National service in Australia from 1911 to 1972

'Conscription' and other terms

The terms 'conscription' and 'national service' are sometimes used interchangeably. But they don't mean the same thing.

'Conscription' is when a civilian is forced to enrol in the armed services, such as the army. This is mandatory military service. Governments often introduce conscription during national emergencies or periods of war.

'National service' is a broader form of compulsory service to a nation. National service is when a civilian is forced to join a national organisation for a set period. It can be military service or civilian duties, such as working in hospitals or community programs. In Australia, all national service schemes have been for military service.

The terms 'called up' and 'drafted' are used to refer to compulsory enrolment in the armed services. People who have been conscripted are sometimes called 'conscripts' or 'draftees'

'Nasho' is an Australian colloquial (slang) term for a national serviceman. Its first recorded usage was in 1953.

'Militia' usually means a citizen or reserve military force or organisation. A militia is a part-time service. A militia is not part of the regular military services (navy, army and air force).

Between 1964 and 1972, Australia's National Service Scheme used the birthday ballot system to select individuals for national service. The birthday ballot was a system of selecting numbered balls, each one representing a birthdate. If someone's birthday was selected in the ballot, they were said to be 'balloted in'. Likewise, if their birthday wasn't chosen, they were 'balloted out' of national service.

National service and conscription in Australia

In Australia, there have been 4 national service schemes at different times. All have been for military service.

• Universal Service Scheme 1911 to 1922
• Commonwealth Militia (Citizen Military Forces) National Service Scheme 1940 to 1946
• National Service Training Scheme 1950 to 1959
• National Service Scheme 1964 to 1972.

In the 1964 to 1972 scheme, national servicemen were liable for overseas service in wars and war-like operations. Most of the 63,000 national servicemen served in Australia. More than 19,000 served overseas.

The aims and structure of each national service scheme in Australia depended on many factors at the time, including:

• government defence policy
• international agreements and alliances
• military and defence needs
• size and composition of the Australian population.

To introduce or end national service, the Australian Government has made appropriate laws (legislation). Each of Australia's national service schemes was governed by legislation. The key piece of legislation is the Defence Act 1903(Cth).

Universal Service Scheme from 1911 to 1929

The Universal Service Scheme was Australia's first national service program. It began in January 1911 and continued throughout World War I.

Under the Defence Acts of 1903 and 1904, the Australian Government could call 'unexempted' males in time of war. The Defence Act 1909 (Cth) made military training and service compulsory in times of peace.

The main aim of the scheme was to build a reserve of trained citizen militia.

At the time, the permanent army had only a few thousand men whose main tasks were to administer the army, train the militia and staff the coastal forts. If Australia were invaded, the government could mobilise the militia to form an army that would defend the country.

Under this scheme, participants joined either the Cadets or the Citizen Forces.

Eligibility

This national service scheme required all males aged 12 and older to undertake military training. They had to be British subjects and had to have lived in Australia for at least 6 months.

The Defence Act said:

all male inhabitants of Australia (excepting those who are exempted by this Act), who have resided herein for six months, and are British subjects

Exemptions

Some men were automatically excluded from national service. Others could apply for an exemption for specific reasons.

The Defence Act 1909 excluded men who were not 'substantially of European origin or descent' from the scheme. This effectively excluded First Australian men. This clause was often used to exclude First Australian men from the regular army services, but many found ways to enlist and serve anyway. It is likely that similarly, First Australian men found ways to join national service if they wanted to.

People were deemed exempt or could apply for an exemption if they were:

• a member of the regular services (RAN, Army)
• a school teacher with naval or military teaching qualifications
• convicted in court for 'disgraceful or infamous crime' or 'notoriously bad character'
• medically unfit for service (judged by medical authorities)
• not substantially of European origin or descent (judged by medical authorities).

Training and peacetime service

From 1 January 1911, the scheme required:

• boys aged 12 to 18 to train at school as junior or senior military cadets
• men aged 18 to 20 to join and train with the Citizen Forces
• men aged 20 to 26 to join the Citizen Forces (limited to one registration or one muster-parade per year except in a period of imminent danger).

