National Service: From Aldershot to Aden: tales from the conscripts, 1946-62

Permission to speak, Sah!

In the aftermath of the Second World War, over two million men were conscripted to serve in Britain's armed services. Some were sent abroad and watched their friends die in combat. Others remained in barracks and painted coal white. But despite delivering such varied experiences, National Service helped to shape the outlook of an entire generation of young British males.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the end of National Service, historian Dr Colin Shindler has inte...