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Posted: 2/15/2015 10:30:40 PM EDT
Great Britain, 1943:
Wartime manpower shortages in the British coal mines led to a harsh solution. 1 in 10 of the draftees were assigned to the Ministry of Labour, under Ernest Bevin, to work as miners instead of serving in the military. They received no veterans benefits or recognition for their work until 2007. "In 1943 this country faced a crisis in coal production as there was only three weeks of coal stock available. This put the country’s ability to win the Second World War in jeopardy. The then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, charged Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service to increase coal production. Mr Bevin decided that from all 18 to 24 year old men conscripts drafted to serve in the armed forces one in ten were to be directed – on pain of imprisonment and irrespective of background or ability - to work underground in British coal mines. Approximately 48,000 Bevin Boys (as they came to be known) undertook unskilled manual jobs to release more experienced miners to move on to coal production at the coal face." http://www.bevinboysassociation.co.uk/ Bevin Boys in the mine 
"Although this scheme was successful in maintaining employment levels in the mines, it also meant that young men unsuitable for the work found themselves underground. Some miners resented their presence and many of the Bevin boys themselves did not want to be there, so it led to a lot of social and personal problems. Absenteeism being a major problem. The Bevin Boys did not receive the same privileges as those in the armed services. Their service did not contribute towards pension rights or a superannuation scheme. At the end of the war, the Bevin Boys were the last to demobilise and were almost forgotten. Although urged to stay on in mining, the majority were glad to leave the industry. In 2007, the government announced a special honour for Bevin Boys to recognise their work down the mines." https://haigpit.wordpress.com/bevin-boys/ 
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/bevinboys.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevin_Boys |
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Posted: 2/16/2015 1:22:28 AM EDT
[#1]
So basically these dudes were super fucked and made slaves while the other guys who served in the military were received as heroes. I would be super pissed if I was one of them.
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Posted: 2/16/2015 10:22:21 PM EDT
[#2]
Wow. Those guys got screwed.
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