Senghennydd 1913


Senghennydd 1913

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-"At the turn of the century...

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-"..Wales witnessed

-its biggest disaster."

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-Senghenydd 1913

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-Hello, I'm Hailey.

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-I'm Evan.

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-I'm Evan.

-

-I'm Eleni.

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-I'm Evan.

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-I'm Garin.

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-I'm Garin.

-

-I'm Ellie.

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-And I'm Caitlin.

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-Senghenydd is down there.

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-Senghenydd is a small village

-that's famous for its coal.

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-It's in a valley above Caerphilly.

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-The town famous for its castle...

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-The town famous for its castle...

-

-ALL: ..and cheese!

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-You might not have heard

-of Senghenydd.

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-But 100 years ago, in 1913,

-the world knew about this village.

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-It was the site of the biggest

-explosion in a coal mine.

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-What is the story of Senghenydd?

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-Why was there a colliery

-and what caused the explosion?

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-What happened after it?

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-ALL: Hmmmm.

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-Two hundred years ago,

-there was nothing in this valley...

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-..apart from farms, green fields

-and sheep on the hills.

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-SHEEP BLEATS

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-One day,

-a man who lived in the valley...

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-..discovered coal in the area.

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-Following this, in 1891...

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-..the Universal Colliery

-was built in the valley.

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-The new colliery brought people...

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-..shops, streets

-and a train station.

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-The village of Senghenydd

-practically appeared overnight!

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-This is High Street, one of

-the first streets in Senghenydd.

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-It leads to the centre

-of the village.

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-It was a busy village...

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-..that played an important part

-in the Industrial Revolution.

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-Our friend at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni

-can tell us about it.

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-The Industrial Revolution

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-Hello, I'm Doctor Industrial and

-I'll teach you about the revolution.

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-Wow!

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-To put it simply, the term,

-Industrial Revolution...

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-..describes a major event

-in a short space of time.

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-Many people moved from rural areas

-to the industrial sites...

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-..to earn more money.

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-Unfortunately,

-it damaged the Welsh language.

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-BOOING

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-The miners led difficult lives.

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-The got up at 4.30am

-and finished work at 6.00pm...

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-..but there was a strong comradery.

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-Wales was important.

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-Half a million tons of coal was

-produced in Senghenydd every year.

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-Merthyr Tydfil had one of the

-biggest ironworks in the world.

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-Wales was number one.

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-Wales was very important...

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-..and the South Wales collieries

-were world-famous.

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-In 1913, they produced

-56 million tonnes of coal.

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-One of these wagons

-can hold a ton of coal...

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-..so 56 million of these

-would go around the world.

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-In 1913,

-there were 620 coal mines in Wales.

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-One in five men in Wales

-worked in a coal mine.

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-Men and boys

-worked hard underground...

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-..to mine this valuable coal.

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-The coal was exported

-all over the world...

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-..and used to produce steam.

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-The Universal Colliery in Senghenydd

-was just like this mine in Rhondda.

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-There were two wheels

-at the top of two shafts.

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-They pumped oxygen in and out of

-the mine so the miners could breath.

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-Hundreds of men

-came and went to work every day.

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-The miners had four

-essential pieces of apparatus.

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-They had a water flask

-to hold their cold tea.

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-There was a cage to hold a canary

-that detected poisonous gases.

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-A food tin that kept the mice out.

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-A food tin that kept the mice out.

-

-And the safety lamp.

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-Why was the lamp important?

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-A miner needs light

-when he's working underground.

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-This lamp carries a flame

-but this is a very special lamp.

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-It stops any explosions

-from happening underground.

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-The Davy Lamp was designed in 1815

-by Sir Humphry Davy.

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-Every miner was given a lamp when

-he went down the pit each morning.

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-It helped them to see in the dark

-without causing a fire...

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-..because the flame was in the lamp.

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-It could also detect any methane

-that was in the mine.

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-Methane is a very dangerous

-and highly explosive gas.

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-If there wasn't any methane

-in the pit...

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-..there was a small, yellow flame.

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-A large, blue flame would burn

-when there was methane in a pit.

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-This indicated whether it was safe

-for the miners to work underground.

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-The Davy Lamp

-is still used in mines today...

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-..for safety reasons.

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-The miners had another little friend

-who detected methane - the canary.

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-A canary will faint

-in the presence of methane gas.

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-This gave the miners time to leave

-the pit and get some fresh air.

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-They didn't have helmets in 1913

-but we have to wear them today.

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-Here you are, boys.

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-The miners at Senghenydd went down

-595 metres into the earth every day.

