Reflecting on life as a Nasho

Jack still volunteers at the Queensland Maritime Museum

92-year-old Jack Hamilton served as an Australian National Serviceman – affectionately known as a Nasho – in the Navy from 1951 to 1954, in the first 50 intake from Queensland. At the time, Jack was an apprentice sailmaker and already a Naval Reservist, making him very familiar with the sea, ships and boats. 

“I still look back at those Nasho days as one of the best times of my youth. Maybe we should bring National Service back again,” he suggests enthusiastically.

After his time in service, Jack moved on to making sails for racing yachts, including the first Australian challenger in the America’s Cup. It’s a passion he’s nurtured to this day, now serving as a volunteer sailmaker at the Queensland Maritime Museum three days per week. 

Set up in his workroom with industrial sewing machines and canvas, Jack mends and makes sails and his bestselling Navy kitbags, raising funds for the Museum while honing his craft.

Australia’s National Service

Pictured here in 1951, Jack was part of the first intake of Nashos

Jack Hamilton is just one example of hundreds of thousands of Australians who served as Nashos. There were two National Service schemes in our military history: the first was active from 1951 to 1959 and the second from 1965 to 1972. A short history is summarised below, but can also be found through the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia Inc.

The First Scheme

National Service recruits training in 1967 (image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

During the First Scheme, young men would receive birthday greetings from the Prime Minister when they turned 18, asking them to register for National Service. These young men could be called up for training to serve in the Navy, Army or Air Force. 

The Navy and Air Force would only accept Nashos who had already gained some connection with those services. A total of 227,000 Nashos served in 52 intakes during this time. Some of the Nashos would eventually serve in Malaya, Korea, Borneo and Vietnam. 

Nashos in the First Scheme are also acknowledged for their service during the atomic bomb tests that took place off the coasts of Western Australia and South Australia, as well as the Suez Canal crisis in 1956.

The Second Scheme

A group of National Servicemen waiting to go home after completing their training (image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

National Service was re-instated in 1965 to help recruitment efforts during the Indonesia Confrontation and Vietnam War. This time, only the Army would train Nashos for service. 

When a young man turned 20, he would be eligible for selection via a birthday ballot. Approximately 64,000 men served in this scheme, and many served in Borneo, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam. Sadly, 212 Nashos perished in these conflicts. 

Remembering the ‘silent generation’

Jack on leave in 1951 with some Navy mates

Many Nashos were born just before or during WWII, when their country was at war and their fathers, uncles and brothers were fighting away from home. Unlike today’s elective military enlistment system, young Australian men born into the silent generation were all required to undertake National Service at the height of some of Western history’s most tense geopolitical periods. 

As such, memories of the War in the Pacific, Japanese attacks on Australia and the commencement of the Korean War in 1950 remain seared in our national consciousness. It’s therefore important to stop and take a moment to remember these dedicated servicemen who valiantly sacrificed for our country – some with their lives.

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