A new vow by the Prime Minister to bring back National Service comes amid striking parallels with when it was first introduced in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The Prime Minister says. Alternatively they couldIt was a time of threats from Russia and other hostile foes abroad, economic instability at home and fears about the British military being stretched to capacity.
That stipulated that young men aged between 18 and 21 would have to serve one and a half years - increased to two in 1950 - and has been credited with helping keep Britain safe during troubled post-war recovery efforts. Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Prime Minister reveals radical plan to force 18-year-olds to serve in the military for 12 months - or give up weekends to carry out civil duties Mandatory national service was only scrapped in 1960, though it was another three years before the last recruits were finally demobilised.
Under the suggested new scheme - which has prompted both support and a backlash - only one in ten of 18-year-olds would be expected to opt for a full-time military commission for 12 months. Young men aged between 18 and 21 would have to serve one and a half years - increased to two in 1950 - from 1949 until National Service was scrapped in 1960Recruits could find themselves put into practice at Salisbury in Wiltshire, such as these members of the Royal Fusiliers in September 1954
There have also been suggestions Mr Sunak could have been influenced by his own experiences at the now-£52,000 per year Winchester College in Hampshire which, for more than a century, has required its pupils to carry out at least one year of military training alongside their studies. This was swiftly extended to those aged from 18 to 41, except for those deemed medically unfit as well as workers in key industries - later rising to 51.
Others were despatched to be part of garrisons forces in Germany and Japan, while more British military outposts were in Borneo, Cyprus, Egypt and Libya. The last man demobbed was Richard Vaughan, who later reflected of his time carrying out National Service: 'It was a bit of an adventure.' Rishi Sunak's National Service idea could be inspired by his time at school, it has been suggested - he spent his teenage years at Winchester College in HampshireRead More Is Rishi Sunak's controversial national service idea inspired by his own experiences at school? He was also chosen to take part on behalf of the British Army in a 1962 event celebrating the liberation of Hoogeveen in the Netherlands by Canadian forces 17 years earlier.
Those grateful to be just too young for a call-up, after National Service was phased out from 1960 onwards, included The Beatles. An Army recruit aged 19 is pictured here during a class at a training camp in Aldershot, Hampshire, in March 1953 - aimed at improving his reading age from that of an 11-year-oldYet others who did have to do their duty have spoken fondly of its benefits.
Two thirds of National Service conscripts did their time in the Army, with a quarter in the RAF and a small minority in the Royal Navy.
News Rachel Reeves Keir Starmer NHS Germany Russia-Ukraine Conflict Rishi Sunak Labour World War II
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Teenagers say Rishi Sunak's National Service plan is a winnerUnder plans that will be in the Conservative manifesto all 18-year-olds would have to do paid military service for a year or unpaid community work one weekend a month.
Read more »
Teenagers say Rishi Sunak's National Service plan is a winnerUnder plans that will be in the Conservative manifesto all 18-year-olds would have to do paid military service for a year or unpaid community work one weekend a month.
Read more »
Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Rishi Sunak's National Service will give our teenagers resilience and skills...As a mother of two, the thought of watching a beloved child have to go to war sends shivers down my spine. But that is not what national service is.
Read more »
Teenagers say Rishi Sunak's National Service plan is a winnerUnder plans that will be in the Conservative manifesto all 18-year-olds would have to do paid military service for a year or unpaid community work one weekend a month.
Read more »
Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Rishi Sunak's National Service will give our teenagers resilience and skills...As a mother of two, the thought of watching a beloved child have to go to war sends shivers down my spine. But that is not what national service is.
Read more »
As Rishi Sunak pledges to re-introduce National Service, how peacetime conscription for 18 to...A new vow by the Prime Minister to bring back National Service comes amid striking parallels with when it was first introduced in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Read more »