Introduction

Apologies for those waiting for the advertised Parish Registers, however this has reared its head as a result of me having my desktop computer crash. beginning to input notes into a family tree which I have on the laptop, I came across a reference to the 1939 Register. Having a total light bulb moment realised that this just has to be the next article.

When you read this article you will realise that this fills the gap from the last census which was produced, with details of those who were alive in 1911. Not only does this fill the gap, but the detail of those present will also enable you to see who is missing twenty-eight years on. More for you to search for in Marriages and Deaths, could also lead you to the records of the First World War, where they in fact casualties?

Having just read the above paragraph again, I realise just what a goldmine this register is.

Background

This register was taken initially due to the outbreak of the Second World War, the idea was to produce National Identity Cards. However the register was to prove to have a number of uses:

1. It was used as an aid in the use of ration books.
2. Helped to record the movement of the civilian population over the decades which followed the end of the war.
3. From 1948, it became useful in compiling the National Health Service Register

I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, this register helped to cover the twenty-eight years since the 1911 census, which requires a fuller explanation, as mentioned in the previous article on the Census, I noted that these are released every one hundred years. The next one being due for public viewing in 2021 (the 1921 census).

There will be no further census returns available to view until 2051, the 1931 census being destroyed during the Second World War, there was no census taken in 1941 due to the Second World War being in progress.

Thus, to repeat a point this register is vital as we try to piece together the History and location of our ancestors before the outbreak of war in 1939. The contents contain vital information on not only each person in the register, but the household in which they lived.

The register which is held by the National Archives only contains data for England and Wales, omitting households in the remainder of the British Isles.

How The Registers Were Organised

The data was collected on 29th September 1939 by enumerators as in the normal census. These volumes were organised by District or County, then by the Enumeration District concerned. The District or Counties were represented by codes, the Enumeration District by a four or five letter code this was followed by two numbers. The codes were mainly based on those used in the 1931 census.

The Codes which were used for Boroughs and Districts was as follows:

RD – Rural District

UD – Urban District

MB – Municipal Borough

CB – County Borough

Met B – Metropolitan Borough

What Information Is Available!

When it is available you could be able to find the following information:



Name

Sex

Address

Date of Birth

Married or Single

Occupation

Reason for presence (Visitor, Officer, Servant, Patient or Inmate)

Family members

Other household members

Additional Information

It is possible that when you view the image that it could contain extra information in the margin on the right-hand side. This could be that an individual had volunteered as, say, an Air Raid Warden. As these records were also used over a period for tracking the population, it is possible that names have been crossed out, replaced by others, women who got married had their names changed, however this is also very helpful as you try to find out just what happened to who in your family.

Edited Records

Some records have been amended or edited to protect the privacy of those who are still alive, these records will be added to when those whom it applies have their date of birth over one hundred years. This will also apply if a death has been reported to the National Archives.

The National Archives updates the records annually, but if they do not have the information, they cannot amend them.

Conclusion

Do so hope that you found this article to be of interest, you are no doubt wondering where you can view these records apart from at the National Archives. I do know that Ancestry have it indexed, if you are not a member then you can have a fourteen-day free trial. (No I am not an affiliate).

Also, Findmypast.com. Has the register on it, had a quick look last night, found my Aunt on it, noticed that her maiden name had been changed to her married name, both names shown.

Like Ancestry I am not an affiliate, I pay £16.99 a month to have access to all their records, not been on it for a while, but have always found it to be very helpful. Must use it again, it will help to fill in the gaps, where my records are missing, (or I just cannot find them). Like Ancestry they also do a free trial.

Would suggest that you sign up for a free trial with both, at the end if there is one that you like and can afford it, the ability to access so many records will enable you to increase your Family Tree in leaps and bounds. But do be methodical and keep records of who you have searched for where.

Do appreciate that this article is shorter than normal, but wanted to give you facts and not fill it out with waffle or padding.

If you have any comments about The 1939 Register, or any other topic, we would love to hear from you, we do appreciate the time that you take to make such comments, they also help us to understand how you feel about what we write.

At the moment I am not exactly sure what next weeks article will be about, it could depend on if I can get back into my crashed computer, which has at least four, if not five, articles ready to publish.

Be Happy, Healthy and Wealthy.

Stay safe.

Stuart

https://familyhistorythe start.com