Bevin boy

British  

noun

1. (in Britain during World War II) a young man selected by ballot to work in a coal mine instead of doing conventional military service

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Etymology

Origin of Bevin boy

C20: named after Ernest _Bevin , who originated the scheme

Example Sentences

During World War Two he was a "Bevin Boy", conscripted to work in the Lanarkshire coal mines.

From BBC

However, he eventually volunteered as a Bevin Boy, one of the group of men who carried out their national service as coal miners during the Second World War.

From BBC

When sent down the mines as a Bevin boy, he realised that by turning up in a suit, working naked, then washing his hands and feet while at the bottom of the pit, he might come back up to leave the mine after a day's work as immaculate as when he arrived.

From The Guardian

Former Bevin Boy Harry Parkes, from Nottinghamshire, has campaigned for official acknowledgement for decades.

From BBC

"The Countess of Wessex name has given this memorial, I feel, credence, and it's given the Bevin Boys the right to stand tall and say I was a Bevin Boy," said Mr Parkes.

From BBC