South Yorkshire Times, April 15th, 1944
Billeting the Bevan Boys
Result of Conisbrough Protest
A letter from Mr. W. E. Jones, Regional Labour Director, in reply to Conisbrough Urban Council’s allegations of muddling in the billeting of Bevan boys, read at a meeting of the Council on Wednesday, agreed that there had been mistakes in the billeting. Councillor C. Oldfield presided.
Mr. Jones wrote that during the first and second weeks of the scheme’s operation, there were a number of unsatisfactory allocations.
“The member of our staff doing the work made the mistake in concluding that men with billets at Doncaster, Harlington, Armthorpe and Woodlands were reasonably near the Denaby and Cadeby collieries to enable them to work and reside in billets of their own choosing or in their own homes,” continued the letter.
Men allocated to collieries in the Conisbrough area who resided in the Sheffield district could not be housed in Sheffield area pits as the vacancies available at those collieries were substantially less than the numbers of men who desired to be placed from the Sheffield area. This also applied to men whose homes or billets were in the Chapeltown district. It was not a fact that fourteen men drafted to the Denaby and Cadeby Collieries could have been placed at collieries nearer their homes. In seven instances, however, mistakes were made and steps were being taken to effect adjustments as far as possible.
Another letter from Mr. Jones commented that accommodation was available for only 57 men in the Conisbrough area, and stated that the Regional Controller hoped this number would be increased by a further appeal to householders, such accommodation being required for a period to the middle of May, by which time it was anticipated that hostel provision would be available for the majority of men at Conisbrough.
Coun. A. M. Carlin was pleased that some mistakes had been admitted, and said in the last two weeks the position had been better.