Born in Maryhill, Glasgow, at the end of the 1920s, Len left school at 14, and he moved with his family to England, living in Hertfordshire and later London. At the age of 17 he became a miner and went to work at a colliery in the Sheffield area. He was married at 21. His first novel, A Miner's Sons, was published in 1955, and The Man Beneath followed in 1957. By this time Len was working as a journalist on The Star in Sheffield. The Good Lion appeared in 1958, and this is generally regarded as the best of his three novels. He became committed to his newspaper, and was widely acknowledged as an outstanding feature writer. but the experience cost him the opportunity and energy to produce any more novels. He was active and prominent in the affairs of the NUJ at local level. He had his share of setbacks and died in tragic circumstances in the early 1980s.