The author, having intending to join the RAF, was suddenly, without warning, redirected to the coalpits of Lancashire under an emergency arrangement to keep Britain's power stations working during the war. Ernest Bevin, then Minister of Labour, gave his name to the scheme which eventually took some 40,000 young national servicemen to work underground. Equally, if not more hazardous than life in the armed services, the Bevin Boys helped to meet the country's desperate need for coal during the years 1943 to 1948."As I Recall" is a tribute to the Bevin Boys and to their mentors, the miners whose courage and unique sense of humour are legendary.This book also honours the memory of those Bevin Boys who tragically lost their lives from 1943 to 1948 and the thousands of miners world-wide who during the course of their labours, have made the ultimate sacrifice.