1939 Register

[Megan Roberts]

I have been looking through the records since they became part of the standard package and have noticed a few things that might be of interest / use to others:

If you find an error in the transcript it is well worth reporting it because I have been very impressed by the speed with which they have responded to and corrected some of the ones I have reported. It's not the most intuitive layout to find how to report an error so for those who haven't found it yet:

At the bottom right hand side of the transcription page there is a button entitled "make a request". Click on that and scroll down to the 5th option "report an error".

If you can't find someone when you use an exact birth date, try limiting it to the year, because I have noticed quite a few transcription problems with the month (e.g.: "Jun" transcribed as "Jan")and the day, particularly where information has been added at a later date, as some the numbers can be difficult to read.

If you can't find someone where you expect to find them, remove the location criteria. I have just found someone living in Rugby, when I would have expected them to be either in South Wales or London.

I would avoid searching using an occupation criteria, as many of the occupations given are descriptive e.g.: "2nd helper in tinplate worker" or "Colliery shot man heavy worker".

Always have a look at the original. The transcript of my grandparent's record shows that there are 5 closed records, which puzzled me, because I knew that although I knew that they had 5 children, I also knew that eldest had long since left home. When I looked at the original there are only 4 closed records.

And finally you can discover things that you did not know before. One of my great aunts died from TB in 1943, and because she did not marry, my mum and her siblings were close to her, as she probably spoilt them. I used to hear stories about the sweet shop she had, and how smartly she was always dressed, but never did I hear that she had lost her sight at some point, but that's what the Register reveals. Whether this is related to the TB, I don't know.

[Guy Etchells]

In addition to what Megan writes I would suggest you start with just names and year of birth at first and only add additional details if required to reduce the number of returns.

It can also help sometimes to search for other family members rather than the original person if you cannot find the person you are searching for.

Cheers
Guy

[Hector]

I too have been delving into the 1939 Register to try and find my Mother in Law, without success.
I thought the register was a snap shot of one date in 1939 but it appears it was amended during the War.
In looking for Winifred Berry (nee Wells b 6/06/1911), I thought I'd try some of her relatives and found that Violet F Rose, born 5/02/1923, had her Surname altered to Mathews but she didn't marry him until 1943 but the entry stayed as single.
It's good for establishing proper dates of birth though.

[Megan Roberts]

The 1939 Register was amended to take account of name changes because it was used as the basis for issuing rationing cards and for the NHS patients lists when first established after the war.

The following is taken from the FMP site:

"The 1939 Register is one of the most important twentieth century genealogical resources for England and Wales. The 1931 census was destroyed by fire. No census was taken in 1941 because of the war. So the 1939 register is the only national census-like resource available for this period.

Once war became inevitable the British Government knew they had to issue National Identity cards. They planned for the wide-scale mobilisation of the population and the eventual introduction of rationing. The most recent census was now almost a decade old, so more up-to-date statistics were needed. Some preparations had already begun for the 1941 census, so the Government capitalised on this to take a register of the civilian population. They issued Identity cards immediately afterwards (which were used until 1952).

The Government constantly updated and changed the 1939 Register over time to take account of changes of address or deaths. When they introduced rationing in 1941, they planned it with information from the 1939 Register. The 1939 Register eventually formed the basis of the NHS registration system. "

[Guy Etchells]

I too have been delving into the 1939 Register to try and find my Mother in Law, without success.
I thought the register was a snap shot of one date in 1939 but it appears it was amended during the War.
In looking for Winifred Berry (nee Wells b 6/06/1911), I thought I'd try some of her relatives and found that Violet F Rose, born 5/02/1923, had her Surname altered to Mathews but she didn't marry him until 1943 but the entry stayed as single.
It's good for establishing proper dates of birth though.

The 1939 National Registration was updated not only throughout the war as first envisaged but right up until 1991.

Changes of Surnames are often (not always) recorded but they may be recorded long after the change of surname occurred.

In the case of women marrying the change of surname on the register was normally quite soon after the marriage but in the cases of male changes of surname (such as a child using the name of their step-father) the changes might not appear until the child changed doctors when leaving home for instance.

However be aware that not all changes of surnames actually occurred, I have an instance of a person who had a change of surname recorded when she was staying with her married sister.
I assume she visited her sister’s doctor and for some reason was recorded under her sisters married name (her own married surname being scored out and replaced with the surname of her sister’s husband).

Cheers
Guy

[twigger]

You mention you're aunt lost her sight according to the register, however I'd be weary of taking medical conditions in this register as it's more than possible that some people exaggerate their ailments to avoid conscription or being forced into certain areas of civilian support.

Secondly, everyone who died after 1991 is currently a closed record unless requested. So if you are searching for an ancestor born before 1916 and they died after 1991 (i.e aged over 74/75 at the time of death) you will need a death certificate to open the record.

[Pam Downes]

You mention you're aunt lost her sight according to the register, however I'd be weary of taking medical conditions in this register as it's more than possible that some people exaggerate their ailments to avoid conscription or being forced into certain areas of civilian support.

Secondly, everyone who died after 1991 is currently a closed record unless requested. So if you are searching for an ancestor born before 1916 and they died after 1991 (i.e aged over 74/75 at the time of death) you will need a death certificate to open the record.

Sorry, that's not true. My mother, her brother, and one of her brothers-in-law who died in 2001, 2002, and 1994 respectively all have their records open. I'm the only person who is likely to request the records to be opened and I haven't done. I know FMP have been doing some reconciling of death registrations to the 1939 Register themselves.

The person whose record I have had to request they open is my dad's - and he died in 1982.

Pam

[twigger]

Sorry, that's not true. My mother, her brother, and one of her brothers-in-law who died in 2001, 2002, and 1994 respectively all have their records open. I'm the only person who is likely to request the records to be opened and I haven't done. I know FMP have been doing some reconciling of death registrations to the 1939 Register themselves.

The person whose record I have had to request they open is my dad's - and he died in 1982.

Pam

I'm not sure what's going on. The home-page says that those who died after 1991 will not be open in the register, but they don't mention this on the "Why are some records closed?" page. I don't subscribe to FMP so I can't check whether my relatives are open are closed.

Perhaps they are being opened by FMP through correlation with the death and birth indexes, but that sounds like an almighty task?

[Guy Etchells]

Perhaps they are being opened by FMP through correlation with the death and birth indexes, but that sounds like an almighty task?

Yes it is and yes they are.

As I have often stated and been berated for stating we family historian should be thankful to FMP for the huge investment they have made both in money and manpower in digitising the 1939 National Registration.
This is not a scan and forget project but an ongoing project that will be updated for the next 13 or so years and perhaps longer.
Cheers
Guy

[twigger]

Yes it is and yes they are.

As I have often stated and been berated for stating we family historian should be thankful to FMP for the huge investment they have made both in money and manpower in digitising the 1939 National Registration.
This is not a scan and forget project but an ongoing project that will be updated for the next 13 or so years and perhaps longer.
Cheers
Guy

I'm new to this so I'm not at all sure why you'd be berated for suggesting we be grateful to FMP for bringing the 1939 registration online? Yes, you have to subscribe to see it but is that not the same as many other records such as census on a wide range of sites.

It's a huge undertaking but will hopefully help answer a lot of "What happened to Great Uncle or Aunty X?" type questions..