It’s been a long time since the UK enforced conscription into the Armed Forces, but with political tides turning, calls to reinstate it are growing louder. A new report declared Brits “underprepared and under attack”, pointing out that the British Army is made up of only 70,000 troops, making it the smallest it's been in more than 200 years. President Trump’s inward-looking policies have only amplified unease among many Brits, with his America First stance leaving the UK and other US allies with lingering doubts about whether he could be called on for support.
More recently, the UK has changed its conscription rules for the Armed Forces, as a clear sign of preparation for the escalation of conflict. The Government recently announced a change to the rules for Army reservists that increases the age limit for call-up to conflicts from 55 to 65. As tensions grow in the current political climate, let’s take a look at the famous faces who were rejected from military service.
During the First World War, Chaplin was hounded by the press, which assumed he hadn't attempted to enlist in the British Army. In reality, Chaplin had registered for military service in the United States, but he was unfortunately rejected for being too short and too underweight.
But this didn't appease his critics throughout his early career, with the comic continuing to receive white feathers through the post. A white feather was meant to shame men as cowards who didn't sign up for the war.
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During World War II, the American chef tried to enlist in the US Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and the Women's Army Corps, but she was rejected by both of them for being too tall. The beloved cook, standing at an impressive 6'2", wasn't fazed by the rejection, instead opting to join the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, and soon rose to become a top-secret researcher for Major General William J. 'Wild Bill' Donovan, the chief of the OSS.
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Just one year after the United States joined World War I, Disney attempted to enlist in the US Navy, but was turned down for being underage; he was 16 years old at the time. But that didn't stop him from getting involved in the war effort.
The future animator volunteered for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps, but by the time he arrived in France, the armistice had already been signed.
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American author Ernest Hemingway attempted to enlist in the US Army back in 1918, but he was rejected because of a defective eye. he then volunteered to serve in Italy as an ambulance driver with the American Red Cross.
Later that year, while running a mobile canteen dispensing chocolate and cigarettes for soldiers, he was wounded by Austrian mortar fire. Despite his injuries, Hemingway carried a wounded Italian soldier to safety and was injured again by machine-gun fire.
(Image: Getty)
