1939 Register of England and Wales

As the 1931 census for England & Wales was destroyed by fire, the 1939 Register is the closest census-like account between the censuses of 1921 and 1951 (1941 having been cancelled). The National Register took place on Friday 29 September 1939, only 26 days after the UK had declared war on Germany. It details around 41 million people in England and Wales. 

It was was created for the purpose of issuing identity cards to every person in the UK, except military personnel who already had IDs (it does though include military personnel on leave and civilians on military bases). The Register was later utilized for the administration of conscription, issuing of ration books, and to monitor/control wartime population movement. 

Whilst not a census, it is a similarly arranged. It is less detailed, but provides (in theory) exact birth dates - though not birthplace. You will encounter 'officially closed' blacked-out entries, as individuals’ records remain closed for 100 years from their date of birth or until proof of death.

It was continually updated whilst National Registration was in force and after World War Two served as the basis for the NHS (National Health Service) Central Register. The records were still regularly updated until 1991, at which point the NHS moved to a computer-based system.

How to Access

You can search and view digitised images of the 1939 Register and 1841-1921 censuses of England and Wales by subscribing to Findmypast, 'The home of British and Irish family history'. Until at least 2025, it will remain the only site where you can access and search the 1921 census online - available through their 'Premium' package (3 or 12 months) or via micropayments on other packages.

An address search option is available on Findmypast. You can search by street name and town. There is a spelling variant option available for street names.

If you don't specifically need to access the 1921 census of England and Wales, you could join Ancestry - they also hold scans of original census books and returns.

For more information read our blog article The 1939 census: A Valuable Census Substitute.

1939 Register of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands

• An entry from the Scotland 1939 Register can be ordered from the National Records of Scotland, providing the individual has since died.
• For the Northern Ireland 1939 Register you can make an application to NIdirect. You request details by the specific address.
• Records for the Isle of Man and Channel Islands are no longer available.

1939 Register Headings (in bold)

ADDRESS

SCHEDULE [with No. and Sub no. in columns below]

SURNAMES AND OTHER NAMES

O, V, S, F or I
For Institutions only: Officer, Visitor, Servant, Patient, Inmate.

M. or F.

BIRTH [with Day and Year in columns below]

S, M, W, or D
Single, Married, Widowed, or Divorced.

PERSONAL OCCUPATION

Why you may not find a person in the 1939 Register

How can you see your own 1939 record?

To obtain your own information you can submit an online Data Subject Access Request. The form can also be used to submit a request on behalf of another person, providing you have a signed letter of consent. Requests fall under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation.

Notes on the 1939 Register of England and Wales