Issue 41 Spring web - Flipbook - Page 62
Site dedicated to thousands of
lives lost officially recognised
as the National Mining Disaster
Memorial Garden of Wales
A memorial garden in Senghenydd, which commemorates those who died in the worst disaster in the
history of British mining, has been given the “recognition it deserves” and formally acknowledged by
the Welsh Government as the National Mining Disaster Memorial Garden of Wales.
The village’s garden of remembrance was officially opened
on the 100th anniversary of the 1913 disaster when 439
miners were killed after an explosion tore through the
Universal Colliery.
Now, it has been added to the Statutory Register of
Historic Parks and Gardens for Wales and received
endorsement from First Minister, Mark Drakeford and the
Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn
Bowden to become a dedicated site remembering the
many thousands who died in mining disasters throughout
Wales.
First Minister, Mark Drakeford said: “Mining is a big part
of our identity as a nation. More than a century after the
Senghenydd disasters, and as we mark the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strikes, the legacy of coal is still an
essential part of our history.
“It is only right that a site of such symbolic importance as
Wales’ National Mining Memorial receives formal recognition - honouring the thousands of miners who died in
colliery tragedies across Wales, while keeping the culture
and memory of pit communities alive.”
Below, Bronze statue which depicts a rescue worker coming to
the aid of a survivor after a mining disaster
The site includes a bronze statue, which depicts a rescue
worker coming to the aid of a survivor after a mining disaster, a wall of remembrance, dedicated to those who lost
their lives in the two Senghenydd mining disasters in 1901
and 1913, and a path of memory with a tile for each of
the 152 mining disasters that have occurred across Wales.
Many local authorities contributed to the fundraising
campaign when the memorial was established in 2013 and
on a visit to the garden and nearby Aber Valley Heritage
Museum, Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism,
Dawn Bowden said: “We are conscious that the memorial
garden commemorates not just those who died at
Senghenydd, but also in mining disasters across the length
and breadth of Wales.
“It’s such an important site of public commemoration and
memory with an important role to play in connecting
people with the past so I’m delighted we have been able
to give it the recognition it deserves.”
