National Service: 60 years on

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of National Service in the UK. Berwick Coates reads from his memoir Earning the Pips, talking about the Army call-up back in the 1950s.
Check out his reflections on army officer training and selection in the 1950s, National Service style.
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[@ronholfly]

Thanks for the memories sir, I was in the RAF from 1954 and done my square bashing at RAF Bridgenorth as an "orrible little man" but soon learned a way round that by following orders, learnt a trade and signed on for a further three years. It would do a lot of todays young men good to go through it.

[@northislandguy]

My dad (83 this year if he was still alive) Did his National Service in NZ in the 60s he enjoyed it

[@4586johnc]

I have followed your National Service experiences on You Tube. We must now be of a similar age. I was deferred until the age of 21, having completed a 5 year engineering apprenticeship; when I was called up to serve in the RAF in 1958. Looking back on it, it was a bit of an adventure. I spent my first year learning Morse code ( not just in English) and my second year, listening to Morse code in various foreign parts. Enough said. Apart from the discipline aspect at the beginning, the rest of my service was an eye-opener into Society, Travel, and the ways of the world outside of a small town in Dorset, which was my home. In these respects, I think some sort of National Service, ( compulsory but not necessarily military in nature) would be of benefit to many of todays youngsters who don’t understand the laws of the country they call home.

[@BerwickCoatesHistorian]

Thank you John for your response and for following my talks. It’s been a real eye-opener for me just how many of us are still out there. And so many of us shared a positive experience that is denied to young people today. I wouldn’t advocate bringing it back, but I was glad I did it. Berwick

[@christopherbagley300]

Did my NS in The Andrew. Vastly superior to the Red Necks. Made a man of me, a great start for adult life.

[@mjspice100]

@BerwickCoatesHistorian I read this book, an entertaining read and probably a more realistic account of what national service was like for the vast majority. I wonder if there are plans for a second book detailing the experience of officer training for national servicemen? I guess you went to Sandhurst? I remember reading somewhere that those electing to take a commission were required to serve 5 years as opposed to 2 because of the investment in training, is this correct?

[@br5380]

My Dad did his in the RAF on a windswept airfield in Lincolnshire, described it as an utter waste of time, both for him & the Govt.

[@mjspice100]

Very telling, I have seen a handful of accounts from former national servicemen most of them recall their time fondly only a small number speak negatively. I have often said that there is a very small but highly influential intellectual elite that have the ear of government and the press and your early comment about those getting into print and influencing public opinion lends some weight to that. My father in law from my first marriage served in the regular army during this period of time, he told me that the Army was a far more interesting organisation during national service as they had a broader cross section of society mixed in together. I was born in 1962, too late for National Service, I feel sure I would’ve enjoyed the experience.

[@roydavidlivermore4664]

People always said it was easier than the army,which was why many people tried to get into the RAF.

[@terrymargolis7364]

Still teaching me, sir

[@Clearlight201]

I've got an idea about a new National Service: anyone - and I mean anyone - who wants to be a politician should first have to complete a mandatory 3 to 5 years in the NHS, in all the most difficult situations, with no special privileges. It may help a little to reduce the self serving sense of entitlement and arrogance of some of our government members and end the complete disconnection between them and the average citizen.

[@mjspice100]

I think that anyone aspiring to be a politician should have some kind of service background, either military (not necessarily officer), emergency services or health service/carer..

[@johnmichaelcule8423]

Why single out the Army? Well, mostly because they hadn't chosen to be there. I quite agree about the tedium of the Civil Service but I had at least chosen it from a list of other evils.