In 1909 over one million men and their families rejoiced. A solution - breathing apparatus - had been found by W.E. Garforth which would stop thousands of men and boys being killed by underground explosions annually. However, it was to be many years before he persuaded the mine management to introduce it. This book tells the story behind the determination of William Garforth and his family, not only to introduce that solution, but also to improve the working and social environment of the British working classes.

Bryan Fraser is one of the last generation of miners. Here he tells the significant story of William Garforth, along with the West Riding miners’ own memories of working down the pits. Complemented by original photographs and ephemera, this account records an important way of life, now gone, for future generations.