Hello, My dad John Olver was a Bevin Boy during the war. I do not know a lot about where he was although mum thinks it was possibly Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. Dad got coal dust on his lungs and died age 40 after being ill for years. Leaving mum with 4 children. I was the youngest age 10.

I would love to hear of anyone who knew him.

Why can’t the families of the Bevin Boys who died as a result of being down the mine have a Badge? It would be a great tribute to him as he suffered so much with not a word of complaining.

Yours Sincerely

Julia Cook

Dear Fionn
An elderly friend recently died his name was Jeffrey Bracher. We have been fortunate enough to be able to buy his old house. Recently I cleared out some boxes and found all the letters to and from his parents when he was a Bevin Boy. He was initially at Aberdane, Miners Hostel, Manchester Place, Hirwaun, Glamorgan from January 1947 yet in 1945 was at Ystrad Mynact (possibly Mynad), Miners Hostel, Caerphilly Road, Hengoed, Glamorgan. He lived with his parents at Sunset, Ashington Lane, Wimborne, Dorset after working in the mines he returned to Sunset, Ashington Lane, Wimborne and lived there until he died earlier this year.

I would love more information about his life in Glamorgan and wondered if anyone remembers him. He has no living relatives and I intend to compile all his personal letters and bits and pieces, is it possible to claim his medal to put it with these treasured memoirs.

Any information on what this time in his life was like would be fascinating.

Many thanks
Helen

Could you tell me why the Bevin Boys medal is only given to men who are still alive?

My father was a Bevin Boy all through the war.

Regards Carol Chase.

Dear Sir,
I am contacting you to find out if you have any reference to a relation of mine, who was called up to be a Bevin Boy in 1945/46 (?), and was sent to Hetton-le-Hole where he worked for a while and was then discharged and had to join the Army, in the RASC, as T/14123966, Edward Clifford Stanners. He was then posted to Palestine and was killed in a terrorist ambush, during the troubles at that time, aged 21, on 23 June, 1947.

Any information as to his service as a Bevin Boy would be much appreciated.

Thanking you,
Ken Hudson

Hello
My dad, Kenneth Leaning, was a Bevan Boy and be longs to your association and would very much like to take part in the Remembrance March in London this year if possible if so can you please send me the details you can email me.

Thank you
Yours faithfully
Elaine Haskett

My father, now deceased, was a Bevin Boy in the Kent Collieries, he never talked about it much but I do recall Dad talking about Bettshanger. I would love to meet anyone who may have worked with my father or who has photographs of the lads in the Kent mines as I have no pictures of my father during that period. It would be wonderful to find one to pass on to his grandchildren.

Sincere thanks
Peter Matthews