From 1947 to 1963 some 2.3 million men were conscripted to do national service. For some it was to prove the most exciting & terrifying time of their lives as many were sent to the Korean War or to countries such as Palestine & Kenya where the terrorist threat was ever-present. They faced death & learned about sex. For others it was a frustrating interference in their lives made all the more ridiculous by endless hours of square-bashing or painting coal white. Tom Hickman shows just how varied were the experiences of the recruits. By talking to over 80 veterans he recalls the hilarious & moving stories from those times & seeks to explain why the subject still causes debate more than 40 years on. Above all The Call-Up is a portrait of a vanished era that many still feel has something to teach us today.