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-It's the equivalent of ten large

-chimneys pointing into the ground.

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-Or 195 elephants

-standing on top of each other.

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-In 1913...

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-..boys of our age worked

-alongside the men in the mine.

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-Mines were dangerous places filled

-with water and poisonous gases.

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-Coal produces methane gas.

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-If a spark and methane gas meet...

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-If a spark and methane gas meet...

-

-ALL: Bang!

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-It was important to have doors

-underground to control air flow.

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-The children opened and closed the

-doors to let the coal carts through.

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-The children were alone

-with only a candle for light.

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-What happened

-when the lights went out?

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-BOYS SCREAM

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-I can't believe that boys of our age

-worked in the mines.

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-There were thousands of horses

-in the mines too.

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-In 1913, there were 70,000 horses

-working in the coal mines in Wales.

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-Let's go and see the horses.

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-This farm outside Pontypridd...

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-..is a home for some horses

-who worked in the Welsh coal mines.

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-They are able to relax

-in the fresh air.

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-What is a pit pony?

-Did they really work underground?

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-The pit ponies worked in the mines.

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-They worked underground

-with the men.

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-They were called pit ponies but

-weren't necessarily small horses.

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-In Wales,

-the horses tended to be bigger.

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-Did they get the same respect

-as the miners?

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-That's a good question.

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-Many thought the pit owners valued

-their ponies more than the men.

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-The ponies were worth about 20...

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-..so the horses had better treatment

-than the men.

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-Did they have stables underground?

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-Did they have stables underground?

-

-Yes, there were stables underground.

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-There were as many as 50 horses

-in those stables.

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-Some of the men

-worked solely with the horses.

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-How far did they walk?

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-It depended on their work

-and where they were stationed.

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-They worked hard

-for full shifts with the men.

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-My grandfather worked underground.

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-He said that the best ponies

-often worked a double shift...

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-..instead of using the lazy horses.

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-It was a very hard life.

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-Was it cruel?

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-That isn't an easy question

-to answer.

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-They were well cared for by a

-large team of men and fed regularly.

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-The men who worked with the horses

-looked after them very well.

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-A life underground can't be compared

-with a life in the outdoors...

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-..where they can run, graze

-and live a typical horse's life.

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-Did the horse have holidays?

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-They had a fortnight's holiday

-every year.

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-They went underground aged four

-and spent their lives down there...

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-..apart from two weeks

-when the pits were closed.

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-What did they do on their holidays?

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-There are wonderful stories

-about the horses.

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-They galloped happily

-around the fields.

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-They ran for as long as they could

-before slowing down to walk...

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-..and then stopping to graze

-in the fresh air.

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-When did they stop using horses

-in the coal mines?

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-The last pit pony retired

-from working underground in 1999.

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-Some of the horses

-who were working in 1999...

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-..can be found

-on this farm in Pontypridd.

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-We've learnt about the period

-and the workings of a mine.

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-What about the women?

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-And what happened

-on 14th October 1913?

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-The first miners in Senghenydd

-had houses just like these.

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-But these are in Blaenavon.

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-They are just like the houses

-in Senghenydd.

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-We've come to learn about

-their way of life.

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-The coal owners built

-specific houses for their workers.

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-In 1891, the owner

-of the Universal Colliery...

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-..built a row of houses

-in Senghenydd for his workers.

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-They were simple houses

-and it was a difficult life.

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-By 1913, there were so many people

-working in the mine...

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-..that more houses

-were built in the village.

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-Every bedroom was full...

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-..with the men and boys

-who worked in the mine.

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-Did everyone have a house like this

-in 1913?

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-The workers had houses like these...

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-..but the mine owners

-lived in very grand homes.

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-However, they built specific houses

-for the miners.

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-They had two rooms downstairs...

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-..and two rooms upstairs,

-so they were quite small.

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-What did people wear?

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-Boys and girls

-dressed very differently.

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-The boys wore a shirt and trousers.

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-The girls didn't have the things

-we wear today.

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-They wore a lot of layers.

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-There was a cotton undergarment...

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-..a woollen layer

-and they sometimes wore aprons.

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-Did they have their own bedrooms?

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-Children and young people

-had to share a bedroom.

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-In some homes, eight to ten people

-slept on the floor of the one room.

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-Was there a kitchen?

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-Was there a kitchen?

-

-There wasn't a kitchen as such.

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-They only had a fireplace

-in the small downstairs room.

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-This was where they boiled water,

-cooked food and kept warm.

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-They didn't have electricity

-or running water...

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-..so there wasn't a microwave

-or an oven.

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-They simply had a fireplace.

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-What did they eat?

