Catalogue Number
NMLH.2001.20.9
Object Name
Sign
Title
G VI R. Ministry Of Labour And National Service Local Agency
Place
England & UK
People
King George VI
Events
War & World War II
Date
circa 1943
Description
Democratic countries are sometimes less geared-up for war than militarized states. This was true of Britain and Hitler's Germany on the eve of World War II (1939-1945). In Britain, the Government introduced the National Service Act, the aim of which was to bring in conscription, compulsory military service, on 1st October 1939, one month after declaring war on Germany.
The existing Ministry of Labour offices across the country dealt with this process as both the civilian population and military recruitment had jointly to be organized for total war. King George VI was the reigning monarch in 1939 and all civil service signs bore the royal monogram during his reign (1936-1952).
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