I have often referred to one of the main difference between the recruits in the British armed forces as being the volunteers from Ireland (and the occupied countries) and conscripts from Great Britain. But within the British armed forces there were many people from Great Britain who volunteered for specialist units, such as Bomber Command, SAS, Airborne and Commandos. Can anyone name other volunteer units in the British armed forces during WWII? Also, with reference to Great Britain, Is there any way of telling who was conscripted and who volunteered.
That's a good question, because men could actually volunteer even while the war was on. At least one of the vets I know did this, and because he did volunteer was given the choice of what unit he went into - in that case he forsook his native Devonshire for his father's regiment, the Northants. He volunteered in 1943 (under age actually, but he fooled the recruiters). All pre-war Regulars and TA will also be volunteers of course.
My friend's Dad volunteered for the RASC so he wouldn't have to go in the infantry. He got the nickname "Joe Stalin" as he was a bolshie bugger! Was with First Army in Tunisia & then with a Bulk Petrol unit suppling the Americans at Foggia(?). He died a couple of years ago.
It was well known that what ever you asked to go in, was the last place you would get too. I wanted the Royal Engineers, and got it. it would seem that I got in being a craftsman, and because they were very short of Sappers,They had lost so many. Sapper
Also there was no conscription in Northern Ireland. I volunteered before my imminent call-up, no heroics, simply because I wanted to get into a tank regiment - certainly to avoid the possibility of having to serve in the infantry. Two of my close friends in the NIH did the same. Cheers, Gerry
Volunteers and Conscripts also applies to other nations. The Volunteer versus Conscript was a major political hot potato in Canada. Initially Prime Minister MacKenzie King promised there would be no conscription. Later in the war, there was conscription with the promise of no overseas service. Towards the end of the war some of the conscripts did go overseas - some of them voluntarily, but it was controversial as the amount was a case of almost being too little too late. The Canadian Army was terribly under strength from the minute they began fighting because they had no replacements, so the wounded were recycled back into the line quickly, and artillery units became infantry - as did cooks and all manner of support troops - most with minimal training. The conscripts who did come overseas were not properly prepared (was anyone?) for what they would be facing. My Dad was a volunteer - mobilized in the Militia in Aug 1939, but then a volunteer to regular forces by Oct 1939.
