‣ Young Travellers and Adventurers: Consider a young adult about to embark on a round-the-world backpacking trip or gap year. They have never made a will (quite common – many people put off will-writing, especially at a young age). The impending travel, especially if it involves risky activities, might spur them to create a will. They may frame it as “I make this will to cover me if I die during this trip.” The conditional will here is meant as a safeguard for that journey only. If they return safely, they might intend to revoke or simply consider the will moot. This scenario is compelling as a story – the adventurer writing heartfelt wishes “just in case.” However, it’s worth noting that a standard will could accomplish the same protection without conditional wording, and the person could still change it later. Relying on a conditional clause like “if I don’t return” means if they do return and then, say, have a fatal accident a year later without updating the will, the previous conditional will might not apply at all. This could unintentionally leave their estate without a valid will, illustrating the risk of a conditional approach.

‣ Military Service and High-Risk Jobs: Members of the armed forces or others in dangerous professions often think about their mortality before deployments or missions. A soldier headed into active combat might write a will that is effective “if I am killed in action during this tour.” In fact, UK law even recognizes privileged wills for active service personnel – a special provision allowing soldiers or sailors to make a valid will under improvised conditions (even orally) due to the extreme circumstances. Many servicemembers carry informal “just in case” instructions. A conditional will in this context might provide specific wishes if the person dies during that service period. Again, the intention is usually to cover that particular danger. If the soldier survives and resumes normal life, they may plan to draft a new will or might have had a prior will to fall back on. The caution here is similar: if no new will is made later, and the person dies under different circumstances, a will that was conditional on dying in combat might not apply. It may be more effective for military personnel to have a regular will at all times (which they update before deployment) rather than one that only triggers in combat situations. Still, historically and emotionally, we understand why someone in harm’s way might opt for a condition like this as a form of solace.

‣ Serious Illness or Surgery: Another scenario is a person facing a life-threatening illness or major surgery. For example, someone diagnosed with a terminal illness might draft a will saying it’s to have effect “if my current illness leads to my death.” Or before a risky surgical operation, a patient might write, “In the event I don’t survive this surgery, this is my will….” Such wording makes the will’s operation contingent on that illness or procedure. The person’s reasoning could be that if they survive and recover, they might want to revisit their estate plan (or they assume the will isn’t needed unless the worst outcome happens immediately). Indeed, there was a real case where a woman wrote, “In the event that I don’t make it through surgery on [date]…” and then she did survive the surgery. She lived many years longer. When she eventually passed away, a dispute arose whether that document was a valid will (since the stated condition – dying in that surgery – did not happen). Such cases illustrate that conditional wills can create legal uncertainty. The courts may have to interpret whether the will was truly intended to be conditional or was just phrased that way out of caution. Generally, UK courts look for the testator’s intent. If it appears the person only intended the will to function for the surgery scenario, the will might be deemed conditional and ineffective for a later death. Here again, the safer route for someone in ill health is simply to make a clear will covering all possibilities (and update it as needed), rather than limiting its scope.