Thanks for the new information ~ I have never seen until now the 32nd Regiment in the song ~

Regarding National Service through time I was pleased that NS didn't include me (b47) and of course during the WW11 there were protected occupations like miners and farmers ~

Peace time we had voluntary career soldiers and no doubt as in navy ns press gangs it was still expensive to maintain a high number of personnel

Of course a minimum number of combatants would have needed to have been in place ~ experienced a well as anyone who could stand would also have been needed to make the number up in War time

Ray