These Poor Hands: The Autobiography of a Miner in South Wales

by B.L. Coombes, Bill Jones (Editor), Chris Williams (Editor)

First published in 1939, These Poor Hands was an instant best-seller, catapulting its author, B. L. Coombes, to the front rank of proletarian writers. Coombes was born in England, but he lived for decades in the Vale of Neath in south Wales, and as the economic problems of the 1930s deepened, he turned to writing as a way to spread the word about the plight of miners and their communities to a wider world. Presenting the daily lives of miners in documentary fashion, with special attention to the damaging lockouts of 1921 and 1926, These Poor Hands retains the power to astonish readers with its description of the ways that unfettered capitalism can lay waste to human potential.

 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Autobiography

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I can quite say I liked reading this: it's an autobiography of a miner who worked in various mines for most of his life. While parts of it are fictionalised slightly to avoid libel and so on, and there isn't much of Bert Coombes as a person in it, it's very informative about the conditions in the mines and the kind of men who worked there.

The title has been thought self-pitying, but I think it's perfect. In the introduction to The Valley, The City, The Village, by Glyn Jones, by Stevie Davies, he points out that 'hands' has many meanings, that the miners themselves are referred to as 'hands'. They were referred to by the use they were put to, as so many pairs of hands rather than as people. Coombes' title for his work takes on so many meanings then... his own hands, no doubt cut and bruised and twisted by his work; the likewise mistreated hands of those he refers to; the miners as a whole; their poverty...

You get the idea.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an insight into what life was like for our grandparents and those that came before. Whilst reading it I had a thought "the woke" of this generation would be so offended, but it is people like our past generations that have given them that opportunity to be offended through blood sweat, and tears.
This isn't just a story, this is about how life used to be, how men worked until it killed them, people had very little to almost nothing but it was a way of life. They were accepting and thankful but also knew how to stand up for their rights.
This is definitely a book that should continue to be read.

[Kieran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book and there is so much to learn from it. On the surface it is a story of one man's life, one set in a different time which was so much harder than most of ours today. It tells of the hardships but also of his accomplishments.

It is also a story about exploitation, the solidarity of the mining community, and the sheer perseverance that was a prerequisite of survival. But above all it is a story of humanity, of people supporting each other and sharing what little they have.

[Carina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't reread this book, it's going on the charity pile, but I'm very glad I read it.

I know very little about the coal or mining industries and whilst I've visited the Big Pit in Wales a couple of times I've never truly understood the perils involved, or the lack of pay that made life so hard for these communities. This book has certainly opened my eyes to these issues, and I think I understand why, even as perilous as it was, the closure of the mines has such an impact on these communities who had no other way to make money.

[Greg Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book at the Big Pit National Coal Museum at Blaenavon. It gave me vivid pictures of the community and mining operations of the day. I shudder at the conditions people were living and working in and could not put the book down.

[Nigel Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The written word was exceptional.

if you need a reality check on life read this.

You will never think you have had a tough day at work again.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book but at times it's pretty depressing stuff. Worth reading but it's no holiday.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst this book doesn't cover Coombes' entire life, it wasn't written as such. As Williams explains in the introduction to this edition, Coombes wrote this book to show what life was like as a miner, from the conditions they worked in to the way they were treated by the landlords and coal masters. Coombes has an eloquent style of writing that lends itself well to describing life underground that shows it to be both highly rewarding and highly dangerous creating a close knit community of workers that look after each other and each other's families when disaster does strike. Coombes also covers the changes that the industry went through during the years he worked in the mines from this close knit, highly skilled group of workers to the highly mechanized, less skilled industry it became after World War I. Coombes has written a candid account of life as a miner that is accessible to every reader without over simplifying how life was as a miner. A great read that I would highly recommend.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an autobiography, it doesn't have a lot of information about the author's personal life. It focuses on his work as a miner and as such it does a good job. Apparently he has written other biographical memoirs that detail other parts of his life. He was a very intelligent man, not only a miner and a writer, but also worked with the ambulance association and learned the violin.

The book was informative and interesting. While I felt it could have gone into more depth in areas, maybe added the author's opinions and feelings a bit, I recognize that perhaps his plan for this book was to be more factual and less personal.