Wales at War


Bevin Boys Association blazer badge.

The underground front

The story of the Bevin Boys miners has been largely untold; those many men who spent their war on the so-called 'underground front' went unrecognized for almost half a century.

When Britain declared war in 1939, thousands of experienced miners left the mines to join the armed services or transfer to higher-paid 'war industries'. By the summer of 1943 over 36,000 men had left the coal industry. The British government decided that it needed around 40,000 men to take their places.

View PreviousPrevious Chapter 1 of 5 NextView Next

Collections

This text item has not yet been defined, Edit and Save to create.


Related

Related By Theme

  • Collection of badges and a 'Women for Peace' sash

    Collection of badges and a 'Women for Peace' sash WomensArchiveWales

  • Image of the Western Front in 1914

    Image of the Western Front in 1914 WelshVoices

  • Pension award document, August 1944

    Pension award document, August 1944 WomensArchiveWales

  • post card of WAAC 1918

    post card of WAAC 1918 WomensArchiveWales

  • Llandow airfield, 1946

    Llandow airfield, 1946 RCAHMW

  • Ynyslas Rocket Firing Test Track, September 1951

    Ynyslas Rocket Firing Test Track, September 1951 RCAHMW

  • Morwenna Evans in RAF uniform

    Morwenna Evans in RAF uniform WomensArchiveWales

  • Extract from the book 'Doodlebugs and Rockets'

    Extract from the book 'Doodlebugs and Rockets' WomensArchiveWales

  • Photo of Private Frederick Charles Vivian

    Photo of Private Frederick Charles Vivian WelshVoices

  • Canadian Pacific Liner, 'The Duchess of Richmond'

    Canadian Pacific Liner, 'The Duchess of Richmond' WomensArchiveWales

browse