BEVIN BOYS SAVED NATION

COUNTRY boy Les Raymond aymond was determined to fight ght the Nazis but instead had to dig coal in oppressive darkness rkness and suffocating heat.

At 92, he is one of the last surviving Bevin Boys.

They were the unsung and nd often unloved heroes conscripted to work in Britain’s mines.

These 48,000 men stopped ped the nation from grinding to a halt. alt. But, like Les, many did not want ant the claustrophobic and dangerous ous job.

And what credit or praise se did they receive for such vital al war work? There was no heroes’ eroes’ welcome home, no medals and no right to their old jobs back.

In fact, some Bevin Boys were mistaken for conscientious tious objectors and spat at. They even had white feathers waved at them, a symbol of cowardice.

Today is the 75th anniversary rsary of the Second World W Wa War programme, named after wart wartime time Labour minister Ernest est

Bevin. By the summer of 1943, 36,000 miners had enlisted for the forces and Britain had just a few weeks’ of coal left. On December 2 that year, the

Government started to conscript men at random to work in the pits.

Scary

Bevin told the country: y: “Our fighting men will not ot be able to achieve their ir purpose unless we get an adequate supply of coal.” .”

Britain would have ve ground to a halt without ut the work of the Bevin Boys, ys, who included legends such uch as comedian Eric ric Morecambe and England and and Bolton Wanderers ers footballer Nat Lofthouse. e.

Les, from Suffolk, said: aid: “We weren’t being shot ot at but t h e work was claustrophobic and scary. y.

“It’s one of the most dangerous jobs you can do.

“I was injured three times but I just got on with it. You’d hear of explosions in mines, and miners dying. But no o one ever said thank you for r what we’d done.”

The Bevin Boys were re not demobbed until 1948, three years after the end of the he war, to a largely muted response. onse.

Unlike those who had d served in the armed forces, they y had no medals or even the right g ght to return to their pre-war war jobs. Many Bevin Boys, s, like Les, had wanted to o join the forces.

His conscription papers for the mines came through shortly y before his 18th birthday y in 1944. He was so upset he asked his cadet leader to write to the Government to ask if he could serve in the Army instead.

He was told in no uncertain terms that no exceptions would be made.

Les said: “I was really upset because I