The 1939 National Registration has recently been released in digitised format, after much excitement. It was previously under NHS administration, and only they could conduct searches of this useful twentieth century record. But what information does it provide? And why was it created in the first place?
The 1939 National Registration represents a census-like document of all non-military personnel as of 29th September 1939, which records formed the basis for Second World War identity cards.
The information given includes address, name, exact date of birth, marital status and occupation. The key to genealogists here is that exact dates of birth are given, not just an age.
As well as this, the 1939 National Registration fills in a gap in the genealogical records: the 1921 census is governed by a 100 year confidentiality ruling so will not be available for another six years, the 1931 census was destroyed in a fire, and the 1941 census never taken.
Thus, the 1939 National Registration is an important document for twentieth century genealogical research. Contact us today to find out where your relatives were living in 1939.
