What Is The 1939 Register?

The 1939 Register bore almost all the hallmarks of a decennial UK census – without actually being one. Taken a few weeks into World War II, it is sometimes termed the ‘Wartime Domesday Book’.

The 1939 National Register is hugely significant, particularly for researchers of English or Welsh ancestry. This is because the 1931 Census for England and Wales was destroyed in a fire during the Second World War, whilst the scheduled 1941 UK census was ultimately cancelled. So apart from the 1939 Register, there are no England or Wales census records between the censuses of 1921 and 1951.

Whilst 1921 census records are yet to be released, many 1939 Register records are available through Findmypast (subscription required).

Which 1939 Register records are available to view?

An individual’s personal records cannot be disclosed whilst that individual is still alive and a maximum life expectancy is assumed of 100 years. By default, therefore, the personal details of individuals born over 100 years ago are publicly available.

The 1939 Register, unlike standard censuses, was continually updated and later evolved into the NHS Central Register, which was maintained up until 1991. As a result, details of individuals who were born less than 100 years’ ago, but whose death was recorded in the Register up until 1991, are also generally available.

In addition, Findmypast has been matching the 1939 Register against indexes of deaths in England and Wales. As a result, the personal details of individuals who have died since 1991, and whose death has been recorded by Findmypast, are also now publicly available.

However, millions of 1939 national register records are still closed. If you are researching an individual who you know has died, but their 1939 register records are closed, you can apply for these register records to be unlocked. You will need to provide evidence of their death, such as a death certificate. Please see below for more details.

1938 – Countdown To World War II

As the winter of 1938 approached, Britain prepared itself for the possibility of war with Germany. Although Britain’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had returned from Germany on 30 September 1938, brandishing a piece of paper and declaring ‘peace for our time’, it soon became clear that Germany had no intention of honouring the terms of the Munich Agreement.

In December 1938, the Government proposed that, in the event of an emergency (i.e. war), a National Register should be created and it should be used to provide some proof of identity for each UK based individual.

29 September 1939 – National Registration Day

On the same day that war broke out, the National Registration Bill was read in the House of Commons. Two days’ later, the National Registration Act was passed. This announced a ‘National Registration Day’ on which everyone must register their personal details. The registration details collected would enable the immediate issue of National Identity Cards. It would be only the second time that Britain had used a National Register – the first time being in 1915, in similar circumstances, although that register was not used for rationing or identity cards (and unfortunately does not survive).

‘National Registration Day’ was fixed on 29th September 1939 and around 41 million people were recorded.

Why Was A National Register Taken?

The last decennial UK census was in 1931 and considered too old to be reliable. There were many reasons why up to date population statistics were considered essential to meet the administrative demands of war. Labour and food resources needed to be managed and soldiers needed to be conscripted. National identity cards and ration books needed to be issued correctly. Also, a National Register would help preserve family contact at a time of population dispersal and mass evacuation.

To summarise, the National Register was a means to achieve various ends at a time of national emergency; it was not primarily a study of population statistics. For this reason, the National Register is not a census in the true sense of the word.

Procedure

The General Register Office (GRO) was tasked with administering the 1939 National Register. The collection of personal information was to follow the procedure that had long been established for the ordinary decennial UK census. As the next UK census was scheduled for 1941, much of the planning had already taken place and this partly explains why the National Register was taken so quickly.

• The UK was divided and sub-divided into a total of 1400 enumeration districts (ED) – the aim was to ensure no district held more than 300 individuals.
• 65,000 enumerators were allocated to each enumeration district.
• In the week before ‘National Registration Day’, enumerators delivered a household schedule (aka a household form) to every head of a household in the UK. Separate forms were issued to institutions including hospitals, prisons or military establishment (for enumerating civilians on their premises only). Visit Findmypast for a selection of the various forms and instructions issued to every household and institution.
• On National Registration Day, each head of a household (or other establishment/institution) was to complete this form, listing anyone who spent the night. People who arrived the next morning were also to be included, provided they were not included anywhere else.

National Registration Day day fell on a Friday and it is after this point that the procedure diverged somewhat from that applied to an ordinary UK census.

• On the days following National Registration Day, the enumerators revisited each household (or other establishment/institution) to collect the household schedules. Enumerators who were unable to collect schedules at the first attempt, had to keep revisiting until all the schedules had been successfully collected.
• When collecting the household schedules, the enumerators were to immediately issue National Identity Cards to every individual listed.
• The information supplied in the household schedules was then copied into transcript books by the enumerators.
• The transcript books were then forwarded to the National Registration Office whilst the household schedules were initially sent to the local food office for the planned issue of ration books. Unfortunately, the household schedules do not appear to have survived and only the transcript books are currently available.
• Unlike a standard census, the volumes of records were organised along local government boundaries rather than by district. This is because local government was responsible for food rationing etc.

Who Was Registered?

Around 41 million civilians were recorded on 29 September 1939. Members of the armed forces and people employed or engaged (or normally employed or engaged) on ships were excluded. However, members of the armed forces on leave were included. Also, remember that many men were not conscripted until January 1940, so even if you are researching an individual who fought in World War II, they may still be registered.

The Transcript Books and information recorded

The transcript books can be hard to read and understand. As discussed already, the National Register was constantly being updated – potentially, up to 1991. Registered women who later married, or remarried, would have their surnames amended, often more than once (and often, frustratingly, long after the effective date). To make things worse, these transcript books lacked adequate writing space which meant that parishes and villages were not clearly defined. Remember also that there was a war on and things were a little rushed!

The following personal details were held in the National Register and are contained in the transcript books which are now available to the public:

• Postal address.
• Full name.
• ‘OVSPI’ i.e. Officer, Visitor, Servant, Patient, Inmate. This question only applied to individuals enumerated in institutions, so in most cases it was left blank.
• Male or female.
• Date of birth.
• Marital status.
• Occupation.
• The Enumeration district Number. This was a four letter code that identified the district. The first three letters identified the area code – please visit Findmypast for more details regarding these codes and the 1400 districts identified by them. The last letter identified the enumeration district.
• Schedule number. This was allocated to each household or institution.
• Schedule sub number. This was allocated to each individual in a household or institution, starting from ‘1’. So if a household contained five occupants, the schedule sub-numbers would range from 1 – 5.

Unlike the 1931 census, the 1939 register did not ask for an individual’s place of birth or relationship to the head of household. On the other hand, unlike the 1931 census, the 1939 register did, helpfully, ask for a precise date of birth and this can be very helpful in tracing birth certificates.

National Registration Identity Cards and Numbers

An individual’s National ID number was created from a string of the Enumeration District Number, Schedule number and Schedule sub-number.

The National Registration Identity Card was to be carried at all times. Children’s cards were to be kept by their parents. The card had to be produced on demand by a policeman, or within 48 hours at a police station.

There were, in fact, several types of Identity Card, including:

• The light brown National Registration Identity Card (1939 – 1943). This was the original style of Identity Card.
• The light brown under 16 years National Registration Identity Card.
• The blue National Registration Identity Card (from 1943). This replaced the old buff coloured card for over 16 year olds only.
• The green National Registration Identity Card. This type of card included a photograph and was issued to Government officials. (Remember that servicemen had their own forms of identification.)

The National Registration Identity Card contained a change of address section and it was very important that this was kept up to date.

These ID cards continued to be issued until the National Registration Act was repealed in February 1952. However, from 1948 to 1991, the National Register was also used as the NHS Central Register and the National ID numbers doubled up as NHS Numbers. The original National Register records are now held by NHS Digital.