Adults aged 18 to 20 served for 16 days a year, including 8 days in their local military training camp. The cadet scheme was ended in 1922.

Adults over 20 had to attend an annual 6-day training camp and drill (military training exercises).

Wartime service

Some 636,000 men were called up to serve in the Citizen Forces - the Militia during the first 4 years of the Universal Service Scheme. Citizen forces members could not serve overseas or be conscripted into the regular army.

The structure of Australia's defence forces changed with the start of World War I. At the time members of the regular army and the Militia could not serve outside Australia under law.

In 1914, to overcome this the Australian Government raised 2 forces for overseas service:

• the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF)
• the Australian Imperial Force (AIF).

This meant that many Militia members then volunteered for the AN&MEF or the AIF.

The Universal Service Scheme continued throughout the war. At the same time the Australian Government asked Australians to consider conscription for overseas service. Voters narrowly defeated the 2 referendums on military conscription proposed in 1916 and 1917.

End of the scheme

After the defeat of the 1917 referendum, the Labor Party maintained a policy to repeal national service. They had to wait until they were in government to do this.

When the Scullin Government was elected in October 1929, it quickly set out to:

• abolish compulsory military training
• promote voluntary enlistment for defence force recruiting.

On 31 October, Prime Minister James Scullin and the Cabinet decided to end the scheme. Compulsory training and Citizen Forces military camps were suspended from 1 November. The decision was forecast to save 180,000 pounds that financial year – a positive move during the economic depression.

Militia training scheme from 1940 to 1946

Days after the beginning of World War II, national service became front-page news.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Menzies) stated that the Government would not hesitate as it became feasible to re-introduce an effective scheme of universal training and service, but at present it was not practicable to train and equip additional troops. "The Government," said Mr. Menzies, ''has given consideration to the problem of compulsory military training and it draws attention to the fact that the provisions of the Defence Act which impose upon citizens a universal obligation to serve Australia and its territories in time of war are now operative. The most urgent problem, however, is one of training … the Government will not hesitate as it becomes feasible to re-introduce an effective scheme of universal training and service."

['MILITIA CALLED UP', The Canberra Times, 6 September 1939, p 1.]

The War Cabinet determined that the army reserves – Citizen Military Forces (CMF) – must maintain a strength of 75,000 adequately trained men. So, on 15 November 1939, the Menzies Government announced that compulsory military training would start on 1 January 1940.

Officially known as the 'Commonwealth Militia (Citizen Military Forces) National Service Scheme', it was often called by different names in the newspapers.

Eligibility

This national service scheme required unmarried men who turned 21 in the registration period to complete 3 months of training in the CMF.

Exemptions and deferments

Some men were automatically excluded from national service. Others could apply for exemption or deferral (delay) for specific reasons.

First Nations men and men of non-European descent were not specifically excluded from national service this time. Those who had resided in Australia for six months or more, were British subjects and met the age requirements were eligible for national service.

Men were deemed exempt from the scheme if they were either:

• a member of the Permanent Forces (RAN, Army, RAAF)
• a member of the Reserve Forces (Citizen Naval Reserve, CMF or Citizen Air Force).

Men could apply for an exemption if they were:

• a conscientious objector (on moral or religious grounds)
• a minister of religion, a member of a religious order or a full-time theological student
• employed in a specified reserved occupation, such as police officers or prison officers
• living in a remote location
• medically unfit for service (mental or physical disability).

Men could apply for to defer if they were:

• employed in an industry or occupation deemed essential to Australia's war effort or 'in the national interest'
• supporting dependants (single-parent family, aged parents, widowed mother, orphaned siblings).

Training and service

By mid-1942, some 290,000 men were enlisted in the CMF. At this time, national servicemen could only serve in Australia. They could not be deployed to serve in the war overseas.

National service for 21-year-old males continued throughout the war.

Conscription policy of 1943

With the escalating war against Japan, the Australian military and government were under increased pressure in 1943.

On 26 January 1943, the Curtin Government passed the Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act 1943 (Cth). This meant that members of the CMF could be deployed to the South-Western Pacific Zone (SWPZ). Previously they could only serve in Australia. The boundaries of the Zone are defined in the Act.

