Robert Phipps

Men in Mascara: a Coal Miner's Story Robert Phipps

Eager but afraid a young man descends into a bottomless pit, into an unknown future, a future filled with immense joy but also great heart-ache. In this powerful autobiography, Robert Phipps combines both humour and sombreness to depict his years working as a Pit Electrician in Derbyshire in the late 1950s. Spanning two decades he describes his experiences of a time now buried deep in history. From childhood pleasures and young romance to the dark menacing face of the coal mine, Robert encounters perilous danger, tragic deaths and life-changing decisions. He writes about his harrowing time on the coal face but also describes countless moments of laughter and joy in such threatening surroundings and about the circumstances which led to him leaving the mine and starting a new life. This is a moving account of family ties, ever-lasting friendships, and above all human strength and perseverance.