Conscription in the UK

A Topic Post

John, Paul, George, and Norman?

Norman Chapman, by all accounts, was a very good drummer. One of the best they had, according to Allan Williams. Unlike some of the others who had played with our boys, he was close to their ages (only a couple of years older than John and Stu) and they got along very well. Could The Beatles’ story have been quite different? In theory, might we have never had reason to talk about Pete nor Ringo? Well, of course, it’s all supposition. But the reason that it isn’t an issue at all is that in July of 1960 Chapman was called up to do his National Service in the Army. So why do we not seem to hear about The Beatles being worried about conscription? I would guess, that since it ultimately didn’t happen, that it’s not really part of the story. But the fact is that it was definitely on their minds, at least for some of them, for at least a while. Let’s start from the beginning.

National Service

For obvious reasons, in September of 1939 all British men between the ages of 18 and 41 were required to register for military duty. As World War II progressed, in 1942 the requirements were adjusted to include all men up to the age of 50 and all unmarried, childless women between 18 and 30. With the war going on, it was unnecessary to draft individuals into the Army, Royal Air Force, or Navy. Most everyone was willing to do their part. But when it was finally over, there were decisions to make.

In 1946, the decision was made to continue mandatory National Service beginning at the age of 18 simply to keep the number of active military personnel at what the government considered necessary. The term of service would vary over the years, but it was generally two years, with six years of duty in the Reserves afterwards. Of course, deferrals were possible. Anyone who was in school or had an apprenticeship would be able to complete those responsibilities before becoming eligible to be called up. In 1948, a decision was made that as conscription became less necessary, fewer people would be called, and as of that point, no one born after 1935 would be on the list. So while The Beatles were still young children (George was just turning 5), it seemed that they would not have to think about having to do military service (unless they wanted to, of course). So why doesn’t it end there?

In 1953, mostly due to the effects of The Korean War, the date was changed. Instead of the cut-off staying in 1935, it would be that no one would be called up who was born after 1940. Well, hooray, that let out Paul, George, and Pete, who would never have to think about it again. But not Stu, John, nor Ringo, all of whom were born in 1940. So let’s look at their individual situations at that time:

John and Ringo’s Thoughts

John and Ringo had definitely put some thought into their situation while they were teenagers. Neither had any interest in going into the military. John had thought of escaping to Ireland. Ringo, at the age of 13, had considered becoming a tramp, either in Mexico or just on the British railways. Both of them (independently) eventually arrived at the same potential plan: to join the Merchant Navy. Eight years on merchant ships and you could avoid National Service completely. Ringo had gone so far as, at the age of 15, to get a job as a barman on the TS St. Tudno’s, which transported passengers daily between Liverpool and Wales. Having seafaring experience was considered helpful in obtaining a Merchant Navy position. That didn’t last, but he was certainly mindful, when he took up his apprenticeship at H. Hunt and Sons, that it would defer his eligibility until he was 21. And there was already talk of the end of National Service being on the horizon.

The Writing on the Wall

The fact is, it was pretty clear to most people by 1958, and not really denied by the government, that while conscription would be ending (as announced in 1957), that it would still be happening for a short time longer, just without a great deal of urgency. People had registered and waited several months to even get brought in for a physical. Overall, the number of call-ups was decreasing as well because fewer soldiers were needed. The April 1957 announcement stated that it was unlikely that men born after October 1939 would be called up. This definitely made our boys feel a bit more comfortable, but there was that “unlikely” phrasing. In addition, because of the lack of urgency, so many men were waiting for their letters that it was said that men coming off of deferments might be called up through 1960. So on one hand, the number of men being called up was going down, but on the other hand, there was not an absolute, official cut-off date being given and the suggested date kept creeping more and more into the future.

Early 1960 brought with it a final announcement. And it was good news for anyone who might have wanted to play in bands in, let’s say, Hamburg or maybe at Butlin’s, but were right on the cusp of being called up. No one whose deferment went past June of 1960 would be eligible for conscription. And so it was over. All three of our boys could defer until at least 1961 if necessary, so they were officially off the hook. Of course, it also happened that in the end, no one did end up being called up who was born after October of 1939. Which is likely why it has never really made it into The Beatles’ story all that much. But Stu, John, and Ringo did luck out by less than a year. More supposition, but if the date had moved back, the three may have been in a position to have to keep their deferments instead of going to Butlin’s or Hamburg, and that surely would have changed the story. Not to leave this unstated, it is very likely that Ringo would have gotten out anyway due to his health issues.

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Next week the subject will be about some photographs that show up often on social media. Looking forward to that!

-            Adamson

Photo: UK Army in France, December 1939, Public Domain

https://picryl.com/media/the-british-army-in-france-1939-40-o2262-6166e9