At Their Beck and Call: From Coalface to Country Estates

John had been a miner for twenty-two years in the East Durham collieries when, a few years prior to the mine closures, he led his family out and around England. He progressed to being a butler for three of the country’s richest families during the period 1968-1979.

This memoir starts by describing family life in 1960s Shotton Colliery, then documents the often-hilarious emergence of the family into the wider world, from the poor conditions of a mining community, to the opulence of country estates.

Woven into the tapestry are the experiences of John’s youngest child (the author), who attends two boarding schools, studying to be a priest, then two universities, studying to be a pure mathematician.

Reviews:

Ian, London:
".. well done, really enjoyed reading it"
".. finished reading it last night and enjoyed it for all sorts of reasons"
"..i'll be re-reading it.."
".. it would make a great film or BBC adaptation"

Mark from Scotland:
"I’ve enjoyed it very much, I like the style.."

Bernadette from Durham:
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and the humour had me laughing out loud"

Andrew from the Ilse of Man
"I really enjoyed your book, it was very well written.."