* My Father in 1939 register

[jelv]

I'm having trouble finding my father in the 1939 register. He was born in 1924 (died in 2013).

I've found his father alone in the family house in Dagenham so the rest of the family would probably have been evacuated. I've found what I suspect is his mother in Ipswich (shown as evacuee) along with one other person whose record is closed. I think this will be his younger brother who is still alive (as far as I know - we are not in contact). The doubt on this record is that the mother date of birth is the correct day and month but the year is 3 years out.

Without knowing where he was, is there any way I can make progress with the search? Requesting the opening of a record needs the address.

[LornaCraig]

Don't be put off by the fact that the mother's date of birth has the wrong year. I have found quite a lot of people who gave the correct day and month for their birth but the wrong year, either deliberately (to pretend to be younger) or through genuinely not knowing their own age.

Although you think the closed record in Ipswich is probably your father's younger brother you could try submitting a copy of your father's death certificate requesting the record to be opened, in case it is your father after all. The worst that can happen is that the request will be declined because it is the wrong person.

Your father would have been 15 in 1939 so may no longer have been at school. In that case he might not have been evacuated. If you know of other relatives he might have been staying with, try searching for them if you haven't already done so.

[AnneEast]

People who were already part of the War effort tend not to appear on the 1939 Register. I know 15 sounds a bit young for that but it is just possible that he was maybe in training at the time.
Anne

[dewilkinson]

I think you should do as Lorna suggests and submit a copy of the death certificate. 1939 register entries are not automatically opened following a death, although FMP have been doing some. I have successfully had several records opened even with evidence other than a death certificate.

[gwilym'smum]

I believe some people have found that on Ancestry a record was open but on FMP it was redacted. I read it depended when the company updated their record set.
Ann

[ColeValleyGirl]

Ann, I suspect it will have been the other way around -- open on FMP but redacted on Ancestry. FMP have the government contract to undo the redactions when appropriate, and supply the updated data to Ancestry (I think, once a year).

[jelv]

I have a feeling that my father might have remained in education past 14 so there is a possibility that he stayed around Dagenham for a while. I know at some stage he was in the RAF working on radios (very suitable for a person who was significantly colour blind!) and spent some time in Iceland.

I'm going to start by looking up all the possible relatives in the area as Lorna suggested - there were a lot!

[gwilym'smum]

Helen
Thank you for clarification I just knew that some people had found ancestors on one site but not on the other, especially when FMP had been laggardly in updating their records.
Ann, stay safe and well.