Shafted

by Michael Morton

The continuing story of the fictional Undermanager Mick Gibson. Having left British Coal’s Point of Ayr Colliery just before privatisation. He starts as Underground Manager at Hem Heath Mine Ltd recently reopened under Coal Investments Plc. A job to see him through to retirement he was told. A move to Staffordshire beckoned. Hem Heath was to be one of six coal mines operated by Coal Investments. The majority of British Coals remaining collieries would be taken over by RJ Budge (Mining) Ltd six months later. The future looked secure. The UK’s downsized coal mining industry was still producing over thirty five million tonnes per year from thirty two coal mines employing twelve thousand staff. Hem Heath originally part of the Trentham Complex had produced Europe’s first two and half million tonnes of coal only two years before. The connecting tunnels to Florence Colliery now sealed. This time things would be different no longer relying on the traditional longwall method of mining. Mick Gibson had been brought in to help the team introduce room and pillar. The very system Point of Ayr had used. A further trip to the USA planned. There’s even an underground visit to the Boulby Potash mine in Cleveland. The story is set against the background of the mining industry after privatisation.
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Unknown Binding

Published November 12, 2021

About the author

Michael Morton was born in Everton, Liverpool in 1958. Qualified as a Mining Engineer and worked in a number of UK collieries. In 1996 following the collapse of coal mining in the UK he moved into the airline and airport business. His love of story telling came from his nan, she'd spend hours every Sunday creating stories for him and his cousins. On becoming a father he continued this family tradition with his own two children and thereafter the five grandchildren.
Back in the early nineties when he moved to North Wales he put pen to paper and started to write a number of short stories for his children. The first of which "Message in a Bottle" was released in May 2020.
His first published book based on his experiences in the airline and airport sector was in 2017 "Flymeaway Babe.com" and followed in 2019 by "Time To Move On." The final book in the trilogy John Wesley International Airport is currently on hold whilst he completes a number of books on his coal mining industry experience.
The first of which "The Undermanager" was started in 1992 but never finished until November 2020 and now available on Amazon. It tells the story of his time in the coal industry and the men he worked with and for. It was an extremely important part of his life and something he was proud to be part of. Much of these experiences helped develop him into the manager he was to become. The sequel to this will be "Shafted" which he is currently writing and hoping to be available next year.
During the recent coronavirus pandemic he took time out to complete his first short story. Published in April 2020 "Love is in the Air"

Reviews

[Roy Ashcroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about what became of the collieries after I emigrated in 1977, six years as both apprentice and underground electrician. Having worked at Sutton Manor and dad at Cronton, he worked from teen-ager to thrown on the slag heap at 60, thanks Maggie Thatcher. At least she inspired me to get out of the pits and UK. The story says so much about decent people who worked at the pits, they truly were shafted. Thanks Michael for telling the tale