The 1939 Register for England and Wales will be launched on Monday, November 2 by Findmypast in partnership with The National Archives. It will be available online only on Findmypast.
Findmypast said. “It’s the most comprehensive survey ever recorded of the civil population of England and Wales. With the lives of 41 million people captured in one day in September 1939, it’s a fascinating snapshot of a nation on the eve of war.”
The 1939 Register contains the names, addresses and occupations of everyone in England and Wales at the time, and was used as the basis for rationing, identity cards and, in post-war Britain, the NHS (National Health Service).
Until now, the most recent information available was the 1911 census. Owing to the 100 year rule, the 1921 census will not be released until 2022, while the 1931 census was destroyed in the war and the 1941 census was never taken. The 1939 Register therefore bridges an important 30-year gap in history.
There will be some closed records at the time of launch, either because the individual recorded is still living and less than 100 years old or proof of death has not been verified.
At the time of the launch, 28 million records will be searchable. The Register will be updated weekly. Findmypast, working with The National Archives, will have an ongoing process to identify records which can be opened on proof of death provided either by matching against robust data sets or supplied by users. Records will also be opened as people reach the age of 100 years+1 day.
