Re: WW2 Conscription Exemptions

"Don Phillipson" <dphillipson@xxxxxx> wrote

>> Reserved Occupations:

I know that people involved in design, construction and maintenance of ships
had exemption in Canada and I presume elsewhere.

One should note that occupational exemption was rarely absolute. Even in the
most essential activities there was the issue of replaceability. As the war
progressed many women, as well as men unfit for combat, were trained to take
essential jobs held by draftable men, releasing those men for service.

Furthermore, one's pre-military occupational status could have a major
impact on the assignments one received once in uniform. So, for example, a
man who had been an engineer in civilian life would probably be assigned a
similar job in uniform (for example, bridge-building) rather than put in the
infantry. Of course, many such assignments involved risk.

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