"Look At Wales!" - 1950s color travelogues

Welsh Coal Mining Industry

Coal mining was one of the busiest industries in Wales up until Margaret Thatchers reign has Prime Minister. It was a family affair, successive generations worked down in the pits, often from a very young age and low pay. There is a long list of coal mining disasters over the years, this highlights the dangers the miners were facing every time they went down to the pits. Some of the dangers faced underground include suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse and gas explosions. This would make seeing your husband/ dad leaving for the pits every morning a horrible experience. 

Music in Wales during the 1950s

After the second world war two significant musical organisations were founded, the Welsh National Opera and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This saw Welsh composers moving away from choral compositions to instrumental and orchestral compositions. But Welsh folk music was still strong with the likes of Meredydd Evans heavily involved with the folk revival in Wales. 


In 1954, Meredydd Evans recorded his landmark album Welsh Folk Songs. Since then, Evans has created a long and distinguished career as a professor of philosophy, writer, performer, television producer and above all, advocate for the Welsh language and culture.

Below is a link to the BBC Wales site where there is an article on Welsh folk music. 


http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/folk-traditional/pages/about_traditional_02.shtml