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This article has been tagged since April 2008. | Bevin Boys were young British men conscripted to work in the coal mines of the United Kingdom, from December 1943 until the end of World War II[1]. Chosen at random from conscripts, nearly 48,000 Bevin Boys performed vital but largely unrecognised service in the mines, many not being released until years after the war. 10% of all conscripts 18-25 were picked for this service. Image File history File links Merge-arrow. ...
National service is a common name for compulsory or voluntary military service programs. ...
Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ...
Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Creation of the programme
The programme was named after Ernest Bevin, a former trade union official and then British Labour Party politician who was Minister of Labour and National Service in the wartime Coalition government. At the beginning of the war the Government, underestimating the value of experienced coal-miners, conscripted them into the armed forces. By mid-1943 the coal mines had lost 36,000 workers, and these workers were generally not replaced due to the availability of cleaner work. It became evident that the miners needed to be replaced. The government made a plea to men liable to conscription to offer to work in the mines, but few offered and the shortage continued. Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 - 14 April 1951) was a British labour leader, politician, and statesman best known for his time as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour government. ...
The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ...
The Secretary of State for Employment was a UK cabinet position. ...
A coalition is an alliance among entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. ...
Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
When December arrived and Britain was becoming desperate for a continued supply of coal for both the war effort and a winter at home, it was decided that a percentage of conscripts would be directed to the mines. The colloquial name "Bevin Boys" came from the speech Bevin made announcing the scheme: Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
"... We need 720,000 men continuously employed in this industry. This is where you boys come in. Our fighting men will not be able to achieve their purpose unless we get an adequate supply of coal." Coal Example chemical structure of coal Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ...
The programme
Selection of conscripts To make the process random, one of Bevin's secretaries would each week pull a digit from a hat containing all ten digits, 0-9, and all men liable for call-up that week whose National Service number ended in that digit were directed to work in the mines, with the exception of any selected for highly skilled war work such as flying planes and in submarines. Conscripts came from different professions, from desk work to heavy labour, and included those who might otherwise have become commissioned officers. In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...
Working conditions The Bevin Boys were first given 6 weeks of training (4 off-site, 2 on) before working in the mines. The work was typical coal mining, largely a mile or more down dark, dank tunnels, and conscripts were supplied with helmets and steel-capped safety boots. Bevin Boys did not wear uniforms or badges, but the oldest clothes they could find. Being of military age and without uniform caused many to be stopped by police and questioned about avoiding call-up.[citation needed] Since many conscientious objectors were sent to work down the mines as an alternative to military service, there was sometimes an assumption that all Bevin Boys were "Conshies" and although the right to conscientiously object to killing now existed, the old attitudes of discrimination from the first World War when they were shot for cowardice, still prevailed amongst some members of the general public. In 1943 UK Government minister Ernest Bevin said in Parliament: ‘There are thousands of cases in which conscientious objectors although they may have refused to take up arms, have shown as much courage as anyone else in Civil Defence.’ The Peace Movement 1940-49 Surface coal mining in Wyoming in the United States of America. ...
End of the programme The programme was wound up in 1948. At the time the Bevin Boys received no medals, nor the right to return to the jobs they had held previously, unlike armed forces personnel. Bevin Boys were not fully recognised as contributors to the war effort until 1995, 50 years after VE Day, in a speech by Queen Elizabeth II. A medal is a small metal object, usually engraved with insignia, that is awarded to a person for athletic, military, scientific, academic or some other kind of achievement. ...
Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitlers Reich. ...
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ...
On 20 June 2007 Tony Blair informed the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions that thousands of conscripts who worked down mines in World War II would receive an honour. The prime minister told the Commons the Bevin Boys would be rewarded with a Veterans Badge - similar to the HM Armed Forces Badge awarded by the Ministry of Defence.[2] For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...
Type Lower House Speaker Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Leader Harriet Harman, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader Theresa May, (Conservative) since May 5, 2005 Members 659 Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin...
Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs). In Canada, this convention is known as...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ...
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...
The first badges were awarded on 25 March 2008 by the Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) at a reception at 10 Downing Street, marking the 60th anniversary of the last Bevin Boys being discharged. For others with the same or similar names, see Gordon Brown (disambiguation). ...
Other usages The term was also used facetiously of or by entrants to the Foreign Office during the time Bevin was Foreign Secretary, 1945-1951. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. ...
