The 1939 National Register is coming ...

Census

In September 1939 the government produced a register in order to issue National Identity Cards during the war, and the register was later used for rationing and even later as the basis for the registration for the National Health Service. The register records name, address and occupation and is important because the 1931 census records were destroyed during the war, and no census was held in 1941 because of the War,  (The 1921 census exists but is not due to be released until 2022, and the 1951 census will not be released until 2052)

The 1939 register has been released for publication in digitized form and will be available from 2nd November on FindMyPast. I expect the service will be overloaded over the first few days but look forward to looking at my own record, which should show me living in a shop in Swain Street, Watchet, Somerset, as my parents had moved from Hertfordshire a few months earlier.

How to Search the Register

If you use it to find something interesting about your Hertfordshire ancestors why not post  details as a comment below.

The 1939 Register will be coming online

Census returns

Because of the 100 year rule the 1921 census will not be available until 2021. The 1931 census returns were destroyed in the war. There was no census in 1941 because of the war and I do not expect to ever see the 1951 census which will not be available until 2051. However in 1939 there was a register of all people living in this country which was used as the basis or war time identity cards - and the later National Health Service registration numbers.

The following announcement has appeared on the FindMyPast web site:

In 1939, on the eve of World War II, the British government introduced an act that would allow them to gather vital information about the country’s population. This information would inform their decisions on identity cards, rationing, conscription and more, including – eventually – the formation of the NHS. In 2015, for the first time, Findmypast in partnership with The National Archives are publishing the 1939 Register online, providing an unprecedented insight into a country on the verge of war.  We’re currently in the process of digitising all 7,000 volumes that contain the 40,000,000 entries that make up the 1939 Register. We'll be updating regularly on our blog and social media on how that process is going, so stay tuned

Looks interesting for those researching the last 100 years - but for the time being at least this site will be concentrating on local and family history before the end of the First World War. 

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