Bunnets 'N' Bowlers

Ach, it therr's nae need tae worry,
ah'll get yi a joab in the yards,
yi'll be fixed up fur life
so yi wull, fixed up fur life.

Every ship has a story, and so does every shipbuilder, whether they are bowler hats, the foremen whose job it was to mare sure deadlines were met,or bunnets, the skilled artisans that did the graft.

Meet the characters of The Black Squad: Sam Abbott, the knicker knocker from Duntocher; Wild Bill Hickok, the card shark; Irish Pat, the burner who lives his bevvy too much, and many more.

Brian Whittingham started his career in the Clydeside shipyards at just 15 years old when a job in the yards was for life. Bunnets n Bowlers follows this Clydeside odyssey, familiar to so many, from smart-arsed apprentice to skilled artisan and celebrates the humour and camaraderie of an ailing profession.

Reviews

• "A vivid account of the rich and varied life in the yards" Glasgow Evening Times