Last week a memorial was unveiled by the Countess of Wessex to commemorate the part played in the second world war by the Bevin Boys.

The Bevin Boys were conscripts and volunteers, who signed up believing theyd be in the armed forces but who instead were sent to work in the mines. The scheme was devised by the Minister of Labour and National Service, Ernest Bevin, in 1943 to keep the pits open and supplying the much-needed coal that powered the factories producing the armaments the forces needed. One in ten conscripts, chosen by ballot, was sent to work in the mining industry, and they became known as the Bevin Boys.

These men nearly 48,000 of them - serving their country were to suffer abuse from the public because they didnt wear uniform and were assumed to be conscientious objectors, deserters or even spies. But it wasnt just ignorance on the part of the general public that caused these men anguish: it was the total lack of recognition that they had played any part in helping Britain win the war. On demob they didnt receive the usual demob suit, no service medals and, probably most importantly, they had no automatic right to their pre-war job back. In fact, it wasnt until 1995 that they were officially allowed to take part in the annual Remembrance Day parade in Whitehall, and it took a further 13 years before the surviving Bevin Boys were given an official badge by the government as a form of campaign medal.