Genealogy Chat

Hi.
I am looking for someone on the 1939 register, but he seems to be missing. I have his date of birth , and have searched using that, but no luck. I have just found a newspaper article from 1930 where he is described as a "notorious liar". He was bound over for theft in the article. I have him marrying in 1942 and then again in 1946. The only reason that I can think of him being missing in 1939 is if he is prison. Am I right in thinking that prisoners are not listed on the 1939 register?
Jackie

Prisoners were entitled to rations like everyone else.

He will be on the register, but under the address of the prison, not his home address. As far as I know, the only people not listed were those who had already joined the Armed Forces.

Could his name have been mispelled?


OR ....... if he had not died before 1991 when the NHS stopped updating the Register, then his name might still be "closed", and will not appear.

Have you found his parents, or wife? He might be shown as a closed record at their address.

Thanks both...
I have tried every combination of his name that I can think of, but no luck.
He is not with his parents or his future wives.
He died in 1962 so I would think his record would show on there. He is a real mystery bloke..
He had a habit of disappearing!
:-S :-S :-S

Which sites have you used? Because of transcription errors, the one you can't find on FMP might be on Ancestry or vice versa

Do you want to share the info you have, so that we can try to help

Have you considered that he may have joined up?

Where in the world did he marry in 1942?

I've tried both ancestry and FMP.... Tried a combination of names and dates of birth, but no luck.... His name Is George Charles Frederick Harris,,,dob 14/2/1914.... He was from Plymouth.

He married in St Helens in 1942 (but his address on cert was Plymouth) He was in THe Wiltshire regiment on his marriage cert.
He then marries again in 1946, in Glamorgan (address on cert was Oxford).
I have all the details for his birth, death and marriages etc. I was just hoping to find him in 1939.
Maybe he had already joined up???

Have you found his parents? Are there any closed records that you can’t attribute to other younger family members? Can you compare a 1 & a 2 on the page? Could the transcriber have misread 14 as 24?

As you say, he could have already voluntarily enlisted.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/ff1_conscription.shtml

The Military Training Act of 27 April 1939 responded to Hitler's threat of aggression in Europe. All British men aged 20 and 21 who were fit and able were required to take six months' military training.....

Men aged 20 to 23 were required to register on 21 October 1939 ....

thanks for all your suggestions..
I've tried loads of combinations of his dob and name , but nothing looks likely..
the closed records with his parents are his younger siblings...
looks like he's going to remain a mystery in 1939......

As he has died, you could order a copy of his military records. They would cost £30 and can take a number of months to arrive. Some MC listed the soldier's service number which would be to your advantage.

This is the link for obtaining UK service records:
http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Sometimes info is redacted unless you're a close relative. However, as he died in 1962, there should be no problem. You could always send a copy of the DC you have.

Thanks DetEcTive...
It's my cousin's grandfather so i'll see if she wants to do that....I do have his service no.

He disappeared when her dad was small (her dad was from his 2nd marriage) and was never mentioned again.
I have managed to contact someone who is related to his 1st wife, but he also left that wife suddenly. I was told he traveled up from Plymouth to marry his 1st wife, whom he met when she was visiting her sister who was in Plymouth at the time..
I believe his 2nd marriage was bigamous......

"I believe his 2nd marriage was bigamous......"

Certainly sounds like it. It would take longer than a couple of years to arrange a divorce. Perhaps the 'disappearance' was more likely 'thrown out' by wife #2 especially if he was still philandering.