Editorial Focus Feature

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The clock struck one, The mouse ran down!

It was a normal October day for a small mining village, where it had been raining for what seemed like forever

It was a normal October day for a small mining village, where it had been raining for what seemed like forever

It was a normal October day for a small mining village, where it had been raining for what seemed like forever

It was the last day of school before the half-term holidays and Brian Williams was seven years old. He had just sat down for lessons in Pantglas. His older sister, June,pictured, was in a different part of the school and didn’t survive. She was 10.

I got up and went to school as normal. I always went with my older sister, June, and her best friend from up the street, Pamela. We called into George’s sweet shop, as we always did every morning, and then my sister would go the one way to the top end of the school and my class was down the bottom end.

We got into class with Mrs Williams, who was my teacher.

It was the last day of school before the half-term holidays and Brian Williams was seven years old. He had just sat down for lessons in Pantglas. His older sister, June,pictured, was in a different part of the school and didn’t survive. She was 10.

I got up and went to school as normal. I always went with my older sister, June, and her best friend from up the street, Pamela. We called into George’s sweet shop, as we always did every morning, and then my sister would go the one way to the top end of the school and my class was down the bottom end.

We got into class with Mrs Williams, who was my teacher.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle because everybody wanted to be in the wendy house and I didn’t get to. So because I was having a bit of a strop I got moved from my seat by the door to sit by Gareth Jones to draw to keep me quiet.

If I’d been in my usual seat, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because the wall came down on my desk.

We were sitting there drawing and we could hear a noise coming. And the best way I could describe it later on – because I’d never heard anything like that at the time – was like when you go to an airport and you hear an aeroplane coming in to land.

I stood and I watched because I thought ‘if something’s coming I want to see what’s coming’.

I just watched the classroom wall split from the bottom to the top.

The wall came through and stopped. And the next thing I remember was it went very quiet, and then a lot of screaming and crying.

Then I saw Mr Williams (a different teacher) in the doorway. You could just about see his head from the gap of the door to where all the muck had come in.

We were handed out one by one then to the caretaker. What you’ve got to remember with the caretaker here is he was getting us out and his two children had died further on up the school. You’ve got to think what was going through his head.

It was the last day of school before the half-term holidays and Brian Williams was seven years old. He had just sat down for lessons in Pantglas. His older sister, June,pictured, was in a different part of the school and didn’t survive. She was 10.

I got up and went to school as normal. I always went with my older sister, June, and her best friend from up the street, Pamela. We called into George’s sweet shop, as we always did every morning, and then my sister would go the one way to the top end of the school and my class was down the bottom end.

We got into class with Mrs Williams, who was my teacher.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle because everybody wanted to be in the wendy house and I didn’t get to. So because I was having a bit of a strop I got moved from my seat by the door to sit by Gareth Jones to draw to keep me quiet.

If I’d been in my usual seat, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because the wall came down on my desk.

We were sitting there drawing and we could hear a noise coming. And the best way I could describe it later on – because I’d never heard anything like that at the time – was like when you go to an airport and you hear an aeroplane coming in to land.

I stood and I watched because I thought ‘if something’s coming I want to see what’s coming’.

I just watched the classroom wall split from the bottom to the top.

The wall came through and stopped. And the next thing I remember was it went very quiet, and then a lot of screaming and crying.

Then I saw Mr Williams (a different teacher) in the doorway. You could just about see his head from the gap of the door to where all the muck had come in.

We were handed out one by one then to the caretaker. What you’ve got to remember with the caretaker here is he was getting us out and his two children had died further on up the school. You’ve got to think what was going through his head.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle because everybody wanted to be in the wendy house and I didn’t get to. So because I was having a bit of a strop I got moved from my seat by the door to sit by Gareth Jones to draw to keep me quiet.

If I’d been in my usual seat, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because the wall came down on my desk.

We were sitting there drawing and we could hear a noise coming. And the best way I could describe it later on – because I’d never heard anything like that at the time – was like when you go to an airport and you hear an aeroplane coming in to land.

I stood and I watched because I thought ‘if something’s coming I want to see what’s coming’.

I just watched the classroom wall split from the bottom to the top.

The wall came through and stopped. And the next thing I remember was it went very quiet, and then a lot of screaming and crying.

Then I saw Mr Williams (a different teacher) in the doorway. You could just about see his head from the gap of the door to where all the muck had come in.

We were handed out one by one then to the caretaker. What you’ve got to remember with the caretaker here is he was getting us out and his two children had died further on up the school. You’ve got to think what was going through his head.

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