from a family historian’s point of view the Second World War remains intriguing, because while we certainly do want to learn about the broad brush of history, we also hanker after the specific details of our family and their role in the events of yesteryear. With this aim in mind, the 1939 Register, taken on Friday 29 September that year, is an ideal record to learn about our families on the brink of the dark years of war that were to follow.
A roll call of the nation, the 1939 Register records the names, birth dates, addresses and occupations of all civilians (babies, children, men and women) in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s a record of the existence and whereabouts of our ancestors on one particular night – almost as though, peering back into the past, we find that time, for just a moment, has stood stock-still.
Look closely and you will likely see further clues too. The finding of a child in a place far from home may