The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ...
Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...
Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Famous Bevin Boys | Jimmy Savile | DJ and charity worker | "I went down as a boy and came up as a man."
"If that's what we were told to do by the country to save the country, that's what we did[3]" | | Jock Purdon | Folk singer/poet | Purdon stayed on in the Durham coal mines after the war. "For me there's three great generals - Geronimo, Alexander the Great and Arthur Scargill". | | Dickson Mabon | Moderate UK Labour politician[4] | On his discharge in 1948 he went to the University of Glasgow to read Medicine. | | Lord (Brian) Rix CBE, DL | Actor/manager, and president of Mencap | Rix volunteered to leave the RAF to join the Bevin Boy Scheme. "I have never regretted the decision," he says. | | Eric Morecambe | Comedian | Half of the British comedy double act Morecambe and Wise, Morecambe worked at a mine in Accrington for 11 months, which may have affected his health and led to heart attacks later in life. | | Peter Shaffer | Dramatist | The author of Equus and Amadeus, he graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. | | Alf Sherwood | Footballer | Went on to win 41 caps for Wales | | Gerald Smithson | Cricketer | While serving as a Bevin Boy, Smithson was called into the Test cricket team for a tour of the West Indies. | | Peter Alan Rayner | Numismatic Author | Rayner was conscripted into the mines during World War II. | | Peter Archer, Baron Archer of Sandwell | Former Member of Parliament | Represented both Rowley Regis and Tipton; and latterly for Warley West. Solicitor General for England and Wales from March 1974 to May 1979. Also chaired the Enemy Property Claims Assessment panel. | Sir Jimmy Savile. ...
Jock Purdon (November 16, 1925 - 1998), a poet and songwriter, was born George Purdon in the village of Nitshill near Glasgow. ...
Durham (IPA: locally, in RP) is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham in North East England. ...
For other uses, see Geronimo (disambiguation). ...
For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ...
Arthur Scargill (born January 11, 1938) led the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1981 to 2000. ...
Rt Hon Jesse Dickson Mabon (b. ...
The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ...
Master of Theology (MTh) Dentistry Nursing Affiliations Russell Group Universitas 21 Website http://www. ...
For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ...
Brian Rix, Baron Rix (born January 27, 1924) is a British actor and charity worker. ...
Mencap is a UK charity. ...
RAF is an three letter acronym for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Faction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India RaÄunarski Fakultet RAF...
John Eric Bartholomew OBE (May 14, 1926 – May 28, 1984), better known by his stage name, Eric Morecambe was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise, formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. ...
This article is about the comedy duo. ...
Morecambe and Wise were a famous British comic double act comprising Eric Morecambe OBE and Ernie Wise OBE. The act lasted four decades until Morecambes death in 1984. ...
, Accrington[1] is an industrial town and is the major settlement in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire; situated in North West England. ...
// Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (born May 15, 1926) is an English dramatist, author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed. ...
Cover of 1993 Longman edition of Equus. ...
Playbill, 1981 For other uses, see Amadeus (disambiguation). ...
Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street...
Alf Sherwood was a Welsh international footballer. ...
First international Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Biggest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Biggest defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 The Wales national football team...
Gerald (Gerry) Arthur Smithson (born Spofforth, Yorkshire, on November 1, 1926, died suddenly aged 43 at home in Abingdon, Oxfordshire on September 6, 1970), played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1946 and 1949, his highest innings for the county being 169 against Leicestershire CCC at Leicester in 1947. ...
For the womens version of the game, see Womens Test cricket. ...
The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ...
Peter Alan Rayner (1924 - July 29, 2007) was a British Author of numismatic (coin collecting) books. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Peter Kingsley Archer, Baron Archer of Sandwell, PC (born 20 November 1926), is a Labour Party member of the House of Lords. ...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...
Rowley Regis and Tipton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Rowley Regis and Tipton in the West Midlands. ...
Warley is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...
Her Majestys Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. ...
References - ^ Article by Eliazabeth Grice "Most of us couldn't wait to get out" on page 26 of the Daily Telegraph (Issue number 47,528- dated 26th March 2008)
- ^ The debate can be found here.
- ^ Daily Telegraph 26-3-08 (Ibid)
- ^ Briefly SDP Obituary in Daily Telegraph Issue 47,544 (dated 14th Apri, 2008
This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ...
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ...
This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ...
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