The National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 was enacted by the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

on 3 September 1939, the day the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

declared war on Germany at the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It superseded the

Military Training Act 1939 The Military Training Act 1939 was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 26 May 1939, in a period of international tension that led to World War II. The Act applied to males aged 20 and 21 years old who were to be c ...

(enacted in May of that year) and enforced full conscription on all male British subjects between 18 and 41 who were present in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, subject to certain exemptions. By a royal declaration in January 1941, the term Great Britain was extended to include the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

.''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...

'', 31 January 1941
p. 622
/ref> Despite the end of the war in September 1945, the Labour government kept the Act in force until 1948, when its impacts were continued in a modified form by the enactment of the

National Service Act 1948 The National Service Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of "National Service". After a bill with the same purpose had b ...

Exemptions

*Medically unfit as well as the blind, disabled, and those with mental disorders *British subjects from outside Britain and the

who had lived in the country for less than two years *Students *Persons employed by the government of any country of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

except the United Kingdom *

Clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

of any denomination *Married women *Women who had one or more children 14 years old or younger living with them. This included their own children, legitimate or illegitimate, stepchildren, and adopted children, as long as the child was adopted before 18 December 1941. Pregnant women were liable to be called up but in practice were not. *

Conscientious objectors A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objecti ...

*People working in

reserved occupation A reserved occupation (also known as essential services) is an occupation considered important enough to a country that those serving in such occupations are exempt or forbidden from military service. In a total war, such as the Second World War, w ...

s like baking, farming, medicine, and engineering. *As the Act applied only to those who were physically present in Great Britain and the Isle of Man, in effect all those living overseas were also exempt.

References

External links

* (Parliamentary documents on National Service) Conscription in the United Kingdom Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1939 1939 in military history United Kingdom military law Conscription law World War II legislation September 1939 events {{UK-mil-stub

Exemptions

See also

References

External links