Gaffers' Row
Encyclopedia
Gaffers' Row is the debut novel by R T Hunt. The story centres around a coal-mining
community in a fictional South Wales
valley
. Though the story, setting and characters are fictional the story derives its themes from real life events of Hunt and the Ogmore Valley
.
The book was first published by Smart on 11 March 2008
. The lives of the villagers of Pentre Bach are dominated by the whims of the colliery manager who doubles as the chapel
minister and contributes to the hardship of the community by abusing his position to pursue his sexual aspirations. Rhys Morgan is haunted by the death of his sister Moira who died when he was sixteen and because of his self reproach he refuses to discuss it. For the love of his wife Nerys he sets aside many of his idealistic principles, and tries to concentrate on doing the best for his family. Events set the Colliery Manager and Rhys Morgan on a collision course, and as World War II draws to a close the feud has repercussions for the whole Morgan family.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
community in a fictional South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
valley
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
. Though the story, setting and characters are fictional the story derives its themes from real life events of Hunt and the Ogmore Valley
Ogmore Vale
Ogmore Vale is a village in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales on the River Ogmore.The village's main source of income came from coal mining. Up until the year 1865, the Ogmore valley was a quiet, isolated, rural hill farming community of less than ten farms and a few cottages...
.
The book was first published by Smart on 11 March 2008
Synopsis
The story follows the fortunes of Rhys Morgan and his family from 1924 through the strikes and depression of the 1920s and 1930s and the hostilities of 1939 -1945World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The lives of the villagers of Pentre Bach are dominated by the whims of the colliery manager who doubles as the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
minister and contributes to the hardship of the community by abusing his position to pursue his sexual aspirations. Rhys Morgan is haunted by the death of his sister Moira who died when he was sixteen and because of his self reproach he refuses to discuss it. For the love of his wife Nerys he sets aside many of his idealistic principles, and tries to concentrate on doing the best for his family. Events set the Colliery Manager and Rhys Morgan on a collision course, and as World War II draws to a close the feud has repercussions for the whole Morgan family.