A Bevin Boy who was branded a ‘coward’ after being forced to dig coal instead of fight during World War II is finally being honored for his services 80 years later.
John Avery, 97, was one of thousands of men forced to work in the mines to increase coal production – even though they had signed up for the army.
While the young men were drawn to the roles through voting, the general public often looked down on them, wrongly believing them to be draft dodgers.
But eighty years later, John – known to his friends as Jack – has finally received a Defense Medal in recognition of the importance of his national service to the British war effort.
And the great-grandfather of seven dedicated the award to other brave men and women who went unrecognized while serving in civilian roles during the conflict.
John Avery, 97, who was branded a ‘coward’ after being forced to dig coal instead of fighting during World War II, is finally honored for his services – 80 years later
John Avery and his wife Brenda on their honeymoon in Blackpool in 1953
John Avery receives his Defense Medal in recognition of the importance of his national service to the British war effort
He said: ‘This medal is not just for me, but for everyone who served on the home front and was never recognised.
“I think of all those who died in the bombings on the home front, especially the firefighters, and just count my blessings: I’ve had such a long and happy life.”
John grew up in Fenham barracks in Newcastle, where his hero father John William Avery – who served in both world wars – was stationed as a groundskeeper.
But when he signed up to follow in his footsteps, he was instead conscripted into the role of a miner, becoming one of 48,000 young men known as ‘Bevin Boys’.
They kept the country supplied with energy and got their nickname from then-Minister of Labor and National Service, Ernest Bevin, who devised the policy.
But their crucial contribution to the war effort was not recognized by the government until 1995 – with John unaware until recently that he could even be considered for a medal.
He was finally presented with it on April 5 at the Guildhall in his home city of York by his local MP Rachael Maskell.
John said: ‘It means a lot. It’s something I can wear when I go to the parades and it’s something I can pass on to my son and grandson.
‘I didn’t even know there was a medal and when I found out I certainly didn’t expect this today; I thought it would come in the mail!’
John’s daughter, Angela Lancaster, said the honor had helped him overcome some of the decades of pain he had felt after the war.
She said: ‘The medal compensates for a lot of the pain he has had all his life – of not being recognized for what he did.
‘He’s really struggling with it. People thought he was a conscientious objector or a coward; in a sense it was forced labor.
‘He was very, very nervous about the ceremony. But once he got into it, he absolutely loved it. And ever since he said, ‘What a beautiful day.’ He really enjoyed it.’
The great-grandfather of seven dedicated the award to other brave men and women who went unrecognized while serving in civilian roles during the conflict
John Avery with his youngest great-grandchild, Emilia Heward, on April 5 after the awards ceremony
The 97-year-old will receive his medal on April 5
John Avery, surrounded by friends and family, received his Defense Medal on April 5
John Avery with his daughter Angela Lancaster (left) and son Trevor Avery after receiving his award
MP Rachael Maskell said she was equally pleased that he had finally been recognized for his incredible work during the Second World War.
She added: “I was delighted to present John with his medal today for his services to our country during the Second World War.
‘As Mr Avery was one of the last few veterans in Britain, it was a memorable day for him and his family and it was lovely to hear and hear his stories about his time in the Navy, as Bevin Boy in the pits and how the world has changed in its 97 years.’
Born in October 1926, John was only 13 years old when the Second World War broke out in September 1939.
But as soon as he turned sixteen, he volunteered for the Home Civil Defense Force as a bicycle courier and remembered delivering letters during German bombing raids.
He said: ‘I remember the Newcastle Blitz and taking crates of booze to the fire brigade.
‘We climbed over the hoses and rubble as they fought the fires to make sure they got bottled drinks.
“We weren’t thinking about the danger, we just knew the firefighters needed drinks to keep going.”
Mr. Avery in 1946, just after the end of World War II
Brenda and John Avery on their honeymoon in Blackpool in 1953
Born in October 1926, John was only 13 years old when the Second World War broke out in September 1939
John also delivered messages for brave soldiers returning from Dunkirk and stationed in a nearby barracks – who he remembered paid him in foreign coin.
And he entered the Navy at the age of 19, hoping to serve in the armed forces like his father, who was a Lance Corporal in the Northumberland Fusiliers and Pioneer Corps.
But instead he was forced into the coal mines to work as a Bevin Boy during the war, despite his father’s objections to the decision.
Although the public often viewed the workers as not as brave as their military counterparts, John said his time in the pit, from 1944 to 1948, was fraught with danger.
He said: ‘The pits were very dangerous and I had a near fatal accident when some bins of coal derailed and I ended up underneath in the smallest hole.
“How I escaped death I will never know.”
After the war, John moved to York in 1950, where he worked in the fields before spending 35 years at British confectionery brand Rowntree’s in the packaging, warehousing and security departments.
He married his wife Brenda in 1953 and remained with her until her death ten years ago.