Blaenavon. Of Iron and Steel

The removal of phosphorus from iron was hugely important in iron and steel making, and Sydney Gilchrist Thomas and Percy Gilchrist achieved something that many had failed to accomplish over more than twenty years. As those who are familiar with my work will know, I have a passion for rugby and steelmaking, and where possible, I try to include both in my novels. As it happens Blaenavon Rugby Club's first game coincided with the ironmaking developments that were going on in Blaenavon at the same time, as did Wales's first international against England, but the least said about this the better The mining disasters that I have mentioned also occurred on the dates that have been included in this work. Apart from the central theme of this work, the removal of phosphorus from iron, I have also tried to illustrate the living conditions that were prevalent, not only in the Welsh valleys but throughout the UK, in the late nineteenth century.