There was the 1939 registration but I believe that is subject to the 100 year rule as well, as it does still exist - unless someone knows different, of course :) It isn't as comprehensive as a census because it wasn't intended for that purpose. It was used as the basis for either the NHS or NI so they will be extra careful with that even though the numbers used in the original are no longer used today The NHS did not exist until 1948 though I do not know when N.I. payments started, before, after or during the war. Frankly with the way they allow hard drives, and so forth, containing sensitive material to go astray nowadays - any excuse about the above registration containing sensitive material is totally irrelevant. Mick

Hi, Mick & LIsters ! I think you will find that the 1939 Registration was carried out so that the Government could issue the National Identity Cards which were issued to everybody ? I still have mine even though I was only 10 1/2 when the War ended. There were 4 letters and 4 numbers on them for example ABCD 123/1; I have not given my actual number as I still use the 4 numbers as my PIN on my bank card and credit cards ! You can actually work out the individual's position in a family by the 4th number as the father was "1", the mother was "2" and the children were numbered from "3" onwards. Best Wishes ! Roger. --------------------- On 21 Oct 2008, at 17:38, Csgen50@aol.com wrote: > > There was the 1939 registration but I believe that is subject to the > 100 year rule as well, as it does still exist - unless someone knows > different, of course :) It isn't as comprehensive as a census > because > it wasn't intended for that purpose. It was used as the basis for > either the NHS or NI so they will be extra careful with that even > though the numbers used in the original are no longer used today > > > The NHS did not exist until 1948 though I do not know when N.I. > payments > started, before, after or during the war. > > Frankly with the way they allow hard drives, and so forth, containing > sensitive material to go astray nowadays - any excuse about the above > registration containing sensitive material is totally irrelevant. > > Mick >

Csgen50@aol.com wrote: > The NHS did not exist until 1948 though I do not know when N.I. payments > started, before, after or during the war. The 1939 registration was originally intended to be used for the issue of ration books. It also had the benefit of finding out who the able bodied men were of the right age. Rationing continued until the 1950s. Like I said, the 1939 registration was used as the *basis* for the NHS or NI system, not that the 1939 registration was used to start either system in 1939. 8>< snip