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Bevin Boys

I want to start by saying how pleased I am to have secured this Adjournment debate to raise the plight of the Bevin Boys. Before I turn to the main part of my speech, I should like to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Gordon Banks), who has campaigned assiduously on this issue since he entered the House. I should also like to congratulate the Sunday Express on its campaign on behalf of the Bevin Boys, the forgotten heroes of the second world war. In 1943, this country faced a crisis in coal production that put our ability to win the second world war in jeopardy. More than 36,000 miners had left the mines to fight for their country, and our coal reserves had fallen so low by the end of the year that we were down to less than three weeks’ supply. The Government made pleas to volunteers to enlist for mine work, but, unfortunately, they raised very few recruits. When the shortage reached a crisis in December 1943, the then Minister for Labour and National Service, Ernest Bevin, decided that a certain percentage of draftees would be directed into the pits to make up the manpower shortage. Speaking at a conscription meeting in 1943, he said:"““We need 720,000 men continuously employed in this industry. This is where you boys come in.””" That is how the term ““Bevin Boys”” was born. Chosen at random from among the conscripts, nearly 48,000 Bevin Boys were drafted into the pits in the United Kingdom, and, after 1943, 10 per cent. of all conscripts between the ages of 18 and 25 were picked for service in Britain’s coal mines. To make the process random, one of Bevin’s secretaries would pull random numbers from a hat. All the men whose draft numbers ended in those digits would be sent to the coal mines, with the exception of those who were in highly skilled occupations. This random process resulted in people being picked from a whole array of professions, from desk jobs to manual work. Among the Bevin Boys who subsequently became famous were Jimmy Savile and Eric Morecambe. While I was researching the subject today, my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) told me that his father, Albert Campbell, had been a Bevin boy. He is still alive and living in Consett, and I would like to pay tribute to his efforts on behalf of his country during the second world war as a Bevin boy. Those young men were sent into many of the pits across the United Kingdom. In Chester-le-Street, in my constituency, a famous Bevin boy was Jock Purdon. Jock married and stayed in Chester-le-Street after the war, and worked in the pits digging coal in 3 ft seams with water up to his knees. His experiences in the mines shaped his poems and songs, and led to his being known as ““the miners’ poet””. His famous ““Bevin Boys Lament”” was put together in the Plough public house next to Pelaw pit in the 1940s. Before working in the pits, the Bevin Boys would be given six weeks’ training. In some cases, however, there is documentation showing that that training period was cut down to six days. It was physically hard work with long shifts and dangerous conditions. Bevin Boys did not wear any uniforms or badges but the oldest clothes that they could find. All that they were given were helmets, steel toecap boots and accommodation that came to be known as Bevin huts. Being of military age and without uniform caused many Bevin Boys to be stopped by the police and questioned about avoiding the call-up. They were also loathed in many areas by service personnel who thought that they were conscientious objectors—a misconception that, alas, continues today. It must be emphasised that these young men were conscripts—none was a volunteer—and were made to work in the pits of the UK, just as their friends were conscripted into the Army, Navy and Air Force. Their pre-conscription employment was not protected, and those injured were not eligible for pensions as they were considered civilians. They did not get travel warrants to travel home, nor did they use the NAAFI at railway stations or any other comforts open to servicemen. More importantly, many of them continued working in the pits right up until 1948, long after many of their compatriots who had been in the armed forces had been demobilised. Clearly, this is an issue for the Ministry of Defence, not the Department of Trade and Industry, as these men were conscripts, and would not have worked in the mines unless the Government of the time had conscripted them to do so. It is nearly 60 years since the Bevin Boys were demobilised, and those conscripted to work in the pits are now old men. There is little that we can to do to right the wrongs that occurred during and immediately after the war. I hope, however, that we can agree on three points: first, that these men were treated badly during and after their service; secondly, that they carried out a vital role in the fight against fascism and made a vital contribution to securing the freedoms that we take for granted today; and, thirdly, that their efforts on behalf of the nation should be recognised. This Government have an excellent record in honouring service veterans. We have had veterans day and veterans badges, which have been warmly welcomed up and down the country. Last month, I attended an excellent veterans day event in Chester-le-Street in my constituency, and saw the pride with which many of the veterans present received their badges. It is sad that the Bevin Boys have been left out, and I hope that the Government can put that right. I know that Ministers, especially those at the Ministry of Defence, do not necessarily like to make decisions that have no precedent or that may be seen to set unhelpful new precedents. I therefore have news for the Minister. He recently launched the merchant seafarers badge of honour—the veterans badge for those who served in the merchant navy at any time up to 31 December 1959. I hope that a similar badge can be presented to the Bevin Boys. When Ernest Bevin made his famous speech in 1943, in which he said,"““that is where you boys come in””," he also said:"““Our fighting men will not be able to achieve their purpose unless we get an adequate supply of coal.””" We were able to secure adequate coal supplies, and our fighting men were able to achieve the purpose of defeating fascism. It is right to recognise the fight of men and women, through Remembrance Sunday, veterans day and the excellent veterans badges. It is now time to pay a similar tribute to the Bevin Boys, without whose service and sacrifice we would not have been able to defeat fascism in those dark days of the second world war.