Oliver Hipkins & Andy James
WRECK
Based on the true story of William Hipkins, who reshaped the British workplace then boarded Titanic.
Foreword by Professor Carl Chinn MBE, PhD
“An atmospheric book with a huge beating heart”Helena Merriman, BBC journalist and author
“An intriguing work of fiction”Professor Carl Chinn MBE, Ph.D, historian and author
The Book
He reshaped the British workplace. Then boarded Titanic.
April 1912. Titanic's deck is tilting. Lifeboats are gone. Around William Hipkins, men are climbing the railings and jumping into the freezing dark. He is still thinking about others. He is still thinking about the family he's already lost.
Ten years earlier, William was the man nobody saw coming. An outsider handed the keys to one of Birmingham's great industrial dynasties, quietly dismantling everything the boardroom held sacred, and rebuilding it on his own terms. Written contracts, sick pay, paid holidays – half a century before British law would catch up. His wife Lavinia, a writer and reformer, asked the questions that changed his answers. Men with everything to lose tried to stop him, but he kept going.
He always kept going.
Based on remarkable true events, Wreck is the largely forgotten story of the man who quietly built the modern workplace and his journey on the ship the world would never forget.
The Authors
Oliver Hipkins & Andy James
Oliver Hipkins teaches English, writes poetry. His poems have appeared in various editions of New Contexts. Andy James earned a PhD with published research in Wiley Blackwell journals before becoming an award-winning copywriter. Oliver and Andy have collaborated on writing and music projects, lent each other books and debated most of them.
Wreck is their first novel.
Don't miss what comes next.
Be the first to hear about events, readings, and news from Oliver and Andy.