The mining industry in Scotland was once one of the most profitable and largest employers in the country. Thousands of men's livelihoods depended on this precious resource as they toiled away beneath the earth. Smith writes with knowledge, passion and wry humour about the harsh realities of horrific conditions and dangers, the political struggles including the strikes in 1972 and 1974, and the highly skilled work, where men are now largely now replaced by machines. But it is also a personal story filled with tales of camaraderie of the miners and their families.The story of Bob's Smith's life in the pits, from the tender age of 14 until injury forced his retirement, is also the story of Scottish coalmining from the 1930s to the present day. Bob Smith's seven steps include: Ferniegair (Lanarkshire), Bothwell Castle (near Glasgow), Burghlea (Loanhead, near Edinburgh), The Tower Mine (Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway), Schotts (between Glasgow and Edinburgh), Alloa (Clackmannanshire) and Bogside (Longannet, Fife).
- ISBN10 1906307334
- ISBN13 9781906307332
- Publish Date 1 October 2010 (first published February 1991)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Luath Press Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 288
- Language English