National servicemen in the CMF could be ordered to serve anywhere in that zone, including:

• Australia
• Australian Territory of New Guinea
• Australian Territory of Papua
• Borneo
• British Solomon Islands Protectorate
• parts of Dutch New Guinea
• parts of the Netherlands East Indies (not Sumatra)
• the Philippines
• Timor.

A number of militia units fought on the Kokoda Track in the (then) Australian territories of New Guinea and Papua. A small number of national servicemen served in Dutch New Guinea with Merauke Force.

Approval of conscription under the Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act was set to end 6 months after hostilities ceased. Both national service and deployment to the SWPZ ended in 1946.

Postwar political pressures

Cold War from 1947

Global politics after World War II were largely shaped by the escalating Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States (US) and the nuclear threat.

The postwar rise of the US as a global economic and political power influenced how other nations pursued their goals and foreign policy in the global domain.

To strengthen Australia's alliances with its 'great and powerful friends' – the US and the United Kingdom (UK) – it was important to be able to make adequate military contributions to an allied conflict or action. For example, Australia's commitment to the United Nations in 1950 at the start of the Korean War.

Asia-Pacific instability

During World War II, Japanese forces displaced European colonial powers in the Asia-Pacific region. These events destabilised political affairs in the region.

After the war, colonial powers (France, Netherlands, Portugal, UK) either withdrew or tried to reimpose colonial rule in many of their former colonies and territories.

In response, independence or nationalist movements arose, some of which were communist or socialist. This led to conflict with colonial powers or between competing movements.

In Malaysia, for example, secular nationalists were competing with communist and Islamist movements, all of whom claimed to represent what the population wanted.

The nationalist Viet-Minh movement in Vietnam began fighting the French in 1946 as a result of the French trying to reinstate colonial rule.

Happening so close to Australia, the Malayan Emergency from 1948, the Korean War from 1950 and the Vietnam War from 1955 were perceived as credible threats to Western democracy.

Support for national service

After World War II, the size of the Australian military was substantially reduced. This was mainly due to postwar demobilisation and the government focus on economic development.

Across all services, Australia's defence force shrank from around 500,000 personnel to less than 50,000 by 1950. Voluntary recruitment was not enough to increase numbers in the armed services.

National service was seen as an effective way to ensure that Australia's military force:

• had enough personnel to meet operational needs
• kept reserves (the CMF) at full strength.

Many politicians and much of the public perceived national service as a social good. It was thought to be a way of building character, physical health and ability and promoting social cohesion.

During the Cold War period, Prime Minister Menzies remained committed to national service. Menzies had served in the Universal Service Scheme and reintroduced national service during World War II. Menzies believed compulsory military training built self-reliance and good citizenship.

The need for the speediest preparation for defence, and the maintenance of the strongest co-operation between the British Commonwealth and the United States as the best insurance against war was stressed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, yesterday. Mr. Menzies said he believed that if the U.S.A. and the other democracies were armed to the full, war should not be regarded as inevitable.

['STRONG DEFENCES CAN PREVENT WAR SAYS MR. MENZIES', The Canberra Times, 12 December 1950, p 4.]

National Service Training Scheme from 1951 to 1959

The Australian Government moved to reintroduce national service in late 1950. Both the Menzies Government and the Labor opposition supported national service at this time. It was seen as an effective way to supplement the regular military services.

Parliament passed the National Service Act 1951 (Cth). This marked the start of the National Service Training Scheme (NSTS).

Eligibility

All men aged 18 (at or after 1 November 1950) had to register for national service. Registration meant that they could be called up for compulsory training in the RAN, Army or RAAF.

Each national serviceman could:

• nominate which service they wanted to serve in (RAN, Army or RAAF)
• nominate for service anywhere overseas if war occurred (only Army)
• be considered for the RAN or RAAF only if they volunteered to serve overseas.

Exemptions and deferments

Some men were automatically excluded from national service. Others could apply for an exemption or deferral (delay) for specific reasons.

Men in Australia were exempt from registration if they were:

• a member of the Permanent Forces (RAN, Army, RAAF)
• an official of the United Nations or one of its agencies
• an official of a prescribed (named in the law) international organisation
• employed in Australia by a foreign government
• identified as a First Nations person.

