There has been much debate about this, and several, no doubt true, facts posted It seems in summary that whatever the UK conscription rules were, Chaplin was not a UK resident, and thus was obliged (and, from what we understand) did indeed attempt to sign up with his host country army. The rules of the USA were thus imposed on him, and it is those rules that would be relevant, not those in UK, nor Canada. Whilst I am not an expert on US conscription, it seems possible that he was rejected from the US military on physical grounds. They did not have such an urgency to join the conflict as the Commonwealth that were intimately involved in the war from the start, and had no need to recruit any male in at least the slightest bit fit for warfare, they would logically chose only the best specimens. Chaplin was far from being that ! Happy Hunting Pickard Trepess