1939 register

[Guy Etchells]

There are many reasons for inaccuracies on a database such as the 1939 National Registration.
The first and possibly most obvious is due to the current paranoia about privacy.
As Pheno mentioned the 1939 was transcribed in columns (only one column was revealed to transcribers at a time the others were all redacted).

In addition the 1939 was a live document for 53 years, as with any written work use takes its toll and many entries and complete pages have been overwritten when they became faded or damaged.
Other details were added and records amended between 1939 & 1991 for various reasons, marriage, taking step-father’s name, change of doctor, etc.
Proof of accuracy of supplied information was not required, finally in the indexing procedure mistake were made leading to discrepancies between the “original” record and its index.
As with all such datasets check the original not just the index.
Cheers
Guy

[Nanna52]

I agree check the original.  I had a dreadful time trying to find a cousins wife.  Her birth year had been transcribed as 1874 instead of 1894.  When I found her and looked at the original the top loop of the nine was feint.  They didn't have any children and he was in the merchant navy, so not on the register at all.

[patty38]

Thanks everyone lots of info and ideas there, I didn't know it was transcribed in columns sounds a complicated way of doing it, all this privacy lark makes life very difficult.

Right well the dates still look the same on the original and as there is actually four entries for this household, the columns seem okay too.
 
However the household consisted of three sisters and their 15 year old niece (my mother), and only one of the sisters and my mother were in employment. Was there any pension paid in 1939 (showing my ignorance here) if not theirs would have been the only wages coming in the house so maybe she needed to keep her job and lied to do that, if so good for her .

Patty