Mandatory military service was introduced for some women in World War 2.
Women were called up in World War 2 (Image: Getty)
While men have traditionally been conscripted in wartime, women have fought for King and country too. On the eve of World War 2, the government of then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain planned mandatory military service for single men aged 20 to 22.
Young men who fell into this age range would complete six months’ worth of military training under the Military Training Act 1939. About 240,000 put their names forward to take part, according to the UK Parliament.
When Britain declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3, 1939, the National Service (Armed Forces) Act meant all men aged 18 to 41 had to register, boosting the number of men in active service.
Those deemed medically unfit, along with men in essential industries such as farming, medicine, baking and engineering, were exempt.
When the second National Service Act was passed by parliamentarians in December 1941, all single women and widows without children aged 20 to 30 were liable for call-up.
That move came after a secret report by the economist Sir William Beveridge showed that mandatory military service for women as well as men couldn’t be avoided.
By the middle of 1943, almost 90% of single women and 80% of married women were carrying out essential work towards the war effort, according to the BBC.
Before the war, most women went into the Women’s Land Army or civil defence, including in Air Raid Precautions and Women’s Voluntary Services.
Roles deemed traditional for women at the time meant many worked in the home, but during the war, many did jobs reserved mainly for men in peacetime, with so many away fighting.
After the war, mandatory enlistment ended, with Britain’s armed forces now made up of professional volunteers only. A system of National Service continued until May 1963, when the last serviceman was discharged.
Eligible men would serve up to two years in the UK and overseas. Since then, successive governments have ruled out the reintroduction of national service.
Nowadays, of course, women can qualify for all roles in the armed forces, including in combat and in the Royal Marines, after all limits were lifted in 2018.
Escalating global tensions over the past few years have raised speculation as to how the UK might respond to the outbreak of another world war.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said in 2024 that there would be no return to national service after the then Chief of the General Staff, Sir Patrick Sanders, suggested we need “to prepare for the possibility of war… [as] a whole of nation undertaking”.
It is understood that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has adopted a similar position by not signalling support for its return.
While some have clamoured for the return of conscription, other experts have argued that while Britain needs armed forces to match current threats, it would be more effective to boost the UK’s Reserves.
Defence analysts at the influential RUSI think tank say this would be a cost-effective way to strengthen the armed forces’ actual capability and help strengthen links to society.
