Philip Robinson, of Marchwiel, received his commemorative badge for his work after being conscripted as a miner during the Second World War.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has led the praise for the "forgotten conscripts" – and 81-year-old Mr Robinson says the move has not come before time.

"We have finally been recognised by the Government – I have just received my medal today, and it is something I have waited 60 years for," he said.

Anyone who was conscripted directly into the mines, who joined the mines instead of the armed forces or who originally served in the armed forces and later volunteered to become a miner during the Second World War, is now eligible to apply for the lapel badge.

About 48,000 men, aged 18 to 25, were recruited between 1943 and 1948 as part of wartime Minister of Labour Ernest Bevin's scheme, introduced in response to an increasing shortage of labour in the coal mining industry.

Many regular miners had been called up into the forces, leaving a shortfall of able men to work in the collieries.

But those who were subsequently drafted into the mines have often been referred to as the "forgotten conscripts", until former prime minister Tony Blair confirmed to the Commons last June that applications were being invited for the special badge.

In 1943, at the age of 18, Mr Robinson moved from his former home in Wallasey to Durham to serve as a miner at the city's colliery.

"I was at grammar school at the time," he said. "I thought I was going in the RAF but we were balloted and I was sent down the mine.

"It was shift work, depending on which mine you were at. I remember working from 6am until 2pm, and 2pm until 10pm."

Two years later, in 1945, Mr Robinson was moved to Lancashire, and, after being demobbed, was persuaded to attend college and qualify as a mining surveyor.

In 1971 he was appointed colliery surveyor at Bersham where he remained until his retirement in 1984.

Speaking about the honours, prime minister Gordon Brown said: "The service that the Bevin Boys gave to this country was incredibly important and not only helped us to win the war but also to rebuild our country after the war.

"The Bevin Boys' contribution, like that of the Spitfire Women, the Women's Timber Corps and the Women's Land Army, did not receive the recognition it deserved at the time as honours were concentrated on those who saw front line service."