The story of the last generation of British miners: fathers and sons, brothers and comrades, champions and shattered men, strikers and "scabs". Mining Men explores how these men felt when the mines closed and what happened afterwards, including former miners who became factory workers, detectives, driving instructors, advisors, mayors, and one who ended up working on Fleet Street. Covering testimonies from Ayrshire to the South Welsh Valleys, from the "People's Republic of South Yorkshire" to the "Kent Coalfield Villages", each chapter offers a different perspective of the industry.

The last deep mine in Britain closed in 2015, while just fifty years earlier, the coal mining industry was a giant, employing over 250,000 workers. Combining new personal interviews with extensive archival research, Emily P. Webber illuminates the astonishing history of the industry, which was once considered the backbone of Britain.

By placing the 1984-85 miners' strike within a broader history of the coal valleys, we can understand why the miners and their families fought so fiercely against the mine closures and what happened after the pit wheels stopped turning. Vivid, detailed, and with a keen sensitivity, Mining Men reveals what the mining industry meant to its workers and their communities, and what Britain lost when it was gone.

Pages: 352, Year of Publication: 0325, Dimensions: 16.3x16.3cm