Up until the C19th, the valleys of Glamorgan were noted for the
pastoral beauty of their landscape. With the arrival of the
mining industry, however, such scene of idyllic tranquility soon
became a thing of the past. Large-scale exploitation brought in
its wake not only the destruction of the rural way of life but
also a new industrial society previously unknown to the tiny
valley communities. During its short history, the exploitation
and extraction of mineral wealth from the coalfields became a
vital factor in the continuing prosperity of the nation.
However, such systematic plunder was not without cost and a
seemingly endless legacy of violent death was the price paid for
industrial progress. The men who toiled in the bowels of the
earth accepted that their lives were not only governed but could
also be cut short by the hazardous nature of their work. With
the rise in demand for coal, however, risks became greater and
the price in terms of human life ever more costly. It is a sad
fact and a damning indictm