Duds Army: Why National Service won’t fix the young’uns

It’s 60 years this month since National Service was abolished – but the idea remains popular. Could it ever work again, or is it just a pipe dream sustained by right-wing cranks? Jude Rogers is joined by Professor of History Richard Viven, author of National Service: Conscription in Britain 1945-1963, to explore the boredom, terror, and nostalgia of life under compulsory conscription.

• “Military service was a bit like the workhouse for the poor, it was the last option.”
• “There was always more tedium over terror.”
• “National Service is not meant to be a social service.”

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Written and presented by Jude Rogers. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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