Hello Folks Can anyone provide some guidance on what were classed as Protected Industries during WW2. Coming from an area where Coal was King I imagine miners were in that class especially as we had a number of Bevin Boys move (and stay) in the area. But was that always the case, was that true for the duration and what other local industries might have been on the list?
I only have knowledge on this regarding my own family. My grandfather was a tin miner in Cornwall and was never called up. Obviously, tin was important for the war effort so this makes sense. Also, hard rock mining is a very skilled job and the men who do it cannot easily be replaced.
Coalmining - not reserved at first but from 1943 they were conscripted and chosen by lot. Bevin Boys - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Another reserved occupation was shipbuilding. The town where I lived then had both. Also many other engineering industries. I wonder if the fishing industry was protected too? I know some of them volunteered for minesweeping.
According to the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre - When the First Schedule of Reserved Occupation was drawn up all classes of fisherman were reserved from the age of 18 except for service in the Navy. Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre | WW2 trawling Diane
Very interesting link, Diane - certainly an important and dangerous job. I was wondering about farming too . Farmhands were conscripted , I think, but maybe the farmer himself wasn't?
Railways. I used to chat to a local old chap a few years ago. He was an engine driver on the railway delivering freight from Goole during WW2. Another local chap worked on the local farms and wasn't conscripted. Lesley
I found a copy of the Schedule of Reserved Occupations on the internet. There were amendments made throughout the war. http://anguline.co.uk/Free/Reserved.pdf
- Just shows how desperate they were for recruits.Most of the adults in my family were just too old, Dad volunteered. An uncle was a shipyard worker. A younger aunt was conscripted for the Land Army.
My grandfather, aged in his fifties, was a engineer/toolmaker, owning/running a factory in south London producing a variety of equipment for the war effort, but was also in Home Guard on AA guns once regular troops were sent abroad.
Some interesting results, thank you to each of you. The link provided by Diane shows some interesting activities and associated ages. Just what I was looking for.
My mother was not called up and had reserved occupation status. She worked for Corn Products in Bush House ( later taken over by the BBC) . She was a comptometer operator and during the war had to work out the insurance losses for ships that had been sunk carrying the imports from America. She also had to do fire watching at night. The downside to this reserved occupation status was that she was not allowed to change jobs, although she was offered them at better wages.
I had two uncles who had a roofing company that where exempt from call up and the wife's grandfather was also exempt as he was a farmer David
