Aberfan Portraits: How Art Helped Families Grieve After the 1966 Disaster

According to BBC UK, for nearly 60 years, many of the children lost in the Aberfan disaster have been represented in living rooms, hallways, and family gatherings throughout the village. Some of these representations were painted using faded school photographs, while others were shaped by the memories shared by grieving parents who wrote to an artist, detailing the unique aspects of the children they lost, such as their eye color, favorite clothing, and personality traits. These portraits appeared in the years following one of Wales' most tragic events. In the BBC programme Unseen: The Aberfan Portraits, some individuals have shared their paintings and discussed how the art aided their grieving process. Denise Morgan, whose younger sister Annette perished in the Aberfan disaster, stated that the art brought her sister back to life. On October 21, 1966, a coal tip collapsed above the village, and the resulting slurry engulfed Pantglas Junior School and nearby residences, resulting in the deaths of 144 people, including 116 children. The disaster continues to be a part of daily life in Aberfan, most visibly in the memorial garden at the site of the fallen school and among the white arched monuments in the cemetery. However, the impact is also felt in the empty spaces at family tables, in childhood bedrooms that held one child instead of two, and in the portraits that came to symbolize those who did not grow up.

Jeanette Keane holds fond recollections of her sister Edwina. She described Edwina's childhood as idyllic, noting that she was quiet and gentle, yet also possessed a mischievous streak. Jeanette recalled the morning of the disaster with vivid pain, remembering Edwina returning home before the school day started, saying, "Mammy, I forgot to give you a kiss." Jeanette's mother subsequently kissed her, and Jeanette noted that her mother regretted that day for the remainder of her life, wishing she had listened to herself. Jeanette's father discovered eight-year-old Edwina trapped under the wreckage. Jeanette stated that Edwina was alive, but it was a distressing situation because the roof could not be removed without causing further collapse. The men present advised that her father could not extract her, so he remained by her side, holding her hand until she suffocated. The trauma from the disaster resonated through the years that followed, with Jeanette explaining that it accounted for hearing him walking back and forth in the corridor at night, banging his head on the wall. She observed that life was not happy afterward, and everything changed.

Denise Morgan was at a different school when news of the terrible incident in Aberfan, where her sister Annette was a student, began to circulate. She mentioned that details were not provided to them. As rescue operations commenced, families throughout the village awaited updates. Some memories remain too painful to revisit. For the surviving siblings, the feeling of loss seemed to surface during routine moments. Jeanette mentioned that they always slept together, and suddenly she was alone. Denise experienced a similar sense of absence, stating, "We shared a bed... and then she was gone." The magnitude of the grief was immense. Denise noted that in their street, five children were lost across 25 houses, while Jeanette recalled that four children died on her street.

In an era when open discussion of grief was uncommon, many survivors managed the tragedy in isolation. In Llandudno, Conwy county, an artist named William Richardson followed the events in Aberfan through television and newspapers, despite having no prior connection to the area, as his usual work involved sketching caricatures of visitors and celebrities on the pier. However, he was deeply affected by what he witnessed. According to his children, Jean and Ken, he felt driven to assist the bereaved families who had lost their sons and daughters because he saw it on the news and was moved by it, leading him to decide to paint them. Richardson never sought payment or recognition for his work. Instead, he started creating portraits of the children killed in the disaster, using school photographs and detailed accounts provided by the parents. Jean Richardson stated that parents would write to him about the children, describing their eye color, hair, and clothing. Ken added that parents even sent pieces of fabric to ensure accuracy. Jean noted that his father aimed to capture more than just their physical appearance, intending to incorporate their personalities into the paintings. Over time, Richardson is believed to have created around 100 portraits, and his connection with the families in Aberfan grew as the collection expanded. For his children, the portraits became a constant presence, with Jean stating that they were surrounded by them for years, viewing them as if they were old friends. Denise remarked on the accuracy of the likenesses, noting, "That was her. It brought her back to life." Jeanette recalled her father crying when Edwina's portrait arrived, stating that if they could have hugged it, they would have. The portraits soon became a fixture in the daily lives of homes across the village, with Denise mentioning that every house on their street had one of Annette's painting. For survivors like Gaynor Madgwick, who escaped the collapse of Pantglas Junior School, the images served another function, as they initiated conversations, allowing people to speak about their children again. For families who struggled to articulate their feelings, the portraits offered a means to keep memories alive, with Gaynor stating that their presence was felt when one walked into the room. Jeanette concurred, emphasizing how important it was to them, as it felt like the child was always present when the portrait was there.

As the generation directly impacted by Aberfan ages, a new question has arisen regarding the future of these portraits. Many remain cherished family heirlooms, while others have been passed to younger generations or entrusted to a local museum. Some families have made different choices. Gaynor described the difficult decision her family faced after their mother passed away, stating that taking the portraits down was not just removing a painting but removing the children themselves. Her family buried the portraits in a white box alongside their mother, placing them facing each other, which felt like burying them again. Jeanette expressed concern about the future of Edwina's portrait, stating her desire for people to see them. Denise shared a similar conflict between preservation and personal ownership, calling the portrait a treasure she could never part with. Nearly six decades after the tragedy, these paintings stand as extraordinary objects, created by a man who never met the children, yet whose kindness ensured they were valued by the families who received them. By meticulously recreating the faces of the lost children, William Richardson returned something precious to a community grappling with immense sorrow. For many families, the portraits did more than preserve memories; they brought the children home. Unseen: The Aberfan Portraits is available on BBC iPlayer and is scheduled to air on BBC One Wales at 22:40 BST on Monday, October 19.