Men who were automatically exempt could volunteer for national service. Many First Nations men did national service in the National Service Training Scheme.

Men could apply for an exemption if they were:

• a conscientious objector (although they could register for non-combatant duties)
• a minister of religion, a member of a religious order or a full-time theological student
• medically incapable of service (mental or physical disability).
   

Men could apply to defer their national service if they were:

• among a class of people or occupations deemed by the minister to be necessary or desirable in the public interest
• supporting dependants in situations of extreme hardship.

Australians in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea could do their national service in Australia. They could also choose to do it through 6 years of service in the Papua–New Guinea Volunteer Rifles.

Registrations and call-ups

Not everyone who registered in the National Service Training Scheme was called up for national service. Of the 500,000 men who registered between 1951 and 1959, around 220,000 were called up in 52 intakes.

The first call-up papers were mailed to eligible Australian males on 12 April 1951. The first intake was distributed as:

• RAN – 500 national service trainees
• Army – 9,000 national service trainees
• RAAF – 1,500 national service trainees.

They started training by mid-1951. The training and service schedule was determined by each individual service.

Training and service

Each national serviceman:

• had to complete at 176 days of standard recruit training in the RAN, Army or RAAF (commitments for each service changed later in the scheme)
• had to remain in the Reserve Forces (Naval Reserve, Citizen Military Forces or Citizen Air Force) for 3 years from the date of call up.

Most national servicemen completed their training and service in Australia. During the scheme, around 50 national servicemen died, mainly through accidents.

In a wide variety of roles, operations and places, national servicemen:

• worked as aircrew, cooks, cavalry, drivers, gunners, radar and radio operators, and more
• served on RAN ships that visited Korean waters during the Korean War
• served on RAN ships deployed in the Asia-Pacific region (not in war zones)
• attended atomic bomb tests in the Monte Bello Islands and Maralinga
• worked on RAAF aircraft at Maralinga that had flown through atomic clouds during the testing
• were placed on alert as part of a wider standby for active service during the Suez Canal crisis in 1956.

National servicemen in this scheme did not do any active service unless they enlisted in the regular services. At least 3 who did, served and died in the Korean War.

AWM P00474.036

Royal Australian Navy

A total of 6,862 national servicemen served in the RAN. They served on different Australian naval ships, including:

• HMAS Penguin
• HMAS Cerberus
• HMAS Lonsdale
• HMAS Colac
• HMAS Culgoa.

In 1955, the RAN reduced training to 154 days.

National service for the RAN ended in 1957.

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Australian Army

The Army received the largest allocation of 198,000 national servicemen.

They were assigned to one of 10 battalions:

• Queensland – 11th National Service Training Battalion
• NSW – 12th National Service Training Battalion, 13th National Service Training Battalion at Ingleburn and 19th National Service Training Battalion
• Victoria – 14th, 15th and 20th National Service Training Battalions
• South Australia – 16th National Service Training Battalion
• Tasmania – 18th National Service Training Battalion
• Western Australia – 17th National Service Training Battalion.

The 11th Battalion, with 1,500 national servicemen at its peak, was the largest. Its trainees served in Queensland and the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.

The Army required its national servicemen for 176 days training. In 1957, the Army reduced the training and reserve commitment and the numbers called up. The last intake was in August 1959.

AWM P04443.003

Royal Australian Air Force

About 23,500 national servicemen undertook their training in National Service Training Units as part of the RAAF.

Trainees were allocated to Flights at major air bases and depots throughout Australia, including:

• Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – Fairbairn in Canberra
• NSW – Schofield, Richmond, Rathmines, Williamtown, Bankstown, Forest Hill and Uranquinty
• Queensland – Garbutt in Townsville, Toowoomba, Oakey, Amberley and Archerfield
• South Australia – Mallala
• Victoria – Point Cook, Laverton, Frognall, Tottenham, Ballarat and East Sale
• Western Australia – Pearce and Merredin.
• Trainees from South Australia and Tasmania also went to Laverton.

The RAAF required its national servicemen for:

• 176 days training

The RAAF reduced training to 154 days in 1955. National service for the RAAF ended in 1957.

