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Post by rememberhalifax on Dec 1, 2020 3:48:04 GMT
Aberfan and Munich two tragedies that left there mark on me, i could not understand how Duncan Edwards could die , young strong and indestructible, or so i thought, and Aberfan was just too awful for words, it was astonishing how stoic the people were, no hysterical out pouring of grief ,just incredible fortitude under the most shocking of circumstances. I lived in an ex- mining valley for twenty years , wonderful communities and i learned so much about what it means to be Welsh, there is no where like it for community spirit, perhaps it is because they grew used to tragedy with awful mining disasters being a regular occurrence, i certainly gained a new found respect for all things Welsh., I don't think anyone was really brought to account for Aberfan, which is in itself astonishing, imagine a similar event today and the repercussions, as for the chants well i don't suppose those involved really understood what they were chanting though that's no excuse, sad to say unsavoury chants are still sung today and not just by youngsters either, part of the game which is not to my liking, well done for coming on here and trying to do the right thing, we all have events in our memories which we are not proud of, i suppose being flawed is what makes us human.
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Post by badengas on Dec 1, 2020 7:02:53 GMT
I was born the day after. I've since moved to Wales, got married and now have family who worked to save as many as they could. The memorial is a beautiful and terrible place to visit.
We have all said and done things we are now ashamed of, recognizing that is a great thing.
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Post by althepirate on Dec 1, 2020 7:59:51 GMT
This thread highlights the need to stop abuse towards all sections of society.
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Post by William Wilson on Dec 1, 2020 8:35:47 GMT
🙈 tried as i have, i honestly cant remember. 😬 Something to do with a Muslim bloke who wore a pair of exploding shoes onto an aircraft I would imagine. I remember he was caught trying to get them to detonate when it was airborne. That much I know. But who would you be trying to wind up, by singing a song about him?
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Deleted
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Aberfan
Dec 1, 2020 8:43:43 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2020 8:43:43 GMT
Wow what an awful event, this was way before my time but i am no saint and joined in the shoebomber chant in the blackthorn as a youngster and i definately wish to apologise for that whilst we are owning up. Once again brainless mob mentality thinking youre anonymous. Idiot. Who was the shoebomber chant aimed at? Richard Reid born in Bromley was the shoebomber. He boarded an American Airlines flight in Paris bound for Miami. The bomb was in the soles of the boots he was wearing, luckily failed to detonate. He was subsequently sentenced to three life terms plus a hundred years in the States. Quite obviously will never be free.
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Aberfan
Dec 1, 2020 8:59:50 GMT
via mobile
Post by bluegas on Dec 1, 2020 8:59:50 GMT
Better late than never I guess. I was present back then when it was sang. Thought it was tasteless, to say the least, then. Glad you've all seen the light.
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Post by simonj on Dec 1, 2020 9:11:15 GMT
Just thought it was time to apologise. Like many mindless youngsters, I remember chanting Aberfan to the Welsh sides we played. This was was a long time ago but no excuse. Some 30+ years later I want to say sorry for being a complete prick. I'm a father and grandfather now and it still haunts me now I know what happened. God Bless all those that died and their families. How bizarre, I was only chatting about this the other day with the family. I didn't say that I was in the Tote End as a young'un following any chant at all.
Apologising for being young, naïve and ignorant I think is fine but it doesn't have to be overly stated and you don't need to feel haunted by it. It was meaningless to me at the time I didn't have a clue, but learning and understanding from these things and setting an example now is surely all that is needed.
Inappropriate chants now, if it happened, I would say something.
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Post by William Wilson on Dec 1, 2020 10:16:01 GMT
This thread highlights the need to stop abuse towards all sections of society. Good luck with that. Should we make a start by ending the abuse directed at Bristol City fans?
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Post by althepirate on Dec 1, 2020 10:27:37 GMT
This thread highlights the need to stop abuse towards all sections of society. Good luck with that. Should we make a start by ending the abuse directed at Bristol City fans? No if it's banter, yes if it's real, for our own good as much as anyone else
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Post by chewbacca on Dec 1, 2020 12:17:38 GMT
This thread highlights the need to stop abuse towards all sections of society. Good luck with that. Should we make a start by ending the abuse directed at Bristol City fans? To be fair, he did say society.
