| Short Title: | National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to make provision for securing and controlling the enlistment of men for service in the armed forces of the Crown; and for purposes connected with the matter aforesaid. |
| Year: | 1939 |
| Citation: | 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 81 |
| Royal Assent: | 3 September 1939 |
| Repealing Legislation: | National Service Act 1948 |
| Status: | repealed |
| Short Title: | National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1940 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to provide that persons shall not be exempted from liability under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, 1939, by reason of their being members of the Local Defence Volunteers. |
| Year: | 1940 |
| Citation: | 3 & 4 Geo. 6. c. 22 |
| Royal Assent: | 23 May 1940 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
| Short Title: | National Service Act 1941 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to make provision for calling up men for civil defence and to amend the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, 1939. |
| Year: | 1941 |
| Citation: | 4 & 5 Geo. 6. c. 15 |
| Royal Assent: | 10 April 1941 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
| Short Title: | National Service Act 1942 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to authorise the making of preparatory arrangements for the calling up of male persons who are about to become liable to be called up for service under the National Service Acts, 1939 to 1941, to simplify the making of proclamations for the purposes of those Acts, and to amend the provisions of those Acts relating to exemptions. |
| Year: | 1942 |
| Citation: | 6 & 7 Geo. 6. c. 3 |
| Royal Assent: | 17 December 1942 |
| Repealing Legislation: | National Service Act 1948 |
| Status: | repealed |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 (2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 81) was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 3 September 1939, the day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany at the start of the Second World War.[1] It superseded the Military Training Act 1939 (2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 25) (enacted in May of that year) and enforced full conscription on all male British subjects between 18 and 41 who were present in Great Britain, subject to certain exemptions.[2] By a royal declaration in January 1941, the term Great Britain was extended to include the Isle of Man.[3]
Despite the end of the war in September 1945, the Labour government kept the act in force until 1948, when its effects were continued in a modified form by the enactment of the National Service Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 64).