End of the scheme

By the late 1950s, the National Service Training Scheme had achieved its aims in bringing Australian military forces up to strength.

In 1957, the Menzies Government ended national service for the RAN and RAAF.

On 24 November 1959, the government decided to end the scheme. All national servicemen were declared to have honourably discharged their obligation on 30 June 1960.

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The National Service Scheme from 1964 to 1972

Unrest in South-East Asia, a deteriorating relationship with Indonesia and increasing military commitments in the region led the Australian Government to reconsider national service in the early 1960s.

On 10 November 1964, Menzies announced the Cabinet decision to reintroduce national service. The National Service Act 1964 (Cth) became law on 24 November.

Eligibility

The National Service Scheme was different to the previous schemes.

Firstly, it only provided military training in the Australian Army. The RAN and RAAF were not part of the National Service Scheme.

Secondly, it was selective rather than universal. Unlike the previous schemes, the new scheme did not apply to all males in a specified age range.

Most men who turned 20 during the 6-month registration period and normally lived in Australia had to register in the scheme.

Registration and selection

Registration was compulsory for eligible males.

Those who registered could be selected in the birthday ballot. Once they were registered, the men remained eligible for selection in the birthday ballot until they turned 26.

The main aim of national service was to increase the strength of the Australian Army to 33,000 personnel by the end of 1966. So about 4,000 men were selected in each ballot, with 2 ballots conducted each year.

More than 800,000 men registered for the National Service Scheme while it was operating.

Exemptions and deferrals

Some men were automatically excluded from national service. Others could apply for exemption or deferral (delay) for specific reasons. Claims for an exemption were only considered after the ballot had been drawn.

Men were deemed exempt from registration if they were:

• a member of the Permanent Forces (RAN, Australian Army, RAAF)
• identified as First Nations people.

However, many First Nations people registered in the scheme and became national servicemen.

After the call up, men could apply for an exemption if they had a physical or mental disability.

Men received an automatic deferment if they were:

• married before the call up
• a member of the Reserve Forces (Citizen Naval Force, Citizen Military Forces or Citizen Air Force)
• a minister of religion, a member of a religious order or a full-time theological student
• had a serious criminal record or posed a security risk.

After the call up, men could apply to defer national service if they were:

• a conscientious objector (had a moral objection to service)
• a student, apprentice or trainee at a university, teachers' college and technical college
• in a situation of exceptional hardship or that required compassion
• unable to serve due to their occupation.

Conscientious objection was provided for under Section 29A of the National Service Act. It said that a person whose conscientious beliefs did not allow him to engage in any form of military service could be exempted, provided he sincerely held those beliefs.

Between 1965 and 1971, just over 1,000 men applied for conscientious objector status.

• more than 700 were granted total exemption from any military service
• around 150 were compelled to serve but exempted from combat duties
• around 130 had their applications rejected

Training and service

Under the scheme, national servicemen:

• completed 2 years of continuous service in the regular army
• served another 3 years in the CMF
• from May 1965, could be sent overseas under s32 and s50c of the Defence Act 1965 (Cth).

In 1971, service in the regular army was shortened to 18 months.

Between 30 June 1965 and 7 December 1972, more than 63,000 men were called up for a period of full-time national service.

All those called up had to pass:

• medical tests
• an interview
• a security check
• grading on fitness for service.

In 1965, nearly 38% of men were classified as unfit for service. This rose to more than 51% in 1970.

When the scheme first started, men under 20 could do their national service by joining the Citizen Military Forces (army reserve). Then, if their birthdate was not selected in the birthday ballot, they could resign. The Australian Government quickly closed this loophole. From 8 December 1965, those who chose to join the CMF had to serve for 6 years. This was reduced to 5 years in 1971.

National servicemen did 10 weeks of initial training in one of 3 training battalions:

• 1st Recruit Training Battalion (1RTB) at Kapooka, NSW
• 2nd Recruit Training Battalion (2RTB) at Puckapunyal, Victoria
• 3rd Training Battalion (3TB) at Singleton, NSW.

This was followed by 3 months of corps training.

