Conscription

In August 1916 the government passed the Military Service Act, which provided for the introduction of a system of compulsory service for men aged between 20 and 46 years. These men formed an Expeditionary Force Reserve, divided into two divisions – the first made up of men unmarried and recently married (including widowers and divorcees without children), the second made up of the remaining reservists. The National Register compiled in 1915 was used to classify the reservists, who would then face a ballot selection for compulsory service (the first 10 ballots were done at a district level, the remainder at a national level). Initially, men from the first division were balloted, but by mid 1917 men in the second division were also being balloted (these men were classified by the number of children who were dependant on them).

Upon being selected for service the conscript immediately became a member of the Expeditionary Force, and underwent a medical examination. Sixty-five percent of these recruits were declared unfit during this initial examination. The recruit would then face a Medical Board who would classify whether they could be made fit for active service (both overseas and in New Zealand) or were labelled permanently unfit. Military Service Boards were established to hear appeals against compulsory service, made on the grounds of hardship, public interest, or religious objection.