During the second World War there was an acute shortage of coal miners after an unsuccessful call for civilian volunteers a scheme was developed by Ernest Bevin the then Minister of Labour to send men of the armed forces into the coal mines. Prior to that men were given an option either the forces or return into civvies as a miner, most men chose the Forces. The men were chosen by Ballot each month which was simply the drawing out of the hat two numbers, servicemen whose last two service numbers matched the numbers drawn were then sent to work at a coalmine. A refusal was not accepted. 
Roland Welling's was one of the many Bevin Boys and was signed on in 1947 as a Bevin boy, he became an Headings worker.

Ironically Fred Kelly ex employee of Silverwood was sent back as a Bevin Boy despite trying to enlist in two of the armed forces.

Leonard William Barlow in his capacity as Training Officer at the time found himself instructing the Bevin Boys as well as young trainees.

The following is copyright to the Author and B. B. C. W.W. 2 PEOPLES WAR

Contributed by  Braintree Library
People in story:  Albert Trim
Location of story:  Rotherham, Yorkshire
Background to story:  Civilian Force
Article ID:  A3342638
Contributed on:  29 November 2004
My brother Albert was 16 in 1942 and he was called up and sent down the coal mines as a Bevan Boy to Silverwood Pit near Rotherham. He was an outdoor chap and hated to be confined inside so hated working down the mines. He was also 6'2" in height so it was awful for him. My mother really worried about him being so unhappy but when she went to see the doctor, he said the only way he could get him out was if it could be proved he was losing weight.

He must have lost weight (I don't remember) and a short while later the doctor was able to discharge him from that work on medical grounds. Albert was so happy not to have to go down below again and he went to work for the Post Office

At the time it was falsely believed by locals that the Bevin Boy's were conscientious objectors when in truth out of nearly 48, 000 Bevin Boys only 41 were known conscientious objectors. To make matters worse for the Bevin Boy's  they were often resented by their new work colleagues, suspected often in the street as being deserters for they were not issued with a uniform. At the end of the war these servicemen were treated very badly in that they were not given what other servicemen received, a demob outfit, medals, paid leave, and were not given the right to return to the jobs they held before being conscripted. These men had taken on work that most of them had never done before, suffered abuse, and  yet it is without doubt that their role in coal production had greatly helped the British War Effort. Some of them did not get demobbed until 1948. To further the shame of the Governments since the war, these servicemen known as Bevin Boy's were not officially remembered in the V.E. and V.J. days nor the Remembrance Sunday Service until 1995, fifty years after the event. Silverwood then during the War found itself with a few Bevin Boys.

Frank Furness worked as an electrician at Silverwood and lived on Whinney Hill in Thrybergh in the 1940's his wife being the well remembered midwife Nurse Furness.

Barry Pugh writes:- My Dad was Harold Pugh born in 1926 who worked there in his early years (from when he was 14 I believe) so he was probably there around 1940. He joined the Royal Navy in the 2nd world War when he was old enough and after the war he briefly returned to Silverwood (collecting the new of National Insurance as part of his role I believe) before  before finding other employment and becoming a well know insurance agent in Bramley and well know small business man in Bramley and Maltby along with my mother Dorothy Pugh. They owned a Fish & Chip shop in Maltby and at one stage also owned a Fish & Chip shop in Bramley on Blackthorn Avenue. They used to live on Pear Tree Avenue in Bramley before moving to Maltby in around 1969.
The second Pugh family member was my uncle Richard (Dick) Pugh who also lived on Pear Tree Avenue across the road from us. He was I believe a bit older than my father.  If my recollections are correct he was mentioned in dispatches during the war in Burma.
One other quick note. I see Jackie Pugh on the list - He was my cousin and lived in Thrybergh. He became extremely well known as an angler and was mentioned in the Daily Mirror newspaper on Several occasions I believe. He would have gone down the pit I guess round about 1965.
Yet a further note - one of my uncles was in the disaster of 1966 - George Smith who tragically was one of the fatalities.

In 1945 Silverwood was listed under the ownership of Dalton Main Collieries Ltd., Rotherham, York's. Roundwood Silverwood Thrybergh nr. Rotherham manager C Dickinson under manager HG Spooner.

In 1945, the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 was implemented and on the 12th July 1946, the National Coal Board (NCB) was established, and was made responsible for managing the coal industry. though the Minister of Fuel and Power was to be consulted regarding production, recruitment,  modernisation,  pricing, and also wage negotiations  .