The trainees could usually then apply for a posting to a part of the Army they wanted to specialise in, such as artillery, engineers, signals, transport or medical. Posting was based on the needs of the Army rather than individual preferences. Not everyone received their choice of posting.

Most national servicemen were sent to the infantry. This enabled the Army to increase the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) to 9 battalions.

National servicemen were integrated into regular army units. This meant that they served alongside those who had chosen to join the Army. They received the same pay and benefits as regular army servicemen.

Preliminary research shows that a significant number of national servicemen from the 1965-72 scheme died while serving in Australia. Exact numbers are unclear, but one study indicates that the number could be more than 600.

Overseas service

In 1965, changes to the Defence Act classified national servicemen as part of the regular army and added the stipulation that:

Members of the Military Forces may be required to serve either within or beyond the territorial limits of Australia.

The change meant that national servicemen could be deployed overseas with their units.

In 1966, Prime Minister Harold Holt announced that Australia would be increasing troops sent to Vietnam. This would include national servicemen.

National servicemen were now part of the regular army. If their unit was posted overseas, they were deployed with their unit. They had no choice about serving overseas or where they served.

Some personal accounts of Vietnam veterans refer to national servicemen volunteering for service in Vietnam. But there was no official mechanism for national servicemen to choose to serve in Vietnam or not.

Unofficially, army unit commanders often had the authority to allow a degree of choice if national servicemen went to Vietnam or not. Individuals in a unit not planned to be sent to Vietnam could apply to their commander to transfer to another unit. They could also possibly apply to be posted as a replacement for casualties. A little like volunteering to go.

Likewise, those who did not want to serve in Vietnam could apply to their unit commander to be transferred to another unit in Australia or to a non-combat role. There was no guarantee that this would happen.

For army officers, their decisions may have been influenced by many factors. Having unwilling soldiers in their unit could undermine the discipline and operational effectiveness of the unit and lower morale. For the Army and the Australian Government, there was also the political issue of national servicemen dying on active service overseas.

Individuals having finished their training often wanted to use this in active service, to 'do their bit' or did not want to let their mates or their unit down.

Generally, there were more national servicemen who were willing to serve in Vietnam than were needed. Those who were unwilling to serve in Vietnam were transferred to units serving only in Australia.

Nearly 19,000 national servicemen served overseas in the Vietnam War and in Malaysia (including in the Indonesian Confrontation), Singapore and Papua New Guinea. More than 18,000 served in Vietnam.

Borneo

Between 1962 and 1966, the Australian Government committed the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) and then the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4RAR) plus support units to Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation.

From 1966, 150 national servicemen served in Borneo with either:

• 4RAR
• 21st Construction Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers
• 22nd Construction Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers.

Deployed to Borneo in April 1966, 4RAR was the first battalion to employ national servicemen on operations. The unit had been doing training and familiarisation exercises at Terendak, Malaysia, since September 1965.

Sapper John Blacket was the first national serviceman to serve in a war zone. He was attached to the 21st Construction Squadron in Borneo.

Two national servicemen died while on active duty in Borneo.

Malaysia and Singapore

Some national servicemen served in regular army units in Malaysia during the Indonesian Confrontation.

Some other national servicemen served in regular army units in Malaysia and Singapore. The Australian Army maintained a presence there under the Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR) and later the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA). These were peacetime postings so they were not involved in combat.

For example, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) rotated through Malaysia and Singapore (Terendak Garrison). 8RAR spent time in Malaysia from 1967 to 1969. 2RAR and 6RAR also had detachments or temporary postings through Singapore.

Vietnam

More than 63,000 men were conscripted into the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. Of around 18,000 national servicemen who served in the war, more than 200 died and at least 1,200 were wounded on active duty.

Every Australian infantry battalion was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and each included national servicemen. National servicemen were fully integrated into regular army units. They served in both combat and non-combat roles.

Most national servicemen deployed with the units they had trained with in Australia. A tour of Vietnam was typically 12 months.

The first national servicemen to serve in Vietnam were those of the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5RAR), who arrived in 1966.

The final national servicemen were withdrawn with the bulk of Australian forces in 1971.

