Gaffer and Co

Al is a young entrepreneur. At the age of ten he sees a profit in following Big Martha's horse and cart while she delivers coal. He collects the manure droppings and sells it on to the gentry for their potato crop. The story is set during the first half of the 20th Century in the industrial heartland of England during an age of change. During the First World War Al volunteers and is sent to France. He returns severely wounded, broken in body but not in spirit. Tough and resolute he marries Hannah, a girl of genteel persuasion - and a mind as courageous as his own. "You'll always be a fine man, Al, and any girl lucky to have you. She may be gentry, but no matter. Love gets over that quicker than most." Yet for all their steadfastness in bridging the social divide, and their success in business, Nature has a sting in the tail for Al and Hannah.