During the 1960s, young Britons represented the first teenage cohort not subject to conscription. This generation experienced greater personal freedoms than their parents, who had come of age during the Second World War. Having spent their youth engaged in wartime efforts, the previous generation sought for their children an environment where they could enjoy their formative years with increased autonomy and leisure. By the early 1960s, teenagers had undergone notable transformations compared to those from the preceding decade.

Did this societal shift affect the career decisions of Dukies who were leaving a system considered relatively strict compared to Britain outside? This author believes it probably did alter attitudes at the school, which itself experienced significant organisational changes during the 1950s and early 1960s. He recalls senior students playing music on gramophones, with lyrics influenced by the Hippie anti-war movement and we grew more aware of the war in Vietnam and the effect it was having in the UK. It should be borne in mind that by the time the 1960s had rolled around, Britain had been involved in several brutal small wars (e.g. Aden); as the UK Government attempted to deal with political realities of former colonies demanding self-determination. However, it is questionable whether the cultural change in British society as whole reduced the inclination among our school's 1960s leavers to join HM Forces.

Contained within a Hansard report is a response to an inquiry made by Sir Ian Orr-Ewing in October 1969 regarding career choices among students at the Duke of York's Royal Military School, specifically concerning enrolment in the Armed Services. At the time Orr-Ewing (a Conservative MP and an RAF veteran) had addressed his question to the then Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Roy Hattersley, a Labour Government minister. The inquiry sought information on the number of students who had joined the Armed Services during the previous three years, as well as in the first nine months of 1969. Mr Hattersley provided the following reply:

The Duke of York's Royal Military School is not a recruiting agency. Admission of a boy is normally a reward for his father's loyal service to the Crown. Special consideration is given to suitable boys whose fathers have died while in the Services. There are 432 boys at present. The numbers who have joined the Armed Services and the proportion of boys who joined the Armed Services out of all boys leaving are in academic years, as follows: 

RN ARMY RAF Proportion% of all Dukies leaving who opted to join HM Forces

1965–66 1* 12 4 25%

1966–67 11 2 22%

1967–68 7 4 14%

1968–69 1 7 4 19%

*Joined Royal Canadian Navy

Mr Hattersley noted that each year, roughly four boys joined the Police or Merchant Navy, and about six former students entered the Armed Services after first working in civilian jobs or pursuing further education. There was a decline in the number of Dukies choosing to join the forces in 1967-68, although the nine-month figure for 1969 may have indicated a recovery. So did the 'Swinging Sixties' discourage school leavers from serving the Crown? In short it is difficult to say with certainty (given the limited spread of the data available) but probably not.