Territory of Papua New Guinea

Some 300 national servicemen who were qualified schoolteachers were promoted to sergeant and posted to the Territory of Papua New Guinea for 12 months. They were known as 'Chalkies'. As part of the Royal Australian Army Educational Corps, they taught soldiers of the Pacific Islands Regiment at:

• Port Moresby (Murray Barracks, Taurama Barracks and Goldie River Training Depot)
• Lae (Igam Barracks)
• Wewak (Moem Barracks).

National servicemen in Papua New Guinea also served in Ordnance, Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Signals, Small Ships, Surveying and other units.

End of the scheme

In December 1972, the Whitlam Government discharged national servicemen from the Army. Without a fast, legal way to do this, it used the reason of 'exceptional hardship'. At the time, around 11,000 national servicemen were serving in the armed forces.

When Parliament passed the National Service Termination Act 1973 (Cth) in June 1973, around 1,900 national servicemen were still serving.

The last national serviceman completed his service on 23 November 1974.

Much later, the Defence Legislation Amendment Act 1992 (Cth) repealed the National Service Act 1951 (Cth). At this time the Keating Government retained conscription in a time of war with prior parliamentary approval.

Individual effects of national service

The experiences of national servicemen between 1951 and 1972 were hugely varied. All men were affected by their pivot into military service, as too were their families, friends and communities.

Many felt it worthwhile and enjoyed it. Many recalled the mateship and sense of purpose. Many others felt it changed their lives for the worse and they felt the negative effects lifelong.

There was undoubtedly a real cost to national service. Lives were disrupted, careers or education put on hold, relationships interrupted and friends left behind. The absence of a son, brother or husband was keenly felt by families and communities.

One national serviceman remembered the 'bond created by facing hardship and death' and the love it inspired between the men in his section.

It was as if we all threw our lives and futures into a common heap and pledged to safeguard that precious common heap. Fools and fine men were levelled by that unrecognised, unacknowledged action and ten became one for the duration.

[Mick P in Australia, Don't Forget About Us: The Vietnam War 1961-1975, Vol. 2]

Those who experienced active service in Vietnam were often deeply affected by it.

One 2RAR veteran recalled sitting with a wounded Viet Cong prisoner. They shared some water, a cigarette and 'our tiny sphere of peace in a huge arena of pain, misery and delusion'. That meeting 'set in train a process that was unstoppable, and a tiny spark of realisation began to grow … My enemy was human'.

A 6RAR veteran found that with time, 'the bad times become good times, and we can now relate some memories that are really quite funny'. But 'other deeds and other actions are placed in dark corners of our minds never to be unleashed'. Only 'when mates get together who have a common bond as a combat soldier' could these memories be openly addressed.

Homecomings for national servicemen were sometimes difficult. While there were some welcome home events, many returned individually without their unit. One veteran recalled that it 'was easy to develop the perception that we were being brought home in secret, almost in shame'. They often then lost contact with army mates who had shared their experiences.

Commemoration

All national servicemen are ex-servicemen. Many march on Anzac Day and observe Remembrance Day and National Servicemen's Day.

National Servicemen's Day is observed on 14 February in Australia. Those who served in the Indonesian Confrontation are included in Malaya and Borneo Veterans' Day. Those who served in Vietnam are included in Vietnam Veterans' Day in their own right.

In 2010, the official memorial, the National Service Memorial Fountain, was dedicated at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

All national servicemen are eligible for 2 Australian awards from the Department of Defence:

• Australian Defence Medal
• Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal.

Others may be eligible for awards related to service in specified operations, including:

• Nuclear Test Medal (UK) for service in 1950s nuclear test operations
• active service medals for service in the Indonesian Confrontation
• active service medals for service in Vietnam
• a (non-warlike) Australian service medal for service outside Australia in non-operational areas, such as parts of Malaysia, Singapore or Papua New Guinea.

There is no official register of Australia's national servicemen. The National Servicemen's Association of Australia has created an unofficial nominal roll that requires people to opt in.

National servicemen who served in Vietnam should appear on the Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans.

Veterans' stories

David Sabben's veteran story First intake of the 1965-72 scheme

Vincent John Cosgrove

Wayne Brown's veteran story – Military Medal recipient

Paul Macmichael's veteran story

Neil Weekes's veteran story

Jim Richmond's story