Bruce Lee repportedly failed his pre-induction physical assessment for the US Army
(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)It’s been a long time since the UK enforced conscription into the Armed Forces, but with political tides turning, calls to reinstate it are growing louder. A new report declared Brits “underprepared and under attack”, pointing out that the British Army is made up of only 70,000 troops, making it the smallest it's been in more than 200 years. President Trump’s inward-looking policies have only amplified unease among many Brits, with his America First stance leaving the UK and other US allies with lingering doubts about whether he could be called on for support.
More recently, the UK has changed its conscription rules for the Armed Forces, as a clear sign of preparation for the escalation of conflict. The Government recently announced a change to the rules for Army reservists that increases the age limit for call-up to conflicts from 55 to 65. As tensions grow in the current political climate, let’s take a look at the famous faces who were rejected from military service.
Charlie Chaplin
During the First World War, Chaplin was hounded by the press, which assumed he hadn't attempted to enlist in the British Army. In reality, Chaplin had registered for military service in the United States, but he was unfortunately rejected for being too short and too underweight.
But this didn't appease his critics throughout his early career, with the comic continuing to receive white feathers through the post. A white feather was meant to shame men as cowards who didn't sign up for the war.
(Image: Getty Images)Julia Child
During World War II, the American chef tried to enlist in the US Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and the Women's Army Corps, but she was rejected by both of them for being too tall. The beloved cook, standing at an impressive 6'2", wasn't fazed by the rejection, instead opting to join the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, and soon rose to become a top-secret researcher for Major General William J. 'Wild Bill' Donovan, the chief of the OSS.
(Image: Getty Images)Walt Disney
Just one year after the United States joined World War I, Disney attempted to enlist in the US Navy, but was turned down for being underage; he was 16 years old at the time. But that didn't stop him from getting involved in the war effort.
The future animator volunteered for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps, but by the time he arrived in France, the armistice had already been signed.
(Image: Getty Images)Ernest Hemingway
American author Ernest Hemingway attempted to enlist in the US Army back in 1918, but he was rejected because of a defective eye. he then volunteered to serve in Italy as an ambulance driver with the American Red Cross.
Later that year, while running a mobile canteen dispensing chocolate and cigarettes for soldiers, he was wounded by Austrian mortar fire. Despite his injuries, Hemingway carried a wounded Italian soldier to safety and was injured again by machine-gun fire.
(Image: Getty)Alfred Hitchcock
Film director Alfred Hitchcock was called up to serve his country in the British Army during the First World War, but was ultimately excused from military service because of his weight. In 1917, Hitchcock joined a Royal Engineers cadet regiment (he'd left a Jesuit boarding school some years earlier to study marine engineering and navigation).
(Image: Bettmann Archive)John F Kennedy
In 1940, after graduating from Harvard University, Kennedy attempted to enter the US Army's Officer Candidate School. Unfortunately, he was rejected from the course on medical grounds after battling with ulcers, asthma, venereal disease, and chronic back problems.
After receiving this disappointing news, his father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sn, then persuaded Captain Alan Goodrich Kirk, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, to allow a private doctor to certify his son's health so that JFK could enlist in the US Navy.
(Image: Getty Images)Bruce Lee
Infamous martial artist Bruce Lee was drafted by the US Army back in 1963 but reportedly failed his pre-induction physical and was classified as 4-F because of an undescended testicle, poor eyesight - although he wore contact lenses - and a sinus disorder.
He had already been wearing a uniform as a member of the ROTC squad at the University of Washington in the heart of Seattle, where he was a student from 1961 to 1964.
(Image: Getty Images)Paul Newman
Before he found fame on the big screen, Hollywood icon Paul Newman had dreams of becoming a pilot in the US Air Force during World War II. But his dreams were dashed when it was revealed that he was colour blind.
In 1943, he managed to join the US Navy and become a rear-seat radioman and gunner for torpedo bombers, and by 1944, he was posted as a turret gunner on a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber.
(Image: Mirrorpix)Frank Sinatra
In 1943, Sinatra was officially classified 4-F by his draft board because of a perforated eardrum. But Sinatra's FBI files, which became public after his death, disclosed that he was deemed "not acceptable material from a psychiatric viewpoint" and that his emotional instability was hidden to avoid "undue unpleasantness for both the selectee and the induction service." Towards the end of the Second World War, Sinatra entertained the troops during several successful USO tours overseas.
(Image: AP)