The striking new memorial in Welsh mining town
We’re in Maerdy where a striking new mural has been unveiled earlier on this month. Maerdy was one of the last bastions of coal mining in Wales, and the whole place has memorials dedicated to the industry that defined Wales for so long.
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00:00There are a few things more synonymous with Wales than coal mining. Sure, you can say
00:07rugby, a flag, daffodils, sheep, but the mines, while still being an iconic part of Wales's
00:12history, was also one of the fundamental building blocks of Welsh society. Towns like here in
00:16Merdi were built on coal and provided much of the town with employment. Cast your minds
00:22back a century and most of the people here would have been working down the mines or
00:25at least had a job connecting to the coal mining industry, but nowadays it could easily
00:29be cast aside and forgotten as a remnant of the past. But that's certainly not what's
00:35happening here in Merdi, and earlier on this month this massive mural behind me was unveiled
00:40as a memorial to the coal mining industry in the town, in the Rhondda and across Wales.
00:47Coal mining was a grim and dangerous job and many people lost their lives down the pits.
00:52There are a few memorials around Wales for those that died, like here behind me at the
00:55Merdi Gateway Miners' Memorial. While some elements of the mining industry in Wales
01:01can be celebrated as a very Welsh and very important time, it's also important to remember
01:05how dangerous it was and, by and large, the immense wealth that created by the mining
01:10in Wales didn't always stay here, and these poor mining towns across the valleys are a
01:14testament to that. Back in 1885, a few years after the coilery here in Merdi opened, an
01:21explosion meant 81 men and boys lost their lives in the pits, and this memorial is for
01:26them. It also features masonry from the now-demolished Merdi Workingmen's Club, showing how important
01:32mining is to the people here. For better or for worse, mining is no longer a central industry
01:38here in Wales. Times change, technology changes, and the environmental impact was clear. Closing
01:45the mines in Wales was certainly a controversial decision and created a massive rift in Welsh
01:50public life. But, for now, it's important to take a minute to remember just how impactful
01:55mining was to people all across the valleys.