Friendly Societies Act 1896

43 Militiamen and volunteers

(1) A person shall not, by reason of his enrolment or service in the militia or as a naval coast volunteer, Royal Naval volunteer, naval artillery volunteer, or in any corps of yeomanry or volunteers whatsoever, lose or forfeit any interest in a friendly society or branch whether registered or unregistered which he possesses at the time of his being so enrolled or serving, or be fined for absence from or non-attendance at any meeting of the society or branch, if his absence or non-attendance is occasioned by the discharge of his military or naval duty as certified by his commanding officer, any rules of the society or branch to the contrary notwithstanding.

(2) A dispute between any such society or branch and person by reason of that enrolment or service shall be decided by a court of summary jurisdiction.

(3) If the rules of a society or branch certified before the twenty-third day of July one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and in force at the time of the enrolment or service, provide that a member shall be deprived of any benefit by reason of that enrolment or service, the society or branch may require of the member a contribution exceeding the rate of contribution otherwise payable by him to an amount not exceeding one tenth of that rate during the time the member is serving out of the United Kingdom, or may suspend all claim of the member to any benefits assured by the society or branch, and all claim of the society or branch to any contributions payable by the member, during the time only he is serving out of the United Kingdom, but so that if he returns to the United Kingdom he shall forthwith be replaced on the same footing as before he went abroad on service.