Deryck Sands
Scholes
Served: 1945 - 1947; Roundwood (Wakefield)
Deryck Sands and his wife live in Scholes. He was born in Liversedge and attended Heckmondwike Grammar School. After his studies he set out on a career in local government management.
In September 1942 his call up papers arrived. What followed was very strange, to say the least. To begin with he was told he was to enter the Royal Navy. For the first six weeks of his training he reported to a concrete battleship in Skegness. In real life it was Billy Butlin’s Holiday Camp. The next stop was HMS Ganges near Harwich, where he expected to become a commissioned officer. He was then advised to apply for an engineering cadetship. He was interviewed in London by senior officers including an admiral. The result was an Engineering Cadetship tenable at Sunderland College. He was discharged from the Navy so that he could take up his place to study. The expectation was that after a successful Cadetship he would return to the Royal Navy to become an officer. He studied from March 1943 until January 1945. His group of 20 went off to London to be interviewed for one branch or another of the British Armed Forces. Deryck was one of four to apply for the Navy. Three of them, including Deryck, were not selected. Somewhat bemused he spent several weeks at home, before another set of call up papers arrived from the Ministry of Labour. He was disillusioned with his treatment by the armed forces and opted to become a Bevin Boy.
So, in March 1945 he reported to the Prince of Wales Colliery, Pontefract for his six weeks training. The fact that he had just finished a two year course in engineering did not seem to register with the colliery owners. He was assigned to Roundwood Colliery, Wakefield. Over his two years plus in the mines he had a series of undemanding jobs, some of which he felt were a waste of time. First he worked on the surface picking coal from the conveyor belt and emptied huge tubs of stone waste on to the muck stacks using only a shovel. His next job was at the pit bottom where he marshalled the tubs full and empty. He than had several weeks off with a badly damaged index finger. On his return he was given a pony, Nut, and made responsible for transporting the wooden pit props to the coalface. His final job was keeping the bug end of the conveyor free of coal and waste, thus avoiding breakdowns. Not a demanding job for a man with Deryck’s energy.
On 19 December 1947 he was demobbed. He was very happy to return to civvy street. Deryck was pleased to have done his duty but does not look back on his time as a Bevin Boy with any affection or sentimentality.
He returned to his work as a treasurer in local government. He served the councils of Spenborough, Aireborough and Halifax. He finished his career as treasurer and chief financial officer of Mirfield Council. He retired in 1974 but continued working, running a private company. One of his great pleasures now is to join his wife tending their lovely garden.
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