Overalls to Ermine

Follow the remarkable journey of a boy from Bridgend, South Wales, who failed the 11-plus and left school with no qualifications, yet worked his way up the ranks of trade unionism and into the House of Lords. Starting his career as a Port Talbot Steelworks pre-apprentice in 1950 and joining the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) in the 1960s, Lord Garfield Davies of Coity CBE rose to the position of Usdaw general secretary in 1986 - a role he filled for more than a decade. At a time of deep-seated anti-union hostility from Thatcher's government, Lord Davies travelled the world, meeting prime ministers, presidents and royalty while campaigning tirelessly for workers' rights and against social injustice. From humble beginnings in the close-knit community of Coity to the prestige of Parliament, the fascinating life of the "People's Peer" is captured in these inspirational memoirs.