J. B. McLachlan was a fiery, idealistic Scot who came to Canada with a vision of a better world. He settled in Cape Breton, and there he worked in the coalmines beside hundreds of men and boys from all parts of the world.
In the first decades of the twentieth century mine owners cared little for safety or working conditions: miners and their families were virtual serfs of the company. As their wages were squeezed lower, mine workers fought back through their union--with J. B. McLachlan at its head. The response of the authorities was fierce. The miners faced soldiers, machine guns, prison sentences, starvation, homelessness. They were betrayed by American union leaders. Throughout, J. B. McLachlan stood firm for his principles and ideals.
The Company Store is the story of a remarkable Canadian, and of a little-known part of our industrial past.

John Mellor was a volunteer with the British Naval Commandos - on the beach in the Dieppe Raid and at Normandy on D-Day. He carried shrapnel from Dieppe the rest of his life. He was a sailor with the Royal Navy until 1953, then had a varied career as electrical engineer, high school teacher and freelance writer. His first book, Dieppe: Canada's Forgotten Heroes, took the prestigious Canadian Authors' Association Award for Literary Excellence and the Canadian Non-Fiction Award.

John Mellor's profile page

"A man of exceptional humanity, resolute will and unshakable conviction..."

Montreal Gaxette