Firstly Thank you for comments on yesterdays post.
My birthday month at WI so a birthday 'posy' which was really a lovely bunch of roses in a gorgeous colour.
Our speaker at WI this week was a lady telling us all about The Bevin Boys and especially about her father.
At the beginning of WWII much of the coal mined in this country was exported to Poland and Italy so the need for coal suddenly dropped as war started and therefore it was decided that miners wouldn't be a reserved occupation and many went off to fight. (The government didn't look very far ahead - just like nowadays!) But by 1943 the country faced a crisis as there was only 3 weeks of coal stock left. Of course this was at a time when coal was used for trains and power stations as well as homes. Winston Churchill gave Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service the job of increasing coal production.
Bevin decided that one in ten of all conscripts between 18 and 24 drafted to serve would go down the mines. This was done by a random ballot and anyone who objected could be sent to prison.
The speakers father was a country boy, working on a farm, from south Suffolk who had hardly been out of the county but he was sent off to train for just four weeks on the Derbyshire coalfields along with many other boys from all walks of life.
The way these boys were treated was totally different to boys who went into the forces. They were given no special clothing, their pay was much lower too and only had one week off a year. Because they had nothing to say what their war work was many were treated badly by the public who thought they were conscientious objectors or shirkers.
At the end of the war they were forced to carry on until 1948 and their work was never recognised, they got no thanks, no demob suit and certainly no medals. The lady said some never mentioned what they did as they were ashamed that they hadn't been abroad fighting for their country. They got no help from the British Legion and when mining was Nationalised all records of the 48,000 Bevin Boys was destroyed.
For 50 years they campaigned to take part in the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and were finally allowed just a few years ago and also very recently they have a new memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum for those who died.
There are only a few men left who were Bevin Boys - all in their 90's - including the speakers father. But by talking about them to various groups around the country and having all the information available via The Bevin Boys Association they keep their stories alive.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
What an awful story…thank you for sharing it Sue and helping to keep the memory of those poor men alive. I had no idea. Anne
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy your blog, Sue; it so frequently gives me pause for thought and this post is no exception. While I’ve heard, of course, of the Bevin Boys, I didn’t know that it was exclusively coal-mining. And how sad for them the lack of recognition must have been. J’nan
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Sue. Enjoy your day. Shocking story of the Bevin Boys. How appallingly they were treated. One week off each year! Their shame at being thought of as shirkers is terribly sad.
ReplyDeleteVital war work and yet they were not recognised for it - shameful.
ReplyDeleteMiners dug tunnels under German trenches during WW1 and laid trenches. The Road To Wigan Pier by George Orwell explains what life was like around the second world war for the working classes. Thanks for writing about the Bevin Boys.
ReplyDeleteThat should say ..laid explosives.
ReplyDeleteI leant a lot about the Bevin Boys in The Coal House at War a brilliant tv series which I have the DVD of. I did not know that they suffered with a lack of recognition for all their hard and dangerous work though.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story of young men who helped to literally keep the home fires burning during WW2. My Dad was a steelworker who was drafted to the Navy just before i became a reserved occupation. Glad they now have recognition at the Arboretum. Catriona
ReplyDeleteWhat hard lives some people lead - serving their country. Thanks for giving us this informative post
ReplyDeleteAnd - Happy Birthday x
Alison in Wales x
I didn't know anything about this. What a shame they didn't recognize the contribution those men made while they were making it. Goofy government decisions aren't a new thing then. They have always been around...
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
I remember about the Bevin Boys. I also remember they were presented to the public as volunteers! Such propaganda.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me really angry and sad when I read about the sacrifices so many people made at that time being brushed under the carpet by the powers that be. I wouldn't wish being sent down a mine on my worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've heard of the Bevin Boys, I didn't know their story. How awful and sad that they weren't recognized for their important contribution to the country. Thanks for sharing the story with us... and Happy Birthday, Sue.
ReplyDeleteCoal was an important resource. Coal mining is a very dangerous job with many serious health risks. I am glad the Bevin Boys are finally recognized for their work and the contributions to the British people.
ReplyDeleteI can see that I need to brush up on my knowledge of these poor lads. Dreadful way to have treated them.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday month!
How terrible.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty roses. Love that colour.
God bless.
I had heard about this. Actually, I think it was covered on the Antiques Roadtrip! There was also a book. My daughter gave it to me. I wish that I could remember the name of it, because the closing paragraphs of it were heartbreakingly poignant to me. Perhaps you have given me my work for tomorrow.
ReplyDelete