15 January 2024
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A further 389,600 individuals are now available to search on the 1939 Register for England and Wales, in accordance with the 100-year rule and requests submitted by the public.
The 1939 Register for England and Wales was taken on 29 September 1939 and was designed to capture the details of every member of the civilian population on that date. The register is particularly valuable for family historians as, unlike the censuses, it gives each person's exact date of birth.
Records of individuals included on the 1939 Register for England and Wales are released periodically, either after a death is officially notified, under the 100-year rule or as members of the public advise that an individual has recently passed away meaning that their record can be opened.
Unless a release request is made and authorised or a death officially recorded, the records of individuals usually become available to search once the centenary of that person’s death has passed.
How do I access the 1939 Register?
Only digital records of the 1939 Register are available for members of the public to view. You can search and view open records at Ancestry, FindMy Past and TheGenealogist.
For more on using the 1939 Register, see this blog from the UK National Archives.