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On October 21, 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip above the Welsh village of Aberfan engulfed the village and its school, killing 116 children and 28 adults.
On this day, November 5, Brian Epstein, speaking on behalf of The Beatles, turned down a request for them to appear on a television special in aid of the victims’ families. He wrote:
Sincere admiration for your efforts, but I know without consulting them, the boys would feel unable to make an appearance of this sort for too many reasons to enumerate. However, subject to confirmation, I am sure they and I would gladly contribute £200 each to the fund to help.
Brian Epstein
Among the possible reasons for their decision, we can speculate that this appearance would have sent a mixed message after their decision to stop touring after their recent US tour.
From Wikipedia:
The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on 21 October 1966. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the Welsh village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry, killing 116 children and 28 adults as it engulfed Pantglas Junior School and a row of houses. The tip was the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB), and the subsequent inquiry placed the blame for the disaster on the organisation and nine named employees.
EPSTEIN ‘NO’ TO BEATLES APPEARING IN ABERFAN SHOW
WITHOUT consulting the Beatles, their manager, Mr. Brian Epstein, has declined an invitation by Harry Secombe and Stanley Baker to appear in their two-hour television spectacular show in aid of the Aberfan Disaster Fund.
A spokesman for the group, said a cable which Mr. Epstein sent from America to Mr. Secombe and Mr. Baker included the following:
“Sincere admiration for your efforts, but I know without consulting them, the boys would feel unable to make an appearance of this sort for too many reasons to enumerate. However, subject to confirmation, I am sure they and I would gladly contribute £200 each to the fund to help.”
The show, which will be shot in colour and offered for sale throughout the world, is being organised by comedian Harry Secombe and film star Stanley Baker, with impresario Bernard Delfont.
Those expected to appear include the Rolling Stones. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis junior, Shirley Bassey, and possibly Frank Sinatra.
Bernard Delfont said last night: “I have no comment to make about the Beatles but I will confirm that the Rolling Stones will appear in the show.”
Mr. Baker and Mr. Secombe decided to arrange the show after the Aberfan disaster because they both come from the area.
From Reading Evening Post – November 5, 1966
Beatles to Give Cash to Disaster Fund in Aberfan
LONDON (AP) – The Beatles will not take part in a television benefit for the Aberfan mine disaster fund. They plan to contribute cash instead.
Brian Epstein, manager of the mop-haired quartet, said he turned down an invitation for the Beatles to perform without consulting them. But, he added, he and the Beatles will give $560 each to the fund.
Among those scheduled to take part are Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Sellers, Peter O’Toole, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Tommy Steele and the Rolling Stones. The two-hour show will be recorded for color television and will be sold to television stations and networks throughout the world.
The organizers hope the program will raise $700,000 for charity work in the Welsh mining village where two weeks ago an avalanche of pit waste buried a school and houses killing more than 140 persons.
From The Oshkosh Northwestern – November 7, 1966
Last updated on September 27, 2023
Going further
The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years
"With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group."
We owe a lot to Barry Miles for the creation of those pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - a day to day chronology of what happened to the four Beatles during the Beatles years!
If we like to think, in all modesty, that the Paul McCartney Project is the best online ressource for everything Paul McCartney, The Beatles Bible is for sure the definitive online site focused on the Beatles. There are obviously some overlap in terms of content between the two sites, but also some major differences in terms of approach.
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