forever,” according to Gaynor. This act, she suggests, was his way of keeping her memory alive amidst the tragedy.
A Testament to Loss and Resilience
Among the recovered relics from the Aberfan site was a Welsh language Bible, which once belonged to Cliff and Anne Bunford. Though the couple resided in Cardiff, they had a home in Moy Road, Aberfan, which was rented to a young family. When the disaster struck, the Bunfords rushed to the village, witnessing the devastation firsthand. Police permitted Cliff to enter the restricted area, where he found his family’s home reduced to rubble by slurry.
“When he came back to the car, he was in tears,” Anne, 92, recalled. “I saw destruction everywhere. The house wasn’t there, it was just bits of bricks and a chimney.”
Cliff’s father had once used the Bible to read aloud to his children every Sunday after lunch. The book, inscribed with the family names, had survived the collapse intact, resting at the top of the slurry heap. Anne remembers her husband’s emotional reaction: “It sounds sentimental, but he said, ‘dad had the last word.’”
For years, the Bible remained in their Cardiff music room, unspoken of, as it reminded Anne of the painful memories tied to her husband. After Cliff’s passing in 2018, she decided to donate it to the museum, believing it should be shared as a symbol of the disaster’s enduring impact.
Preservation Through Personal Connection
Amgueddfa Cymru’s curator, Ceri Thompson, noted the evolution of the Aberfan collection. “Up until five or six years ago, there wasn’t anything 3D,” he explained. “We had reports and paperwork, but actual items from the disaster were rare.” Now, the museum houses tangible remnants, allowing visitors to connect with the tragedy on a deeper level. “People want to see, people want to touch,” Thompson said. “When you touch something that belonged to a child, it makes their story real.”
The items, including Marylyn’s books and Carl’s football, will first be stored at the museum’s Nantgarw collection centre before potentially being displayed. Gaynor’s family hopes these objects will fulfill their father’s wish: to ensure the memory of those lost endures for generations to come.
