The register (for England and Wales) compiled in 1939 under the National Registration Act is to go online.
Findmypast has sent the following message: “DC Thomson Family History (which owns findmypast) and The National Archives have today announced a joint project to make records of 40 million civilians held in the 1939 register available online. Once digitised, it is estimated that the collection will comprise almost 1.2 million scanned full-colour images of documents covering the entire civilian population of England & Wales at the outbreak of WWII.
The 1939 register for England and Wales
“The 1939 register was taken on 29 September 1939 by the British Government and recorded personal details of individuals in order to issue identity cards and ration books. It later formed the basis of the National Health Service’s records. When complete, the 1939 register will be fully searchable online for the first time, opening up the past to a new generation of family and social historians, just as the 1911 census did on its release in 2009.
“The records contain the address, full name, date of birth, sex, marital status and occupation of individuals, as well as changes of name. Although the Register is literally within living memory for many people, information about living individuals will be kept closed for 100 years from their year of birth, or until proof of death has been authenticated.
“From today, anybody interested in being kept informed about the project can register at www.1939register.co.uk.”
Mary Gledhill, Commercial Director at The National Archives, adds: “We are delighted to be working with DC Thomson Family History to open up this unique record collection to the world, allowing history enthusiasts to discover more about the people at the outbreak of the Second World War. In the absence of a 1931 and 1941 census, this collection is all the more valuable to family historians trying to trace their ancestors.”
None of the above applies to the National Register for Scotland (whose 1931 census was not destroyed during the Second World War). You can find information on obtaining an official extract from the Scottish register at the General Register Office for Scotland’s website.