The following text is a transcript from a "South Wales Evening Post 20 Dec 1965" clip-out that my mother-in-law Elizabeth Marlene Stoneman had at her home. Mr. Lewis Jenkins mentioned in the article below was a younger brother of Elizabeth Ann Stoneman [Jenkins]. The incident happened the day before it was mentioned in the newspaper.

LANDSLIDE FLATTENS HOUSE
Family of five persuaded to leave only a couple of hours earlier

ROAD GETS BLOCKED BY DEBRIS
A FAMILY of five at Godre'rgraig, Swansea Valley, fled from their home only a couple of hours before it was crushed by a landslide.

The debris blocked the Ynysmeudwy-Ystalyfera road and a lorry was buried in the fall.

The house at Graig-road, Godre'rgraig, was the home of Mr. Lewis Jenkins, aged 65, his wife, son Peter, his wife and a five-year-old daughter.

They were persuaded to leave their house because of landslide fears. They were taking their everyday belongings outside when the house collapsed.

House shook

The family stayed the night with Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins's daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Bevan, at Cwmllynfell.

The scene was described to an Evening Post reporter by an eye witness, Mr. H. Wynne Jones, a public health inspector of Pontardawe Rural Conceil.

"The whole building started shaking, lights flickered and dust came from it and then it all crumbled on to the road followed by the mountain. I have never seen anything like it in all my life" said Mr. Jones.

Several electricity cables were brought down by the landslide. A pylon carrying a cable of 11,000 volts was in danger of collapsing and police officers guarded either side of the blocked road to prevent people from walking there.

The scene is about 150 yards from the part of the road which is known as the Godre'rgraig landslip area where the mountain has been moving for several years and has caused a by-pass road to be constructed in the bed of the Valley.

Over the weekend at a point about half-a-mile south of the house collapse, householders were alarmed by a movement of the same mountain.

Eight houses in Tareni-terrace in Graig-road were affected as well as a house occupied by Mr. and Mrs Tom Ford.
They felt a "crunch" against the backs of the houses and found that the mountain behind had moved on to the out-buildings. There were deep fissures in the side of the mountain.

Although they are owner-occupiers, most of them informed officers of Ponterdawe Rural Council that they wished to be found other accommodation.

Mr. Griffiths' visit

The Secretary of State for Wales, Mr. James Griffiths, MP arranged to visit a number of the flood-damaged areas in South Wales this afternoon.

He met this morning in Cardiff, Mr. Richard John, clerk to Glamorgan County Councill, who gave him an assessment of how the emergency service operated over the weekend.

Mr. Griffiths visited at lunch time today a partly washed away bridge which cut off the village of Abercanaid, near Merthyr.

Later he was visiting Merthyr Borough Counciel offices, for discussions with officials, then the Neath Valley where a landslip is expected to block the main road for a week, followed by a visit to the offices of Rhondda Urban District council offices in Pentre.

(Landslide fears - see page five).

Picture 1 text:
MRS. P. MAY, of Graig-road, Godre'rgraig, and her son and daughter look down to the landslide which completely blocked the road to Ystalyfera. They slept last night within 50 yards of the affected area.

Picture 2 text:
...UR PICTURE SHOWS the main road between Godre'rgraig and Ystalyfera after yesterday's landslide, which covered a house and a lorry. No one was hurt.