Material Relating to the "Bevin Boys" Conscription Scheme, 1943 - 1947

An extensive collection of material relating to the Bevin Boys conscription scheme, 1943 - 1947, comprising a series of mainly photocopied ms/ts letters (ca 200pp) written by ex-Bevin Boys and describing their wartime experiences, a photocopied set of ballotee records for Bevin Boys residing in the Midlands region, 1944 - 1945, a ts index of Midlands ballotees, optants and volunteers covering the period December 1943 - July 1947, photographs of miners, collieries and miners' hostels, newspaper cuttings (January 1944 - May 1983) relating to the Bevin Boys scheme, and various photocopied and original documents including official Ministry of Labour and National Service conscription and release forms, ID and ration cards, National Coal Board correspondence, wage slips, and income tax forms. Together with a set of original documents collected by and mostly relating to David Day, who worked as a Bevin Boy; a photocopy of David Agnew's book "Bevin Boy" (London, Allen & Unwin Ltd: 1947); a copy of the book "South Yorkshire Pits" by Warwick Taylor (Pen and Sword Books, 2001); and an MA dissertation by Robert Huw Griffiths entitled "The Forgotten Army: The Bevin Boys in the South Wales Coalfield, 1943 - 1948" (University of Wales, 1995).

Catalogue date 1997-01-08

Cataloguer APR