Bring Back National Service

Just wondering how many think it would be a good idea to bring back National Service and how you found National Service. Myself i joined volunterily and have only recently got out after 22 years service.
Looking at the state of our forces and the SDRs personally i think it could be a good thing to bring back. I am sort of at a split decision though due to things like conscencious objecteors and other things that could undermine or cause problems.

On the other hand with the unemployment state in the UK it could be a good thing.

What does everyone else think ?

IMHO i don`t think it`s possible in the current climate.

It would never work in this day and age. Could you imagine, in our "Multicultural" society, the problems it would present? The authorities would have to open up a couple of Shepton Mallets to accommodate them all!

I'd love to see it, but I'm with Gordon and shelldrake on this

A major factor against bringing back NS is the amount and length of training required on modern equipments by all disciplines. Given a 2 year time frame, by the time a serviceman/woman completes all their training you would only have about 1 years useful employment left. This, together with the large number of regulars required to train them and an increase in size/number of training establishments, makes it a none starter.

Lets be brutally honest and just say that most of the scrotes would just refuse to play. Cost millions to put them in jail. No one blindly goes into anything they don't want to these days and why should the decent lads (and lasses) put up with them.

Wish we could put the baddies into old style glass houses though. Might think twice about committing crime after a stint of that!

The Kray Twins were a classic example of what could be done if you decided that they Army wasn't for you and in my opinion they were amateurs compared to some of today's "yoof".

I entirely agree with all that's been said on this subject so far.

The thing is National Service was brought in because there was a war on, then NS men were needed while our empire was dismantled.

Even if it were possible to restart conscription, what the hell would you do with them all ?

As we said at Bovington "Good question, well presented, deserves an answer", unfortunately I haven't got one!

i have talked to old veterens volanteers and conscripts some where pleased to get away from spirit breaking monotance work factory and farm workers in an age when only the rich travel to far places even though i was a peace time conscipt ihad 2 near misses and i realised for 28 shillings they could have had my life and nobody could give a fu...k except my family

It is hard enough trying to train lads and lasses who have volunteered to join up! Not a good idea IMHO.

there is no way todays generation could hack national service , just plain impossible , can you imagine some of them getting out of bed at 6 am , washing and shaving in cold water , cleaning their bedspace and bulling their kit before standing i the cookhouse queue to partake of the orrible slops you were required to eat, the food was enough to make todays young men take up arms and rebel , can you imagine them wearing the woolley shirts and itchy battledress , a haircut evey other day , all those blunt needles stuck into your arms , 28 shilling a week in wages , if any govt brought back national service every funny farm in the country would be full with youmg conscripts , NO WAY ginger

Yep, I agree. National Service just wouldn't work in this day and age. The infastructure is not there to enable a good standard of training. We can hardly fend for ourselves with the strength we are at.
BUT, if times have moved on so our thinking has to fit the time we are living in. I think that some form of community service should be introduced and made compulsory, both for boys and girls.
Money could be found for this by reversing the amount of money we loan foreign countries who really don't need it. No names no pack drill but it's worth thinking about it.
Now as a newly promoted WOII," fall in, right dress, eyes front and listen out for your names" etc etc

Jimsigs1

jimsigs1 wrote:

Now as a newly promoted WOII," fall in, right dress, eyes front and listen out for your names" etc etc

Jimsigs1

See that look ?

Bloody power mad !

Wish I had Brum, perhaps I might have risen to the dizzy heights when I was in but I was a nice guy

Jimsigs1

gingerjim wrote:

there is no way todays generation could hack national service , just plain impossible , can you imagine some of them getting out of bed at 6 am , washing and shaving in cold water , cleaning their bedspace and bulling their kit before standing i the cookhouse queue to partake of the orrible slops you were required to eat, the food was enough to make todays young men take up arms and rebel , can you imagine them wearing the woolley shirts and itchy battledress , a haircut evey other day , all those blunt needles stuck into your arms , 28 shilling a week in wages , if any govt brought back national service every funny farm in the country would be full with youmg conscripts , NO WAY ginger

lol i hear what you are saying but gone are the days like you suggest above. Its more like molecoddling now. Everything has gone soft maybe too soft. Theres people coming out of training that get to units and cant pass basic fitness tests, but blow me give them anything to do on a PS3 or an Xbox and they are experts.

I believe in some stages of training there is even an NCO that will sit and listen to your problems at night if you having any.

AN NCO THAT WILL SIT AND LISTEN TO YOUR PROBLEMS AT NIGHT. YOUVE GOT TO BE KIDDING, THE BLINKING NCOS WERE YOUR PROBLEMS, GINGER

When i was in transit at 11 Sigs Jan 62.We had to draw bedding and make up beds for a new intake that was due in.As ex brats going on first posting,we were a bit pissed of at this.

[quote="gingerjim"]AN NCO THAT WILL SIT AND LISTEN TO YOUR PROBLEMS AT NIGHT. YOUVE GOT TO BE KIDDING, THE BLINKING NCOS WERE YOUR PROBLEMS, GINGER[/quote

Modern Army all changed now No Shouting and Late nights...It's Tuck them in and read bedtime story before lights out now...

Puts a new light on the old song

"Kiss me goodnight sergeant major"

If they did bring back National Service they would probably turn it into a T.V. reality program..."And the winner is......." "On to-nights show,we have..." "will he survive the gas chamber ?... or will he fail...? Yep there you go National Service on T.V

Agree NCOs could be a problem ! But not the Regs. with us, only the jumped up NS juniors. We had one who tossed the lads out of the 2 tier bunks at night and hid behind his one tape in his end-of-room bunk............

Last day, after passout parade there were squad photos. L/Bdr wanted to join the 16 of us, we said "No way!". Sgt saw trouble brewing, said maybe we should let him join the group. "........ Don't forget how well he's looked after you for 6 weeks ", he reminded. How could we forget ! Sgt then says "Look lads, whatever you decide, be careful of that ditch on the assault course. If anyone fell in that they'd be in no fit state for a photo". He made excuses and went behind a gun shed for a quick drag.

So there were just 16 on that photograph, we couldn't wait for our L/Bdr to get changed into dry kit. You couldn't do that now, not with Health & Safety, you'd have to prepare a risk assessment before chucking anybody into 3 feet of muddy water.

Well I agree with the concensus that bringing back NS would not be a good plan and that it ain't gonna happen.

One of the biggest problems as I see it is that the Forces, and in particular the Army, are already overstretched and that situation is likely to get worse. Although on the face of it NS would solve this problem you have to take into consideration the number of Regulars who would have to be pulled out of "the front line" in order to train the never ending intakes.

When NS last ended we had a far larger Army with comparatively less commitments.

"john boy" wrote:

If they did bring back National Service they would probably turn it into a T.V. reality program..."And the winner is......." "On to-nights show,we have..." "will he survive the gas chamber ?... or will he fail...? Yep there you go National Service on T.V

"John Boy", there was a programme on a few years ago called "Lads Army", they tried to recreate the spirit of NS days - bit of a joke really, didn't work on the Television, wouldn't work with todays "Yoof".

That programme and it`s follow up was the biggest load of crap to hit our screens.It`s very hard to believe that the CPLs were ex WOs.As for the provost sergeant?He wouldn`t have lasted 5 mins in any unit i was in