The aim of this particular ‘on the frontline’ account is to allow the voice of a pit overman, Jack Ditchburn, to tell his own story of being a miner, a trade unionist and a ‘boss man’ – a man who saw himself as miner first and foremost and as manager second. Jack worked as a miner in the Blackhall and Horden pits, part of the Durham coalfields, which were some of the most deeply affected by the 1984–5 strike. Jack’s narrative adds rich biographical detail to current understandings of the work of a miner, the 1984 strike, the characters involved and the relationships made and broken by it.
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