General Chat

I was wondering whether anyone could help me solve a family mystery. I was investigating the 1939 register and as my parents were married in 1939, I decided to look them up. I could find my father's name, but my mother's name was locked, presumably because she had only died a couple of years ago. However there was a third person, also locked, who was named as living at their address. As my parents had only just married and my brothers had not yet been born, I was wondering who was this mystery person was. I asked my eldest brother, who was not able to help me, but my other brother told me he recalled our mother mentioning a refugee that they had housed during the war. No name, age, whether male or female or even which country he/she had come from, just "a refugee". Is there any way I could find out who this person might have been? All my relatives who were alive at the time and who might have known have now died.
Ro.W

Not really - the entry will only be unlocked when

a) An English/Welsh GRO index entry has been found & matched to say that they have died
b) They would have reached their 100th birthday.
c) Some one knows that they lived with your parents, and submits a copy of their death certificate.

It might have just been an unrelated Lodger. That was quite a common way to make a bit of money.

My mum always had lodgers.their money helped the family finance.she did bed breakfast and evening meal

They were unrelated just paying lodgers,

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there were any refugees as early as September 1939.

Also, wasn't the 1939 Register all done on one day? If so, then it could have been a visitor. There are plenty of those on earlier censuses.

Europeans who saw the writing on the wall were trying to get out of Germany well before we declared war. The Kindertransport started in Nov 1938. Many of those children were from families who'd previously tried to leave together.

Quite interesting reading about the plight of Jews wishing to leave Germany, and the response of the countries they wished to move to.
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005468

An electoral list for the address, found in archives local to the area might show a name ( if the person was entitled to vote )

That was the way I found a 'mystery' person living at my parents' home in Hampshire.
When I looked up his name on freebmd, I found he came from the same area of South Wales as did my mother, so I thought maybe he was a family friend,but my elderly aunts didn't know him.
Further research revealed that like Dad he worked for the GPO, so was probably a work colleague away from his home area, whose lodging money helped the household budget.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Although it wasn't the answer I hoped for it was the one I expected. I've got a couple more options I could try, so I still might find out who this mystery person was.

The evacuations started the 1st September 1939. It was called Operation Pied Piper. Some evacuees would be on the 1939 register as it's the end of September. The plans were started in 1938.

It wasn't just children and pregnant women who were moved. Many documents, art works and museum items plus ancillary staff went to places like Wales. Have you noticed where probates were actioned during the war - Wales.

There were refugees from pogroms during the earlier part of the 20th century (Russia) and from Warsaw (Poland) in the early-1880s.

They weren't the first ones either as I am sure most of you will know.

Unless your parents owned their own house many used to rent rooms at the same address and shared facilities such as baths/kitchens,perhaps this was the case.?

Your parents had the front room.?

very few could afford their own property back then,.especially newley weds

Received as a PM and put on here as a comment for all to see.

there could have been refugees in 1939 . most were children brought out of Germany by the "Kinder Transport". Organized by Jewish people who negociated with officials of the Nazi regime who kept there jewish relizion secret from the Nazis Bob Bromley.

Thank you Bob. I wasn't absolutely sure I was right, because I couldn't remember when the various refugee operations started.

Someone didn't read the thread - see my post 23 Mar 2016 17:15 :-D

I know, but I didn't like to say so. :-D

If the record is closed, then it will a person who was born after 1915, and for whom no death record has so far been found .............

and they wouldn't be on an Electoral Roll

I have a slightly different 'problem'.
I've found my granddad - at home, alone.
I've found my grandmother - visiting friends.
But where are my mum and her sister?
I won't find my mum - she died 4 years ago - abroad, so I was hoping to find her and her sister together somewhere, so I could 'release' her file.
Mum's sister died 6 years ago in the UK, and I can't find her! :-(

Maggie - could they have been evacuated?

Mother-in-law and her sisters were staying with their great aunt away from outer London. If she hadn't said so, I'd never have found her. As it is, I can just about see the top of her married surname. Their records are closed as they are still living.

Another couple of slightly more distantly related people were found were amongst a large number of closed records in deepest Berkshire (might have been Buckinhamshire) I'm guessing they were child evacuees. The address was part of an historical Estate.

Hi Det,
I know my mum and her family were on holiday in Brigg (Lancashire) when war was declared, and that granddad had to get back to Southampton ASAP.
I also know that they, my gran, mum, aunt and uncle (born 1940) were evacuated in 1940, from Southampton to Bournemouth, then to the New Forest, after their house was damaged by a bomb.
I also know that for a while, whilst in the New Forest, mum and her sister were sent to a boarding school - but this was after the registration.
Grandad (a dock worker) stayed in Southampton for the duration of the war, moving in with is mother in law (lucky him!!)
I know the rest of the family weren't evacuated until 1940.
I've tried just my aunt's name - and variations on the theme (I've noticed our extended family weren't too keen on giving out the truth, the whole truth and noting but) - but nothing comes up. :-(

You mentioned before that one side of the family sailed a bit close to the wind ;-)
If they were a little reluctant to comply with 'orders', might they have ended up on the Late Registration list once they realised they wouldn't get rations?

That was dad's side Det. (that gran married an ex Commander and future Tory candidate, solely to give my dad a 'name' on his birth certificate)
This is mum's side.
Grandad a docker, grandmother, treasurer of the local Labour Party. (not that we're a political family - but mum was a Tory, dad a Labour voter - much 'fun' and discussion on a Sunday dinner/lunch table)!!
They waited until gran was 21 before they married in 1925 (without consent), a year after granddad's first wife died - okay so a bit rebellious..
Mum was 9 when the war broke out, her sister, 13. They weren't with their parents - so where were they? They were unlikely to be putting their own details down.

Where can I find the Late Registration?

It is understood that missing persons/streets/areas (i.e. late registrants) would have been entered into the so-called “current” register which was maintained by the State and which also included those arriving in England & Wales, and those born in England & Wales, after 29th September. The current register is closed and was not part of the 1939 Register project.

http://tiny.cc/lx0iay

Confirmed missing places from the same link were
Derbyshire Bakewell RD The western end of the parish of Eyam with the enumeration district letter code of RCCY
Kent Erith MB Ashburnham Road, Beltwood Road, Bullbanks Road, Gordon Road, Mayfield Road, Stanmore Road
(its a work in progress - other places to be added as and when. )