Ella Groves, ICCN Senedd Reporter
The great-grandson of a caretaker who pulled children from the Aberfan disaster met the King and Queen at the official opening of the Senedd.
Noah Jones, alongside younger brother Charlie, presented Queen Camilla with a posy at the Welsh Parliament on Thursday October 15.
Alongside the two brothers was Gareth Jones, who was pulled through a window to safety by Noah’s great-grandfather, Stephen Andrew, on October 21, 1966, and Aberfan rescue team member Len Moss.
The connection came to light by chance when Mr Jones visited Noah’s class at Troedyrhiw Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil to talk to pupils about his childhood memories of the disaster.
When Noah showed him a photograph of his great-grandfather, Mr Jones realised Mr Andrew was the man who had broken open the window and told him to run.
Noah’s mother, Gemma Bray, decribed the classroom visit “a crazy coincidence” while Mr Jones called the encounter as a “chance in a million”.
After the ceremony, Noah said meeting the royal couple was unforgettable, joking that the hand the King shook was now his “royal hand”.
Addressing Senedd Members earlier, the King said he was deeply touched by the presence of representatives from the Aberfan community.
He told the chamber there could be “no finer witnesses to the strength of the Welsh — and the human — spirit”.
The King confirmed that he, Queen Camilla, and the Prince of Wales will visit Aberfan next week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the disaster, which claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults.
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