HC Deb 30 April 1959 vol 604 cc161-2W
Mr. Pentland

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will state the number of young men between the ages of 18 and 21 years who have joined Her Majesty's forces during the past twelve months from the county of Durham, whose previous occupation was in the coal mining industry.

Mr. Sandys

In the past year, 283 men who were identified as having been employed in the coal-mining industry joined the Royal Navy and the Army at recruiting offices in the County of Durham. The Royal Air Force has no recruiting office in the county, but at the two nearest, at Middlesbrough and Newcastle, 127 men who had come from the county and were identified as having been employed in coal-mining joined the Royal Air Force.