Download or read book Called Up, Sent Down written by Tom Hickman and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-08-04 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the outbreak of the Second World War the government short-sightedly allowed thousands of miners to enlist in the armed services. By 1943 the war effort was in danger of grinding to a halt because of a lack of coal. In answer Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour, sought service volunteers – and compulsorily sent 20,000 18-year-olds, who'd expected to fight for their country, down the mines with them. Some were so angry that they preferred to go to prison. The majority went to do their best. But some were psychologically, and others physically, unsuited to such dangerous work. Many were injured; some died. Called Up, Send Down is an enthralling oral and social history of an episode of war that has never been fully told.