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Post by hardingegas on Dec 1, 2020 12:31:37 GMT
Hopefully we've grown up a bit from those dark days of embarrassing chants which weren't even football related.
I think it's acceptable for the usual 'dirty northern b*stards' to be used and they quite like it themselves. Funniest thing was when a Leeds fan was ejected from the tent end and, being on the large size, had the usual 'you fat b*stard' and 'who ate all the pies' chants thrown at him - he was laughing his head off!
I can accept any of those chants - even 'you're Welsh and you know you are' which we put up with. I'm surprised we've never chanted to Carlisle 'you're Scots and you know you are' and we should always greet Cheltenham with the northern b*stards chant.
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Aberfan
Dec 1, 2020 12:33:35 GMT
via mobile
Post by lympstonegas on Dec 1, 2020 12:33:35 GMT
Guilty as charged back then but chants were so much worse then and society had changed so much since the 70s
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Post by Gas Go Marching In on Dec 1, 2020 13:40:01 GMT
This thread highlights the need to stop abuse towards all sections of society. Yes, racism is put on a pedastal but no abuse is nice. I think football fans have mellowed quite a bit in general.
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Post by blackswan on Dec 1, 2020 14:28:22 GMT
I was 19 when this happened and a loyal member of ghe Tote End. I was in the Army at the time and on home leave. I was at the home match with Cardiff when a large part of the Tote started chanting Aberfan. At the end of the match the criwds were leaving and I happened to be behind a group of 3 youths still chanting Aberfan, laughing and making comments such as it was only kids' I waled up to them and gave tge largest one a real snack in the mouth. He looked stunned and after rubbing his lip he looked at me and said 'you've cut your hand'. I told him that I hadn't and that the blood was his. He was shocked and walked off with his mates. I have no regrets at taking this action as the chant sickened me and I was no goody goody. For many years I took a minibus with 12 lads all over the country following our team, from Barrow in Furness to Colchester to Plymouth, every fortnight we would get off early on a Saturday morning or overnight on a Friday. We were all diehard Rovers fans but this incident really got to me.
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Post by toddy1953 on Dec 1, 2020 14:49:00 GMT
I was 13 at the time & had younger siblings in the junior school. I remember watching tv that night & thinking, what if that was one of my family.. I used to stand in the Tote End, but at the very front. I would join in with chants, best I could, but even at 13, I knew that one was just wrong. Utterly shocking. I ended up living in the Rhondda Valley in the mid 70’s & although the mines had almost gone the remnants were still there. Those reminders must have haunted the parents for the rest of their lives.
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Post by lpgas1 on Dec 1, 2020 16:21:07 GMT
Wow what an awful event, this was way before my time but i am no saint and joined in the shoebomber chant in the blackthorn as a youngster and i definately wish to apologise for that whilst we are owning up. Once again brainless mob mentality thinking youre anonymous. Idiot. The shoe bomber used to live next to my mum
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Aberfan
Dec 1, 2020 20:48:11 GMT
via mobile
Post by Windmill Hill Gas on Dec 1, 2020 20:48:11 GMT
Who was the shoebomber chant aimed at? Richard Reid born in Bromley was the shoebomber. He boarded an American Airlines flight in Paris bound for Miami. The bomb was in the soles of the boots he was wearing, luckily failed to detonate. He was subsequently sentenced to three life terms plus a hundred years in the States. Quite obviously will never be free. So when we played Bromley in the FA Cup?
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Post by oldtoteender on Dec 1, 2020 20:54:07 GMT
Ashamed to admit i used to join in with the chants in the Tote, not sure why as i can vaguely remember the terrible scenes on the tv as a small child and having nightmares, the real sad thing is how no one was ever brought to boot for it. Respect and RIP to all who suffered.
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Aberfan
Dec 1, 2020 21:52:11 GMT
via mobile
Post by althepirate on Dec 1, 2020 21:52:11 GMT
Remember where I was when this tradegy happened like we did with the Kennedy shooting. I watched a documentary about Aberfan years later. The Coal Board, run by the government of the time really dragged their heels about paying any compensation, it took years for them to get it. They had to have collections amongst themselves. Imagine what they would raise today with Just Giving etc, Captain Tom would raise millions on his own. People like the Coal Board should be the ones who should feel guilty, not young and thoughtless kids at a football match. Apologies have been made on here, nothing to be gained by holding on to guilt anymore lads. UTG
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