Mining Men: Britain’s Last Kings of the Coalface

by Emily P. Webber

This is the story of the last generation of British fathers and sons, brothers and comrades, big hitters and broken men, strikers and scabs. Men for whom the masculine world of pit was all they had ever known, who reluctantly emerged into the daylight for the final time, and others who were happier to consign the dust and darkness to the past. It explores how these men felt when the pits were closed and what happened next, including former miners who became factory workers, detectives, driving instructors, counsellors, the local mayor and one who even ended up working on Fleet Street. Featuring accounts from Ayrshire to the South Wales Valleys, from the ‘People’s Republic of South Yorkshire’, to the ‘Sunshine Corner Coalfields’ of Kent, each chapter offers a different perspective of the industry.

Britain’s last deep coalmine closed in 2015, yet just fifty years ago the mining industry was a juggernaut, employing over 250,000 workers. Combining new personal interviews with extensive archival research, Emily P. Webber illuminates the extraordinary history of the industry once considered the backbone of Britain.

By situating the miners’ strike of 1984–85 in a longer history of the coalfields, we can understand why miners and their families fought so hard against pit closures, and what happened after the pit wheels stopped turning. Vivid, evocative and richly alive with minute detail, Mining Men explores what the mining industry once meant to its workers and their communities, and what Britain lost when it was gone.

Genres: History

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2025

Reviews

[Michael Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an industry is no more. It causes significant life changes for those involved. Where an industry and community have become one, and existed this way for decades, the consequences are more profound, and I suspect, only really understood by those affected.

Emily P. Webber has produced a wonderful book rooted in the very best practices of oral history. The outcome is that the voices of miners and others in that once proud and important economic community are heard. Their experiences before, during, and after, the defining mid 1980s period, speak to us without fuss, from almost every page.

We should indeed remember the miners, for they powered the nation in peace and war, at ernomous cost to their health and lives. Their reward at the end was unemployment and broken communities. And not far from here, unstable coal tips took their children away too.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important piece of social history in which Webber records the memories, testimony and bullshit-free straight talking of a literal dying breed: the former miners whose work was so vital and who were treated like dirt by successive governments. Webber’s empathy is apparent and her cri de couer for a lasting remembrance of their struggles and sacrifices never more timely.

[Judith Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is subtitled Britain’s Last Kings of the Coalface, and the blurb claims that accounts include those from Ayrshire and the South Wales valleys, it is overwhelmingly about English miners. I was hoping that there would be more than just a half dozen very brief mentions of the hugely significant Welsh coal miners but clearly this book is based on the author’s interviews with primarily English miners. The only brief reference to Welsh mines feels like a short piece of historical add-on, so I for one felt misled by the publishers text. Ironically, the book begins and ends with quotes from Welsh poets!

I also prefer straightforward oral history - this book contains a lot of subjective commenting on the interviewees which I found a tad jarring.

Clearly a lot of dedicated hard work went into Ms Webber’s book, but it wasn’t for me. In some ways I have felt more affected by fictional works like Zola’s Germinal.

[Rebecc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinatingly varied account of selected individual miner's experiences of the industry pertaining to interviews carried out by the author. There are many interesting aspects discussed in her book that had never occurred to me (a non-mining family background from SE London) & it was interesting to hear in the last chapters of the Kent coalfields (I had a hazy idea of where they were, but had no idea they opened so late & had a relatively short life). The Welsh & Nottingham chapters were illuminating with regards to pit disasters, safety & the variation between regions, mines & their workers during the 1984/5 strike. Yorkshire, Lancashire & Scottish mines & their workers are also featured. Emily Webber has achieved an excellent record of the men's bravery & fortitude on a daily basis let alone in the hard times of accidents & strikes. One hopes that the recently announced Orgreave Inquiry may help bring to light injustices of a poorly treated industry.

[Ed Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the top 3 books of 2025 for me. This is the story of how the Britain we know today was formed, told by the men who worked for it for better or for worse.

What Webber has created with this book is a beautiful tribute to British coal mining, and a truly important capsule of our history and heritage from the men who lived it.

Webber went to great lengths to include a huge variety of perspectives. From the Welsh valleys to the Highlands of Scotland, from Nottingham to Kent to Newcastle. Those who worked the pits young, old, or all the way through adulthood to the pit closures.

One of the things I loved the most, was that very few books about British mining actually explore the centuries of community and industry that came before the 1989 strike. Webber does so perfectly, mentioning the strikes only for a chapter or so before moving on.

There are some very balanced perspectives throughout, with those who loved the pits and those who hated it. Those who managed wages above ground and those who mined below ground. Those who were for the strikes, and those who supported the closure of the pits.

Honestly, I devoured this book. I absolutely could not put it down. The audiobook was spectacular and it was truly delightful to hear those stories orally. However, I also had a hard copy to read whenever listening wasn’t an option.

I truly cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who has an interest in oral histories, British culture, sociology, or coal mining.

[Richard Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. This is a moving and entertaining account of the men who provided the energy for this country in the 20th century. It’s great that someone has provided a platform for their voices to be heard.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tribute to mining heritage. Couldn’t put it down. As a trade unionist and descendant of miners, I felt a lot of pride reading this.

[Keith Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found it an interesting book with a long connection to miners in my family history ending with paternal grandfather and living now near site of Kent coalfields.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me feel guilty for complaining about my job. Really enjoyed this social history highlighting the challenges, tragedies and camaraderie of this noble profession.