did england have a draft in world war 2
At the outbreak of war, on 3 September 1939, the Military Training Act was overtaken by the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, and the first intake was absorbed into the army. This act imposed a liability to conscription of all men 18 to 41 years old. Men could be rejected for medical reasons, and those engaged in vital industries or occupations were ``reserved'' at a particular age beyond which no one in that job would be enlisted. For example, lighthouse keepers were ``reserved'' at 18 years old. From 1943, some conscripts were directed into the British coal mining industry and become known as the ``Bevin Boys''. Provision was also made for conscientious objectors, who were required to justify their position to a tribunal, with power to allocate the applicant to one of three categories: unconditional exemption; exemption conditional upon performing specified civilian work (frequently farming, forestry or menial hospital work); exemption from only combatant service, meaning that the objector had to serve in the specially created Non-Combatant Corps or in some other non-combatant unit such as the Royal Army Medical Corps.
Conscription in the United Kingdom