Would British people be forced to sign up if we went to war?

[rileyhaspiley]

If there was some serious war threat and we had to act fast, but we didn't have the military, would our currently government have the ability to make men of 18+ sign up?

Interesting question to me. I was shocked when I learned military service is actually compulsory in South Korea

I find it really odd that people are asking this. How do they think war works?!?

If there was some serious war threat and we had to act fast, but we didn't have the military, would our currently government have the ability to make men of 18+ sign up?

WW2 conscription for active service was men 18-40, with a lot of exemptions (reserved occupations, health conditions, etc). In the Ukraine they're recruiting for frontline service and home defence and the age range is wider for both conscription (male only) and volunteers (any sex).

If the situation were to occur in the UK now, there are questions to be considered rather than treating it as a generalisation.

If it's a WW3 scenario with fighting along the Eastern border of NATO there's not a lot that unskilled conscripts from the UK could contribute. Regular forces are deployed, the Territorials and Reservists are called up to both support them and relieve them of peacetime duties. Conscription takes time to provide even basic training. If fighting ever reached UK shores, things would be pretty bleak already and it really would be all hands to the barricades.

Territorials and Reservists are far more likely to get called up than a general conscription. UK Forces are so depleted by budget cuts that the TA is becoming an essential part of any deployment.

I was shocked when I learned military service is actually compulsory in South Korea

Really? There are loads of places in the world where this is the case - off the top of my head, I can think of Israel, Greece and Norway (presumably there are others).

My grandad never went to war either. He had a reserved occupation as a joiner/carpenter so he never went. He was a volunteer fireman during the blitz though as he felt guilty for not going.

I hope conscription wont happen My son in the army, not good, he’d be a nightmare

Well it was hard to get some people to wear masks during covid so not sure how successful it would be

Plus some would be more of a liability than an asset (maybe deliberately so)

Yes, of course they can.

Women were called up in WW2 as well

In December 1941 Parliament passed a second National Service Act. It widened the scope of conscription still further by making all unmarried women and all childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 liable to call-up.

Yes of course. My dad was called up in WW2. I think he was 19 or 20 at the time.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

Women were called up in WW2 as well

In December 1941 Parliament passed a second National Service Act. It widened the scope of conscription still further by making all unmarried women and all childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 liable to call-up.

A lot of women worked in factories making munitions etc. Or did things like fly planes from the factory to nearer the battlefield.

During the first world war, there was an explosion in a factory in my city where a lot of young women manufacturing munitions were killed

www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Barnbow-Lasses/

The Queen joined up as soon as she was old enough as an 18 YO Princess and worked as a mechanic.

www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/queen-elizabeth-ii-during-world-war-ii

@BarbaraofSeville

Both of my patents were conscripted in WW2. My mother worked in the RAF's internal post office service. My father spent most of the war as a Japanese POW.

In short: yes. It’s been done before and could easily be done again. And to be honest, I’d like to think that if we found ourselves in a similar situation to people in Ukraine right now, where our homes, our way of life and our lives were genuinely at risk, most people would want to do their part to defend those things.
Loads of countries still have compulsory military service/national service. A lad I went to school with was born in Greece and still held Greek citizenship, so when he turned 18, he had to return to Greece for National Service - that was only about 15 years ago.
When I was in the army, I spent some time alongside some Israeli soldiers who were on an exchange program. They still have National Service for both men and women.

The USA has compulsory draft registration for men age 18-28. At school leaving all the young men are given registration cards and must get a draft number from the government.
In the event of a war, likely would be called up by birth date like during the Vietnam War.

Do the Italians still have National Service? Few things are as easy on the eye as a good-looking Italian in a white navy uniform. Oh, dear, am I objectifying?

[quote Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]@BarbaraofSeville

Both of my patents were conscripted in WW2. My mother worked in the RAF's internal post office service. My father spent most of the war as a Japanese POW.[/quote]
I wonder how much he weighed at the end of the war.

@upinaballoon

Do the Italians still have National Service? Few things are as easy on the eye as a good-looking Italian in a white navy uniform. Oh, dear, am I objectifying?

Sorry they don’t!

@upinaballoon

Do the Italians still have National Service? Few things are as easy on the eye as a good-looking Italian in a white navy uniform. Oh, dear, am I objectifying?

Yes,you are... thank you for that 🤣

It's just as well I'm an overweight, over 50, female - I'd be a complete liability!! I'll volunteer to mind some children while their parents do 'useful shit'

Yes of course they will and this is 2022! It wont just be men it will be women too! Why would you think it would just be men? There are plenty of women in the military

@rileyhaspiley

If there was some serious war threat and we had to act fast, but we didn't have the military, would our currently government have the ability to make men of 18+ sign up?

Interesting question to me. I was shocked when I learned military service is actually compulsory in South Korea

Britain used conscription in ww1, ww2, we still had compulsory National Service ( military) until 1963. After ww2 , National Service men served in the Korean war and Suez.

I'm just curious why you think new conscription would only apply to men? Women were called up to war service in WW2.

"From 1941, women were called up for war work, in roles such as as mechanics, engineers, munitions workers, air raid wardens, bus and fire engine drivers.

At first, only single women, aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943, almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were working in factories, on the land or in the armed forces.

There were over 640,000 women in the armed forces, including The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), plus many more who flew unarmed aircraft, drove ambulances, served as nurses and worked behind enemy lines in the European resistance in the Special Operations Executive."

I wonder how much he weighed at the end of the war

About 6 stone.

Well yes, women were called up to serve in WW2 but not quite in the same way.

For example, they would be the Brains and power behind heavy machinery but not allowed to actually press the button/fire!

@ThoseTallTrees

I find it really odd that people are asking this. How do they think war works?!?

Perhaps they have heard that some young men volunteered in WW1, and haven't realised that it was necessary for others to be called up so that the army had "enough boys to send over the top".

Conscription would be terrifying. I would volunteer myself before my son.

The French also still have national service don’t they? You don’t necessarily end up in the army - you can also volunteer to be part of the fire service, paramedics and other public services - was actually quite a good system…a friend of mine had to go back to do his and did fire service - it changed his life (for the better!)

What would happen if a conscript had no ability; some people would not be cut out for it, physically and psychologically. Presumably jobs doing other things would be found for them?

This is something I have thought about a lot!
Something that made me think, would they make previous shielders fight? You know all the ones we had to protect? Would we be sending them out now to protect the Country.
Stupid question really but late at night my head walks down some very strange avenues.