Posted to Durham mines 1917

[Darnity]

My grandfather Arthur William Sutton (1888-1962) married his fiance in November 1914 and went off to serve in France. He had been in the Territorials I think before the war.

Another family member has seen his service records and we already knew from what AWS had said about the Great War that when he was back home on leave in 1917 he was told that he was now being posted to the mines in Durham rather than back to the front.

As so many miners had joined up there was a shortage in the mines but we assume that AWS was sent there because of his occupation - he was an electrician, working in the railway works both before and after the war - there presumably not being many electricians available in 1917 to work in the mines.

He does appear to have had home leave during the period from 1917 until he is demobbed as his second child is born in June 1919.

He always said that he found working in the mines far worse than being in the trenches.

Please can anyone point me at any information about why men who were fit to fight being posted to the mines rather than to the front? Or any other info that might be useful.

Thanks and apologies if I've asked this before - I don't think I have!

[Jebber]

Simply because there was a greater need for them in the mines. Without fit men to work in the mines the UK would have been in greater trouble than it already was because of the war.

[hanes teulu]

Check out "reserved occupations" eg.
https://www.yourfamilyhistorian.co.uk/post/ww1-the-call-up-and-reserved-occupations

[Darnity]

Thanks,

I don't think electrician was a reserved occupation so Jebber's comment appears to be the reason.

As someone with no background of mining it must have been an alien world to him.

Is anyone aware of anything that has been written about the experience of these non-miners who were sent to work in the Durham coalmines?

[hanes teulu]

The Act identified the following as "reserved" at the start of 1916 (see newspaper snippet dated 22 Nov 1915). These were modified as the war progressed - for example in Feb 1917 the following were ruled out as reserved
"COAL MINING, men who have entered coal mining since 15 Aug 1915" ie. lacking experience.
Your grandfather had the skills to qualify for a reserved occupation, albeit in a wholly different field.
I think electricians in shipyards, directly employed on building ships rather than the yard in general, also enjoyed reserve status.

[MollyC]

A friend's grandfather who was a young plumber was posted from Yorkshire to a Tyneside shipyard because he had welding skills.

[Darnity]

Thank all you for the extra information.

[antiquesam]

It seems to have been relatively common for a trained person to be posted to do work in the UK. My maternal grandfather was a private but spent the entire war in the armament factory in Newcastle as he was a trained engineer.