Senghenydd

After a mixed weather day the sun came out this evening and gave us a great sunset, and thats my Blip.

Senghenydd is our neighbouring village, most people probably wouldn't have heard of the small mining village, but today the worlds media came to pay a visit for the Centenary of the worst mining pit disaster in the UK. I was planning on the memorial being my blip but I couldn't get anywhere near it to get a decent shot.

On the 13th October 1913 an explosion killed 439 miners and a rescuer at the Universal Colliery. It had been caused by a build up of firedamp (methane) gas being ignited. The blast disturbed coal dust on the mine floor, raising clouds that then also caught alight, spreading the destruction further. The fire was mainly confined to the west side of the mine, with the east side blocked with noxious gases. The result was over 400 men trapped underground. It was not the first time tragedy had hit the village, a few miles along the Aber Valley from Caerphilly.
An explosion at the colliery in 1901 killed 81 men and there was criticism that the pit owners did not learn the lessons from it. A report following that explosion recommended certain safety procedures should be followed. An extended deadline of September 1913 to implement the safety measure was missed by the mine bosses. Just six weeks later, 439 miners and a rescuer died when another blast ripped through the colliery.
Families were left devastated, Husbands, Father, Brothers and Sons were killed. Not a house in the village was left untouched by the incident. And the compensation paid to wives who lost their husbands by the pit owner? One Shilling and one penny, and one bag of coal, providing the wife stayed chaste.

I'll blip the memorial in a few days when the media have left.

Many thanks for all the hearts, stars and lovely comments on my hangover and Mushroom yesterday, the comments were appreciated :-)

View Large or press L