Herefordshire FHS



The 1939 RegisterWhy is it invaluable?Dr. Penny WaltersPhD, MSc., BSc. Hons., Grad. IPM., Dip.HEd., PGCE, PGCert. GenealogySummaryThe UK 1939 Register was?devised to produce 40 million Identity Cards during World War II, when rationing was introduced. The information recorded provides a huge bridge between the last published census (1911) and 1939. People were more ‘honest’ in their information-giving, providing exact date of birth, as they wanted their allocated rations. From 1948, the Register was used as the National Health Service Register, and was updated until 1991, giving women’s new surnames when they got married, hand written above their name. The online UK 1939 Register is a relatively unknown but very useful tool for genealogists from outside the UK. Plan for this sessionwhat is the 1939 Registerwhere does it coverwhere can you find itwhat information was included in itwhy is it usefulpractical exampleother sources from that time periodBackground contextOn 1 September, 1939, Germany marched into Poland, triggering an agreement of mutual assistance between Poland & Britain. On 2 September, Britain issued the Germans with an ultimatum: ‘exit Poland, or a state of war will exist between us.’ On 3 September, war was declared. The 1939 Register was taken on 29 September (26 days after war was declared). It was recently the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War (1 September, 2019). The war officially ended on 2 September, 1945. What is the 1939 Register?2857511557000453390089598500The 1939 Register contains the details of about 40 million people, recorded in more than 65,000 volumes (transcript books) held in the National Archives, Kew, UK (record series RG 101). The 1939 Register is only accessible as a digital record. At the time, the information was?used to produce Identity Cards, which then facilitated the issuing of ration books which were introduced in January, 1940 (80 years ago). Theoretically, people were more ‘honest’ in their information-giving (because of the benefits, such as more rations for those engaged in heavy duty work). People may have concealed or not known information given to Census takers. However, a small number of people were missed out of the 1939 Register, and had to be registered later, and some deliberately failed to register, perhaps because they thought they could avoid being conscripted. Where does the 1939 Register cover?The Register recorded information about people in England and Wales, but a small number of enumeration district books are now missing. The Register does not include the civilian populations of: the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Scotland, nor Northern Ireland. It also does not include 45339009525000service personnel in military, naval and air force establishments, nor does it include members of the armed forces billeted in private homes, including their own homes. However, the records do include: members of the armed forces on leave, and civilians on military bases. Where can you find the 1939 Register?Research Guide - The National Archives Website Find My Past - annual subscription or pay as you goAncestry My Heritage CensusesCurrently, the last available British census to view is 1911; the 1921 census will be revealed in 2021 (Find My Past website). The 1931 census was destroyed during World War II; there was no 1941 census carried out, due to WWII; and the 1951 census won’t be revealed until 2051. Information that can be observed on the 1939 Register36760157620000registration district (RD) letter codeborough, urban district (UD), rural district (RD)address (street name)schedule numberperson number in household (hierarchy)full name: first name, middle name & surnamesex, m/fdates of birth for each personmarital status, S/M/W/D: single/ married/ widowed/ divorcedoccupationneighbours’ detailed informationreference numberscrossings-out & new surnames above girls’ surnamespage number in book (bottom of page)* this is a long list, so the session will look at each in turn *People in institutions Most people were recorded as a member of a household, but some people were recorded as a member of an institution: they are classified with 1 of 5 letters, including: O – officer, V – visitor, S – servant, P – patient, I – inmate. Closed recordsBlanked out entries indicate closed records of individuals deemed to still be alive. Individuals’ records remain closed for 100 years from their date of birth, or until proof of death is produced. Information relating to living individuals is withheld under sections 40(2) & 40(3)(a)(i) - Freedom of Information Act 2000, which has a standard closure period of 100 years. Find My Past annual subscribers can request a check of the closed records free of charge and, if successful, the record will be made available via the online service. In order to access this service, you will be required to provide proof of death, usually by providing a death certificate.Different websitesFind My Past (FMP) website has 1939 Register clickable home page options of searching by: people, map, address, or an advanced search. FMP includes a map, which you can zoom in and out of, and you can scroll down to see ‘Society in 1939,’ whereby you can compare the local area with the rest of England and Wales at the time in statistics and charts, with regard to population, household count, demographics, popular occupations, age breakdown, and popular surnames. ‘Explore life in 1939’ has useful contextualising clickable items including: women’s fashion, evacuation, men’s fashion, rationing, the road to war, and the 1930s home. This is interesting for social historians, or those wanting to contextualise life for a specific family. Ancestry 1939 Register home page has a number of search filters on the left side, and a useful selection of clickable ‘related data collections’ on the right hand side, including 1911 Censuses and Civil Registrations during that period. Scrolling down the page reveals ‘Historical Context.’ My Heritage 1939 Register home page has a different layout, and states it includes 33,094,752 records. Quirkily, their home page gives an example of a famous person who can be found. Women’s married surname added on topFrom 1948, the 1939 Register was used as the UK National Health Service Register, and was updated until 1991. It includes women’s *new surnames* if they got married, hand written above their original name on their family entry. Seeing women’s new married name can potentially lead to finding her marriage record, birth record and records for children.AddressMembers of households are listed and given a person number: 1,2,3,4. Be careful of recording house number not the schedule number, and also be careful of recording ‘ditto’or ’do.’ More relatives living at that address may be on previous/ next page, if the family is the first/ last entry. You can look at neighbours’ information in detail. Extended family may live in same street. Some houses were split into 2 separate sections/ families, so be careful not to confuse the separate families as being related. You can check an address on maps (or compare to old maps). Page numbers reveal the enumerator’s route. My father’s schoolboy entry My father’s entry on Find My Past and Ancestry have different layouts. Both give information about 3 residents at an address in south Wales, and include each person’s full name including middle name, date of birth (DOB), their job or status, and neighbours’ information is above and below this specific entry. My father appears as a schoolboy. My mother’s entryThis includes the usual information of household members’ full names, dates of birth (DOB), job or status, and neighbours’ information. However, there is an unknown little girl recorded, who may have been an evacuee. Additionally, my mother’s schoolgirl twin sister is at another address, and therefore every household has its own story.48196509017000EvacueesIn the 1st 3 days of WWII, 1.5 million+ civilians, including children, mothers, pregnant women, teachers, carers and the disabled were moved out of cities. This exodus was codenamed ‘Operation Pied Piper.’ At their final destination, children were lined up, and people would point and say ‘I’ll take that one.’ Parents entrusted their child into the care of a total stranger, and whilst many enjoyed/ tolerated their time away (years), some were mistreated or suffered abuse. So, the children of a family you are searching for may not be with city parents.Stated occupationsOccupations stated can be researched further through various means, utilising maps, histories, internet search engines, books, trade records. Women were often labelled as being engaged in ‘unpaid domestic duties.’ Those engaged in ‘heavy work’ received more rations. 48641003556000The records don’t always show the stories underneathMy dad was at school in 1939, and voluntarily joined the army on 17 June, 1943, 2 weeks after his 18th birthday. I have his war tin, of things he took into war with him, and it includes his war diary, which details snippets of information and a log of his whereabouts. This included marching through Ardennes, Brussels, Netherlands, Germany, Calais, and Hamburg. He was still only aged 20 in 1945. The tin included a very sad poem about the wounding and then death of his best friend. Stay positive: my parents’ marriageWorld War II ‘ended’ on 2 September, 1945. Because exact addresses are on 1939 Register, you can search for routes. My dad’s route to my mum’s house was a 2 minutes’ walk, 0.1 mile (the next street), past Emmanuel Chapel (where they met) and The Church of LDS. Other useful UK sources around the 1939 period:UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Interactive map showing the impact of Second World War air raids Bombing Britain: an air raid map uses wartime data from The National Archive (TNA) collection to pinpoint more than 30,000 UK locations that were subject to air raids over the course of the Second World War – including the first attack on 16 October 1939.Sainsbury’s supermarket archives include newspaper adverts urging housewives to register their ration books as soon as possible; company instructions during wartime about: rationing, air raid policies, price changes, special offers & promotions, product availability; and photographs of paper bags featuring comments about thrifty shopping. In summary, the 1939 Register is invaluable because:It gives people’s full name, dates of birth, marital status, occupation, full address, household hierarchies, neighbours’ detailed information, (future) marriage surnames, different websites have different layouts & information, interaction with maps, can use in conjunction with other archives.017272000Stay in touch: penny_walters@searchmypast.co.uk Books available on Amazon in paperback and kindle: ‘Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy’ And‘The Psychology of Searching.’ ................
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