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-It all depended

-on how much the man earned.

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-They ate simple food

-such as bread, cheese and butter.

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-They also drank tea because the

-water was dirty and tasted awful...

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-..so they added tea to the water.

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-The men took their food parcels

-underground and drank cold tea.

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-Where did they wash?

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-They didn't have a bathroom.

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-They had a tin bath

-that was filled with hot water.

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-All the men

-shared the water to wash...

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-..so it wasn't very clean.

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-There wasn't an indoor toilet

-so they kept a pot under the bed...

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-..and shared the pot

-during the night.

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-Despite this,

-the houses were very clean.

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-The wife or mother was expected

-to keep a very clean home.

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-Did they get sick

-after drinking the dirty water?

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-Yes.

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-We're have tap water but they had

-to fetch water from the river.

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-The water wasn't very clean.

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-It was used for drinking, washing

-themselves and their clothes...

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-..and to get rid of the waste

-from their toilets.

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-The water wasn't very clean...

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-..and it carried a lot

-of different diseases.

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-Would you want to live here in 1913?

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-Would you want to live here in 1913?

-

-ALL: No!

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-Senghenydd

-was a very different place in 1913.

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-On 14th October, it changed forever.

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-At 8.10am, I have my breakfast

-before walking to school.

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-But at 8.10am

-on 14th October 1913...

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-..450 men had started work

-in the mine.

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-This is what happened.

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-The men and boys went to work

-just like any other day.

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-The combination of the methane gas

-and coal dust in the mine...

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-..caused a massive explosion...

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-..that led to a huge fire

-and the shafts to collapse.

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-The fire stole the oxygen

-from the pit.

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-The men were trapped

-and couldn't breathe...

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-..so they didn't stand a chance.

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-Their wives and children ran to

-the pit to see what had happened.

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-They had to wait to find out

-who had died.

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-Rescue teams from across the Valleys

-came to help...

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-..but it was a very sad situation.

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-Only 18 men and boys

-came out alive.

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-439 men and boys were killed.

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-Every horse in the mine was killed.

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-542 children

-were left without a father.

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-Every house in Senghenydd

-lost a loved one.

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-The explosion and fire

-were terrible.

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-What was the chemical reaction

-that caused them?

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-Pupils at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni

-have done a project on the disaster.

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-They have been recreating

-the explosion.

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-The name of the gases that caused

-the explosion is firedamp.

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-It's from the German word, dampf.

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-Methane is the main gas in firedamp.

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-The methane flows from the orange

-tube and gathers in the bubbles.

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-Methane burns fiercely

-in air that's rich in oxygen.

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-It meant that all the oxygen

-was used in the mine.

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-It produces a poisonous gas

-or afterdamp...

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-..that's made of carbon monoxide

-and carbon dioxide.

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-Many miners escaped

-from the initial explosion...

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-..but a number of men died

-because of the poisonous gases.

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-This is what killed the majority

-of the 439 miners at Senghenydd.

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-It's fun to create an explosion

-in a laboratory.

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-The effects of the 1913 explosion

-were no laughing matter.

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-The whole world heard of Senghenydd.

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-This film of the funeral

-for some of the victims...

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-..says it all.

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-People came from everywhere

-to pay their respects.

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-The procession of bodies

-went down the high street.

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-There were people everywhere.

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-The village

-would never be the same again.

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-Many families

-were thrown out of their homes...

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-..because they couldn't pay

-the rent.

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-There was a court case.

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-The owner of the pit was found

-guilty of causing the explosion.

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-The workers had told the owner

-that the pit was unsafe...

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-..but he wouldn't listen.

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-The community was stunned to hear...

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-..that the owner

-was only given a fine of 24.

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-What happened to the

-Universal Colliery and Senghenydd?

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-The First World War

-broke out in 1914...

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-..and everyone forgot the tragedy.

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-The mine reopened in 1916...

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-..to produce coal for the war.

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-The mine stayed open until 1928.

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-In 1965,

-the colliery was demolished.

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-Today, the village

-enjoys a new lease of life.

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-At Ysgol Gynradd Nant y Parc,

-the site of the Universal's shaft...

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-..there's a memorial

-for the men who died.

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-Ysgol Ifor Bach is also built

-on the site of an old coal mine.

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-The schools

-bring new life to the area.

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-Nothing remains of the mines.

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-A museum in the village

-tells this story.

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-This year, a garden will be opened

-to remember those who died.

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-This story is important and

-forms part of our family history.

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-We plan to

-keep telling this story...

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-..so that everyone knows about

-the Senghenydd Disaster of 1913.

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