About the Author:

A powerful Ode to Mining Grit and Working-Class Resilience FORTY YEARS ON FROM the 1984-1985 Miners’ Strike

Forty years on from the 1984–85 uk Miners’ Strike, the largest union-led industrial action in the 20th century, Rab Wilson – a former miner deeply entrenched in the strike – delivers a powerful narrative through his mining poems and strike diary, addressing contemporary social and economic issues in Scotland and the uk then and now.

Having toiled in Scotland’s mining industry for eight years, Rab provides an authentic voice that resonates with the struggles faced during the strike, vividly captured from his involvement between 12 March 1984 and 5 March 1985. This book serves as a testament to the working-class struggle, offering a unique perspective on the historical significance of Scotland’s mining industry, skillfully expressed by a poet intimately connected to it. Rab Wilson emerges as an essential chronicler, ensuring the legacy of the miners’ challenging strike endures in the pages of this evocative and timely work.

Collier Laddie is an ode to resilience, solidarity and the enduring legacy of those who fought for justice during a pivotal moment in industrial history.

Praise for Rab Wilson:

Anyone who has an inquiring mind and an interest in all things beyond our world will find this a fascinating read. Scottish Field on Oor Big Braw Cosmos

Our traditional language could hardly have a more eloquent exponent. LESLEY DUNCAN on Accent O the Mind