Researcher at the Guildhall Library, London

[Nick_Ips]

I had a spare half hour on Friday and managed to get to the Guildhall Library. The staff said they didn't have any Absent Voter Lists held there. They did a quick check on the system and said if it was held it would be at the LMA in the form of microfilm.

Apparently the lists will be in streetname order, so it would be a case of having to look through one street at a time until he is found.

Unless it is possible to narrow the search area down that sounds like quite a task 

[Bookbox]

... Guildhall Library. The staff said they didn't have any Absent Voter Lists held there. They did a quick check on the system and said if it was held it would be at the LMA in the form of microfilm.

As already posted in reply #4 above.

The link I posted there has not persisted, so this is what the LMA research guide says about their Absent Voters Lists:

London Metropolitan Archives holds the following Absent Voters Lists:
•   Balham and Tooting: 1932
•   City: 1937, 1939
•   Deptford: 1932, 1939
•   Fulham: 1920, 1921, 1924, 1926-1929, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1937
•   Holborn: 1932
•   Islington: 1924
•   Lewisham: 1918, 1924
•   Southwark: 1919
•   Streatham and Putney: 1934
•   Wandsworth: 1918-1920
In addition to these separate registers, from 1918 to 1949 for the area under the jurisdiction of the London County Council, absent voters are marked in the normal civilian register of electors with an 'a', and from 1949 to 1979 they are indicated by an 's' for Service voter.

So for New Cross in 1918-1920, your only chance at LMA will be if he was in a street that came under Lewisham at that date, or if he was listed in the normal civilian register, indicated with an ‘a’.

As Dawn has already said, there may be something more at the British Library.

[AncestryPete]

Thank you very much for your help, it is sincerely appreciated.

[dawnsh]

There is an Albert Henry Bird listed in Wandsworth Constituency in 1918 and 1919 with his regiment, rank and number in Sellincourt Road.

What's the link to New Cross?

[AncestryPete]

Hi Dawn
that is another man of the same name, he was a book seller living at 188 Sellincourt Road Wadsworth and confused me until I noted that his wife was Elizabeth Phoebe, there were 3 men of the name within a few miles, another in St Olaves who later married to Florence Mary, and one in New Cross. 

The one we're after is the New Cross man, trying to find his address in 1918, he was home by 1920 living with his wife Eva and son at 2 Mostyn Road, Lambeth.

thanks

[dawnsh]

when and what's the address in New Cross?

[AncestryPete]

When would be 1917-1919

It is the address that I'm trying to find, that's what I'm after

From memory I thought that the AVL was a 2 or 3 page appendix to the main listing which just gave the names, home addresses and regiment of the absent men from that district.

thanks Pete

[dawnsh]

yes, but why specifically New Cross?

In 1907, they married in Kensington, in 1911 they were in Willesden and in 1920 he was in Lambeth.

[jonw65]

Absent Voters Lists (held at the Guildhall and not on Ancestry/FindMyPast)

UK, Absent Voter Lists, 1918-1925, 1939
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61320

Has the Lewisham one, but New Cross is more Deptford?
Also includes Islington, Autumn 1919, which the LMA seemed unaware of.
Albert and Eva are at 3 Mostyn Road in 1920 (but I don't think there earlier)
Haven't come up anywhere in 1918-19 via a search (Eva would probably have been 30+ so she should appear as well), ancestry have indexed the electoral registers using OCR and many names are missed.
John