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
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy, a collection of personal items from the victims is being preserved at Amgueddfa Cymru, the national museum of Wales. These objects, including schoolbooks, a football, and a belt, aim to revive the memories of those who perished on 21 October 1966. The disaster, which claimed 116 children and 28 adults, left a profound mark on the region, and now, decades later, their legacy is being honored through tangible artifacts.
A child’s story etched in pages
Marylyn Minett, a 10-year-old girl, once filled her school exercise book with tales of 1960s milestones: a rocket launch, a volcanic eruption, and a shopping trip with her auntie Pam. Her teacher, however, remarked in the margin, “This is not news.” Little did they know, weeks later, Marylyn would become part of a global news story when a colliery spoil tip collapsed, burying her primary school and nearby homes. Her family has now donated her books to the museum, joining other relics that help preserve the memory of the tragedy.
“Each of these things shows who they were,” said Gaynor Madgwick, Marylyn’s sister. “They weren’t just names in a list, they were children with personalities, with lives, with things they loved.”
Gaynor’s family also contributed items from their younger brother Carl, who was seven when he lost his life in the disaster. Among them is Carl’s football, a symbol of his playful spirit, and the belt he wore with his jeans. The family has additionally donated a recently discovered dress, believed to belong to Marylyn, which was unearthed in 2025 from the kitchen wall of their former home. Their father, Cliff Minett, had buried the dress during the construction of their new bungalow, a gesture Gaynor interprets as an attempt to keep his daughter’s presence alive.
A Bible that endured the chaos
Another poignant item, a Welsh language Bible, was recovered from the disaster site. It belonged to Cliff and Anne Bunford, a couple who lived in Cardiff but owned a home in Moy Road, Aberfan, which was rented to a young family. During the catastrophe, the Bunfords arrived in the village and witnessed the devastation. Cliff, allowed past the cordon by police, found his family’s house reduced to rubble. “I saw destruction everywhere. The house wasn’t there, it was just bits of bricks and a chimney,” Anne, now 92, recounted. The young mother and baby inside were among the casualties.
“Cliff said to me, ‘the husband’s gone to work and when he comes back there’s nothing,’” Anne added.
Cliff returned to the remnants of the house days later and discovered one object untouched by the slurry: the Bible. “The Bible was whole, stuck at the top,” Anne recalled. “Other things were broken up… but the Bible was whole.” The book, once a cherished family heirloom, had been read aloud by Cliff’s father during Sunday afternoons. Anne kept it in their Cardiff music room, avoiding attention to its sentimental value. After Cliff’s passing in 2018, she entrusted it to the museum as a lasting remnant of the tragedy.
Amgueddfa Cymru’s curator, Ceri Thompson, highlighted the significance of these items. “For years, we had reports and paperwork, but no actual objects from the disaster,” he explained. “Now, these artifacts offer a deeper connection to the event.” The collection, currently stored at the museum’s Nantgarw centre, will be cared for and made accessible for research, with potential for public display. “People want to see, people want to touch,” Thompson noted. “When you touch something that belonged to a child, it makes their story real.”
