The late Queen Elizabeth II ‘did the right thing’ by waiting over a week before visiting Aberfan following the 1966 disaster, a former mountain rescuer told the Prince of Wales today.
Bob Thomas, who had helped with the disaster 57 years ago, assured Prince William that his grandmother – who was heavily criticised for the delay – would have been ‘a distraction’.
The royal, 40, and his wife the Princess of Wales, 41, met Aberfan rescuers on their visit to Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales, today, to meet with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
The couple were introduced to Bob and Nick Richards, both of whom provided aid when a devastating avalanche of slurry in a Welsh village killed 144 people, including 116 children.
‘It must have been terrifying,’ William said. ‘It’s a real pleasure to meet you both. My grandmother told me many times about Aberfan.’
The late Queen Elizabeth II ‘did the right thing’ by waiting over a week before visiting Aberfan following the 1966 disaster, a former mountain rescuer told the Prince of Wales (pictured with the Princess of Wales) today
Mr Thomas replied: ‘Your family did the right thing in not coming immediately, because it would have been a distraction.’
The tragedy in 1966 was one of the UK’s worst disasters, and left 116 children and 28 adults dead.
It was caused by a spoil-heap landslide following heavy rain, which engulfed Pantglas Primary School and surrounding houses on the morning of October 21.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Lord Snowdon and the then prime minister Harold Wilson visited the scene the following day. The Queen waited eight days before going to the village near Merthyr Tydfil.
She visited the mining village several times and formed a strong bond with the community.
Mr Thomas and Mr Richards had helped in the aftermath of Aberfan and spent some time talking to William and Kate about the disaster.
Mr Thomas, who was then a 19-year-old bank clerk, showed William photos and explained how hard it was to clear the debris.
‘We were trying to shift what seemed like dry concrete,’ Mr Thomas said. ‘It was really heavy and it must have come down like a train, because it has taken out a row of houses and the school.
Her Majesty visited the village Aberfan (pictured) on October 29 1966 – eight days after the horrific disaster in 1966
Olivia Colman, pictured left, as Queen Elizabeth II while visiting the Aberfan tragedy. The monarch, pictured right in 1966, seeing the devastating scenes in the Welsh village. The Crown claimed the Queen faked brushing a tear away, but in reality the monarch actually cried
‘There was a spring that tipped over, that no-one knew was there. We’d had four weeks of rain and it all just washed out. We were given a shovel and a pick to get the stuff away, but we just couldn’t move it.’
Mr Thomas said many of the rescuers were miners and had the knowledge and skills needed to clear the debris.
‘We ended up at about 2.30am and the miners had corrugated metal which they put into a trough, and they were using shovels to fill tipper lorries every 15 minutes with the slurry,’ he told William and Kate.
‘The miners did 16 hours straight on there. I managed four and I was 19 and fit. The last one out was about at 10.45am, and after that it was recovery – it wasn’t a rescue any more.
‘Fortunately we still had the pits then, so if we didn’t have a gang of men who knew what they were doing it would have been worse. There were some horrible stories.
‘My wife was a teacher and she told me about this chap who went to work at 8.30am, and by 9.30am he’d lost his wife, his two children, his house and all he had left was his sports jacket, trousers and Ford Anglia. That was it. It’s just unimaginable.’
Speaking after meeting William and Kate, Mr Thomas said: ‘It was very, very nice they have taken time.’ Mr Richards added: ‘I am really elated. I can’t wait to tell the family because it was a secret.’
Her Majesty visited Aberfan on October 29 1966 – eight days after the horrific disaster.
The Queen’s decision to not visit Aberfan immediately is said to be one of her biggest regrets. Pictured: The Queen walking around the Welsh mining village, with Prince Philip behind her
The mud and devastation caused when mining spoil from the hillside high above Aberfan came down and engulfed The Pantglas Junior School on 21st October 1966
She was criticised by some for not immediately heading to the national disaster and Netflix drama The Crown showed the monarch, played by Olivia Colman, apparently faking tears when meeting residents.
But British royal author Penny Junor suggested the Queen was far from apathetic towards the tragedy and ‘showed her humanity’ to the locals in a quiet manner.
Penny made the remarks on ITV’s Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals, in 2020.
She said: ‘When she actually arrived she spoke with families and there was one woman who’d lost seven members of her family. The Queen just sat with her, quietly, saying nothing, for half an hour. That was the Queen showing her humanity.’
It is unclear who the resident was that the Queen visited for half an hour.
In one episode of The Crown, it is claimed the monarch was forced to visit the disaster after a public backlash and showed little emotion towards the situation.
Queen Elizabeth II pictured visiting the neighbourhood in 1966 with her husband Prince Philip
During the outing, Olivia’s portrayal of the Queen dabs her eye as if wiping a tear away, after talking to the bereaved. She later says: ‘I dabbed a bone-dry eye and by some miracle no one noticed.’
But Her Majesty’s decision to not visit Aberfan immediately is said to be one of her biggest regrets and most royal experts say the decision was made out of practically.
Prince William and Kate’s visit comes as the pair took on their new titles of Prince and Princess of Wales last September.
Since then, they have made several visits to the region to learn about the issues that matter most to the Welsh people.
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