Bevin Boys - Jeffrey Hines
Jeffrey Hines
Hightown
Served: 1944 - 1974; Roundwood (Wakefield) and Gomersal
Jeffrey Hines lives with his wife in Hightown. He is not in the best of health, suffering colliery induced emphysema.
Jeffrey was a hairdresser until he received his ballot paper which broke the news to him that he was to be a Bevin as from 27 June 1945. He still has the document. It is very cheap paper and has been filled out in bright blue ink. He did not realise at the time that this seemingly insignificant pro forma would effectively change the course of his life.
On the said date he arrived at the Prince of Wales Colliery, Pontefract for six weeks of training. Half of his time was spent on the top, in the classroom, and the other half underground learning how to get coal. His early work was as a 'rope runner', which meant tying tubs to a seemingly endless rope. He was two years into his service as a Bevin Boy when he was offered his demob. He quickly decided that he really enjoyed a miner's life, and he signed up to be a regular collier. He was still at his first pit, Roundwood Colliery, Wakefield, where he stayed for eight years.
Throughout his career he was directly involved in mining coal. His favourite job was working as a ripper - ripping the coal from the face. At the coal face, he often worked with a machine known as the Iron Man. About 1953 he moved to Manor Haigh Colliery in Wakefield. Then after more than two years at Shawcross he made his final move to Gomersal pit or Nutter Lane Colliery. He continued getting coal there for 15 years. He worked there during the nationalisation process. The benefits to the individual miner were slow to appear but gradually the pay and conditions did improve.
It was not to be the happy ending that Jeffrey had certainly earned. In 1974 he was made redundant. After 30 years, as a hardworking and loyal man, he received a mere £2,000. Two years later miners were to receive ten times that amount as a payoff. However, Jeffrey takes the long view and reflects on his life as a miner with pride. He knows that he unfailingly worked to the best of his ability and supported his fellow miners whenever he could.
