Carolyn
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Honour for Bevin Boys at last | Quote: | AN ABERTILLERY pensioner, one of just seven surviving Bevin Boys in Gwent, has finally been honoured for his contrbutions towards the Second World War.
Yesterday, on the 60th Anniversary of the last Bevin Boy being demobbed, the Prime Minister invited 27 of the former miners to Downing Street for a presentation ceremony, where they were awarded special badges.
Raymond Isted, along with the remaining Gwent men, received his in the post yesterday morning.
The medal comes after years of lobbying by the Bevin Boy Association to honour the vital service the young men provided at home.
Some 48,000 18-25 year olds were signed up for National Service in coalfields across the UK and represented 10% of male conscripts. They took their name after wartime Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin.
Mr Isted was born and brought up in Sussex, but came to Abertillery to work in the pit in 1944 and stayed after meeting his wife Phyllis.
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http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/...honour_for_bevin_boys_at_last.php
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Ray Dix
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Well done to the Bevin Boys, but what about the full time miners, one of whom was my dad, Gwyn Dix, who couldn't seek alternative employment, with higher wages, as he was in a reserved occupation.
Should not the full time miner be entitled to some sort of award? I, or my brother or sister, would be honoured to accept an award on behalf of my late father.
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