Darkest of Days, The

About ten years ago I brought a group of children from mid-Wales to a meeting in the Rhondda and was keen to show them evidence of its industrial heritage, especially as one of them knew that her grandfather had lived there. It was a shock to realise that, at any rate from the windows of a car on the A470, nothing could be seen except trees; all traces of pits and railways had vanished and I could have been speaking about another country.



In this English version of his successful novel Cwmwl Dros y Cwm, Gareth Williams evokes some of the realities of life in the human melting pot of the South Wales coalfield in the early 20th century, an era which must seem impossibly remote to today's children. The setting is Senghennydd and the main protagonist is the son of a Caernarfonshire slate miner who, like so many from all over Britain and further afield, is an economic migrant to the valley which has been described as being 'like the Klondyke'.



The shadow of the horrendous disaster of 1913 looms from the opening of the story as the wife and children reluctantly join Edward Williams, leaving the hills and accents of the north for the grime and rough camaraderie of the mining village.



John and Magwen settle into their new community where school life is not so different from the north and their father is quickly absorbed into the tough fellowship of his 'butties'; for Kate, the mother, it is harder and she never gets to feel truly at home. Friendships and rivalries develop and are uncomplicatedly dealt with - this is not a novel with great psychological depth - and there is humour as well. When young John follows his father into the mine there is effective description of the adrenalin-fuelled atmosphere at the coal face.



We always know, of course, where the story is going but the author has woven the actual drama of a miner who survived by chance into his fictional account of the events leading to the tragedy. The Senghennydd mine explosion was a disaster of such proportions that it is difficult to comprehend the contempt for basic safety which once passed as normal. This story deserves to be known by today's young people and I commend the book to teachers, librarians and parents who care about sharing our understanding of the past. ~Wendy Crockett @ www.gwales.com