Civil Defence Research

[pete th]

I’ve just come across a document on Ancestry which is great for WW2 civil defence research. The 1939 England & Wales Register lists out the names, addresses, date of birth, job and the really interesting “Notes” column next to each name. It’s only a snapshot in time but very interesting. The Notes column records whether they had a Civil Defence role, e.g. first aid post, ARP Warden, volunteer police, auxiliary fire service, etc (too early for Home Guard). I’ve just found out my Grandad was an ARP Warden (too old to serve). I’m guessing the register was established specifically for conscription (by 1939 everyone knew war was inevitable).

Best regards
Pete

[Wendi]

Hi Pete,

The register was established for various reasons. I lifted this from Ancestry Historical Context

Initially taken due to the onset of war with the purpose of producing National Identity Cards, the register later came to be multi-functional, first as an aid in the use of ration books and later helping officials record the movement of the civilian population over the following decades and from 1948, as the basis for the National Health Service Register. The 1939 Register is an extremely important genealogical resource, not only for the rich detail and information recorded for each person and household, but also in helping to bridge a thirty-year gap in census data. The census taken in 1931 was destroyed during the Second World War and no census was carried out in 1941 due to the ongoing conflict. The register, as held by The National Archives, contains data only for England and Wales and does not include records from households in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Wendi

[pete th]

Thanks Wendi, much appreciated

[mack]

why are there loads of censored names

mack

[pete th]

Hi mack, I wondered about that as well, I don't know the answer 🙂

[Wendi]

From FindmyPast :

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Redaction and the 1939 Register

The Findmypast team
17 March 2015
Because of data protection, there are several things we can't show you on the 1939 Register. Discover the impact this restriction has on the 1939 Register

You've probably noticed that a number of individuals' information have been redacted from the records, meaning that when viewing a household, there may be one or more members whose information is unavailable to view.


This is to maintain the privacy of those who were obliged to supply their personal information to the enumerators of the 1939 Register. Although the Register isn't a census, and therefore isn't subject to the rules and restrictions that censuses are, personal information about living people is protected under Data Protection Regulations. That's where this redaction comes in.
When the Register was taken, it was with the understanding that the records would remain closed for the duration of the lifetime of the individuals listed. In the case of censuses, this same understanding is enshrined in law, meaning that all of the individuals listed are unavailable to view for 100 years and one day after the census being taken.

Wendi

[Bob.NB]

I think that some have been redacted because they may still be alive - GDPR and all that.
Bob B

[PhilipG]

Being still alive, I expect my name has been redacted from the 1939 Register.   I can still remember the number I was given at that time and I can also remember my RN rating's number given me in 1942, but I cannot remember the passwords needed to access the Forum as required by Wendi years ago.    How strange.    PhilipG.