National Service
National Service was the name given to the system of military conscription employed in the UK between 1949 and 1960. The same term is still used to describe the compulsory military service that is still implemented in some countries, including Singapore and Malaysia.
From January 1 1949, every man over the age of eighteen was expected to serve in the armed forces for eighteen months, and remain on the reserve list for four years thereafter. The period of basic duty was extended to two years in 1950 as a response to the Korean war. Although it officially ended in 1960, the last National Serviceman was not discharged until 1963.
It was the first and only time that peace-time conscription occurred in the UK. The British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy were voluntary professional organisations before National Service began and have returned to that status since the end of National Service, despite repeated calls from social conservatives for a return to enforced conscription. The only times when conscription had previously been introduced by the Government were during the later First World War and during the Second World War.
National Service had a profound effect on British society and culture. Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, along with many young men, first heard and then played Rock and Roll whilst stationed in West Germany; authors like Leslie Thomas and David Lodge wrote books based on their experiences; Tony Hancock, and his writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, developed their talents whilst serving in the armed forces. Most importantly, though, National Service gave something for young men to rebel against, and the end of National Service was when the idea of the teenager in Britain really began.
In Singapore, all male citizens will be recruited for a period of about 2.5 years to serve a complusory military service, called national service. The reason for this is that with Singapore being a very small country with a population of just about 4 million (as of 2004), an army comprising solely volunteers simply will not be large enough to adequately defend the country.
Films about National Service:
- Carry on Sergeant (1958)
- The Virgin Soldiers (1969) (based on the novel by Leslie Thomas)
See also
