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An Overview of the Demobilisation of US Armed Forces after World War II

Introduction The Demobilization of United States armed forces after the Second World War began with the defeat of Germany in May 1945 and continued through 1946. The United States had more than 12 million men and women in the armed forces at the end of World War II, of whom 7.6 million were stationed abroad.… Read More

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What was the National Service Act 1948 (UK)?

Introduction The National Service Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of “National Service”. After a bill with the same purpose had been approved in 1947, expected to be implemented 01 January 1949,… Read More

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What was the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 (UK)?

Introduction The National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 03 September 1939, the day the United Kingdom declared war on Germany at the start of the Second World War. It superseded the Military Training Act 1939 (enacted in May of that year) and enforced full conscription… Read More

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An Overview the War Office Selection Boards

Introduction War Office Selection Boards, or WOSBs, (pronounced Wosbees) were a scheme devised by British Army psychiatrists during World War II to select potential officers for the British Army. They replaced an earlier method, the Command Interview Board, and were the precursors to today’s Army Officer Selection Boards. The WOSBs were also later adapted to… Read More

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Civil Resettlement Units: Getting in Shape for Civvy Street

Introduction Civil Resettlement Units, or CRUs, was a scheme created during the Second World War by Royal Army Medical Corps psychiatrists to help British Army servicemen who had been prisoners of war (POWs) to return to civilian life, and to help their families and communities to adjust to having them back. Units were set up… Read More

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A Brief Overview of Hollymoor Hospital

Introduction Hollymoor Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located at Tessall Lane, Northfield in Birmingham, England, and is famous primarily for the work on group psychotherapy that took place there in the years of the Second World War. It closed in 1994. Brief History Construction and Expansion The hospital, which was designed by William Martin and… Read More