'As this book shows, the women of the Durham coalfield played an equal role in shaping daily life and trajectories of history in the region, just as women today are building their own futures in communities around the world.' - Hillary Rodham Clinton

The Second World War took its toll on every part of society. The appeal for women to work outside the home in the ammunition factories supporting the war effort was taken up by many women throughout the colliery villages. They worked for eight hours a day at the factory, taking up their caregiving and home-making roles when they returned home. Their days continued to be long and strenuous.

After the war, the government introduced a series of initiatives intended to improve the lives of the nation. A reformed education system was implemented in 1944, nationalisation in 1947 and a national health service in 1948. At last things were looking up for coal-mining families.

At the edge of this bright new horizon, little did Hannah's female descendants realise that they would come to represent the last generation of women of the Durham coalfield.

The final book charting the true family history of a Durham coal-mining family, which started in the 1830s

About the Author

Margaret has an MA in History and taught at secondary school. She is now a family history researcher in East Durham. Margaret is passionate about Duram's coal-mining history, and much of her research is related to this. She is the author of the first two volumes of Women of the Durham Coalfield, published by The History Press. She lives in Wheatley Hill.

Reviews

As this book shows, the women of the Durham coalfield played an equal role in shaping daily life and trajectories of history in the region, just as women today are building their own futures in communities around the world.

-- Hillary Rodham Clinton

Margaret brings her family's journey into the present with her own story. As the title suggests - and as Margaret witnessed at the age of 15 - the coal mines on which her family and their village relied closed forever. The impacts on the surrounding community were enormous. Her story shows not just how economies and industries changed, but how those changes affected the way people lived. That's why Margaret's meticulous research and vivid prose is so critical.

-- Hillary Rodham Clinton

Author featured on BBC News with Hillary Clinton

In sharing the history of her family Margaret Hedley aims to keep alive the stories of the women of Durham's coalfields

-- Chris Lloyd * Northern Echo *



Book Information
ISBN 9781803994192
Author Margaret Hedley
Format Paperback
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd