A few days ago, I posted a blog about the 1939 Register. The database launched today with much fanfare. Following is an excerpt from an interesting article posted November 1 at the DailyMail website.
It is a remarkable snapshot of a nation plunged into war.
Dubbed The Wartime Domesday Book, the record of Britain in 1939 will go online for the first time this week.
It lists the entire population of England and Wales, from King George VI to ‘general labourers’ and ‘coal hewers’, two common occupations of the day.
…
The typical 1939 woman was Mary Smith, a 35-year-old housewife – or ‘unpaid domestic worker’, as it was amusingly listed then.
The average man was called William or John and was 33. He was either a ‘general labourer or coal hewer’, although the most popular profession was ‘retired’.
