1939 Register up and running (Part 3)

[ScouseBoy]

Am I right in assuming that you entered everyone who normally lived at your address, whether or not they were there at the time, unless they had already enlisted and were in Army barracks or had been evacuated? So if you were on holiday you were entered at your home address? I've seen a few references to "Perhaps he was away from home that night."

   I have looked at the address at which I know that the husband was an officer in the Merchant Navy.  The wife is shown as being resident. But the husband  appears not to be listed.

[dawnsh]

If you were not at home on Friday 29 September 1939 (away on holiday) you would not have been able to complete a form for collection on the Sunday or Monday for the issue of registration cards.

In theory you should have been recorded away from home as the early evacuees were.

[groom]

So did that mean some registration/identity cards were issued with the wrong address, or were they filled in correctly when actually issued?

[Nanna52]

Am I right in assuming that you entered everyone who normally lived at your address, whether or not they were there at the time, unless they had already enlisted and were in Army barracks or had been evacuated? So if you were on holiday you were entered at your home address? I've seen a few references to "Perhaps he was away from home that night."

   I have looked at the address at which I know that the husband was an officer in the Merchant Navy.  The wife is shown as being resident. But the husband  appears not to be listed.

I wonder if that is what happened to my cousin Horace Vincent.  I have tried every way to find him.  He was a fitter by trade and served in the Navy in WW1.  I have medal index for him in WW2 in the merchant navy.  Would he have joined up so early? 

[Guy Etchells]

It would appear that people are still confused over this 1939 thing!

1. It was not a census!
I do wish people would stop calling it the "1939 census"!
That just confuses others as to what to expect.

To be pedantic it was a census as a census is an official count or survey and the 1939 National Registration was certainly an official count or survey

However like the Domesday Book, the 1939 National Registration does not include the same particulars as a modern decennial census and it did not take place under the same regulations as the decennial census.

Cheers
Guy

[coombs]

It would appear that people are still confused over this 1939 thing!

1. It was not a census!
I do wish people would stop calling it the "1939 census"!
That just confuses others as to what to expect.

2. It was not arranged by Registration District!

What is wrong with naming it a 1939 census? As Guy said to be pedantic it was a census as it was an official count. It listed address, names, occupations, who was there that day and gave DOB's which census did not give, but 1939 does not give POB's (Place of births) like 1851-1921 censuses did.

[KGarrad]

Quoting from The National Archives:

Whilst the 1939 Register is not a census, it is arranged along similar lines and includes similar, if less detailed, information.

See also:
http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/1939-register-census-census/
"The 1939 Register - When is a 'census' not a census?

[ReadyDale]

So the governement don't call it a census (thankfully, otherwise it probably wouldn't have seen the light of day until 2040 - if ever!).
The dictionary defines a census as "an official enumeration of the population, with details as to age, sex, occupation, etc. " for which it seems to fit the bill fine.
Maybe if it was called census with a small 'c' that would be OK? 
As to "other's expectations" being confused, there are various flavours of census (compare 1841 with 1911 and everything in between). This is just another variation.

[clairec666]

Doesn't really matter whether it's "officially" a census or not, does it? I don't really mind what people call it...
It's similar to the earlier censuses in a lot of ways, with the slight downside of birthplaces not being recorded, but the bonus of having dates of birth to compare against the death index.

I've learned so much from the 1939 register so far, and I've barely begun...