National Service would benefit young people today - Yorkshire Post Letters

There has been a suggestion that National Service should be brought back I order to give a sense of discipline to today’s youngsters.

Naturally there would be an outcry from the woke warriors should that even be considered, who are usually the most undisciplined of all.

When I was 18 I was an apprentice in a dying trade of coach building and had little ambition to do anything else.

In 1950 I was called up and declined to be deferred and signed on for three years in the RAF.

After service in the Canal Zone I had no idea of what to do. During the usual rehabilitation lectures at the end of my service I heard one of the lads say he was joining the police so when my turn came I said the same thing, with no real intention of doing so.

After a period of doing casual work the thought came back and I joined Hull City Police. I retired in 1984 with the rank of Inspector, having served in four forces and done many different roles in the service.

My legal knowledge then enabled me to become a qualified solicitors’ clerk at which I worked until I was 65. As a direct result of being called up I now am enjoying a decent pension and my own home.

Bringing back National Service would not only instil discipline, but would enable them to improve their lives as a whole.