May 8, 2025 - A book with a title like this might well be expected to be filled with nothing but horror stories and to take the reader through past-times providing a description of the challenges many coal miners faced including explosions, flooding, gas, fires, and roof falls.

But “Red Blood for Black Gold” is more than that, and author, Roger West, also brings his readers attention to the contribution the coal mining industry has made to his country, during WWII, and to the county of Derbyshire from whence he came. He writes that he is immensely proud that his father was a coal miner, as was his brother, uncle, grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

The village of South Normanton in Derbyshire, the author’s birthplace, has been associated with coal mining from as early as 1315. Around this time a lease was confirmed for all coal together for digging it in the parish. Thus, coal was mined in South Normanton making this a solid coal mining region with the industry being welcomed in the hundreds of years that followed.

Census records prove that these new collieries or pits created a great many jobs, with many of these roles taken on by farmworkers, who came with their families to build new lives and regular, non-seasonal work. A fresh beginning was fueled by the promise of high wages, low-rental housing and a free load of coal every six weeks! This was the lure for many people from other counties and employment was provided for ever-increasing numbers of miners employed in the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire coalfields from several shires across England as well as an influx of families from the North East of England.

The book includes words and illustrations of industrial history focusing on coal dating back to the days of children working underground in the 14^th century. Yes, the challenges of coal mining are described but so are the fun, laughter, pleasure and camararderie in many forms that tightly knit together the mining community and generations of coal miners. For centuries, coal warmed the village homes, kept the lights burning, and paid as well as paved the way for most family necessities.  

“Red Blood for Black Gold” has 160 pages and is recommended reading for the coal community as well as historians. The book costs $24.00 including shipping. To order https://spiral-books.com/product/red-blood-for-black-gold/