Bevin Boys
Preserved but no longer current.
Under the Emergency Powers Defence Bill, of 1940, certain lads were directed to work in coal mines. Ernest Bevin (1881-1951) was Minister of Labour and National Service, and his name was popularly attached to the boys thus directed.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Bevin Boys” mean?
Under the Emergency Powers Defence Bill, of 1940, certain lads were directed to work in coal mines. Ernest Bevin (1881-1951) was Minister of Labour and National Service, and his name was popularly attached to the boys thus directed.
Is “Bevin Boys” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.