1939 Register
The 1939 Register is a snapshot of live in England and Wales at the beginning of World War II. It was taken on Friday, 29th September, under the National Registration Act of 1939, an act of parliament introduced as an emergency measure preceding the start of World War II. The register's importance to genealogists is increased because there was no 1941 census, and the 1931 census was destroyed in a fire in 1942.
After WW2, the register was used by the NHS until 1991 and so details were updated, particularly people's names.
One thing to note is that most people who had already enlisted in one of the armed forces were not included in the 1939 Register.
What does the register show us?
- Address, including the house number
- Name – surname (including later amendments for surname changes, with the date the amendment was made (usually written in green)) and forenames
- Gender
- Date of birth – day, month and year
- Occupation
- Marital status
- Occasionally some further notes might be viewable in the right-hand page, such as if someone was an air raid warden.
What doesn't the register show?
There are some details missing, that would have appeared on a census.
- Relationships between household residents
- Place of birth
Redacted records
Records for persons who could still currently be alive (generally under 100 years old when the register was transcribed) are blocked. You can request to have them unblocked by proving that the person is deceased. The first time I searched for my grandmother her sister-in-law’s entry was blocked, when I checked a few weeks later it was viewable, so it’s always worth checking back.
More information
A detailed explanation of the 1939 Register, including search tips, can be found at Lost Cousins.