What's going on with the 1939 Register?

[kiterunner]

I'm impatiently waiting for the record of my half 1st cousin once removed to be opened - the 100th anniversary of her birth is one week away, so I'm hoping she will appear soon after then.

While waiting, I thought I would check the total number of records each week - on FMP, because obviously the records get opened on there long before they do on Ancestry. I thought that would give me an idea of how often they do an update.

16th Mar 2021 - 34,848,536 records
23rd Mar 2021 - 34,848,670 records
30th Mar 2021 - 42,067,365 records.

?????!

The first two of those weeks, the records shown at the top of the list with no name were in Islington, but now the ones at the top (still with no name) are City of London. I haven't got a current sub to click through and see what's going on. Surely they haven't actually opened up 7 million people's records this week? Have they maybe added empty properties to the index or something?

[Katarzyna]

This is the latest update I could find.

25th Dec 2020 FMP Friday blog.
1939 Register
As home to the biggest and most up-to-date version of the 1939 Register, we’ve just opened over 69,000 previously-redacted records.

[kiterunner]

Thanks, Katarzyna. I have asked on FMP's Facebook page but no answer yet. Maybe they are waiting for "Findmypast Friday" to announce whatever they have done. My best guess it is unoccupied properties (offices and the like).

[Katarzyna]

I'm waiting to see what my mum was up to in 1939. She was a 1st year student nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge or, if not, at home in Rushmere St Andrew in Suffolk I'm assuming. I cannot see her anywhere else.
Mum died in 2012 and I contacted FMP twice, once with her home address and once with details of the Cambridge address last year but they could not find her. She would have been 100 this May so hopefully she should appear somewhere when they open up some more later.

[kiterunner]

I asked on Facebook and FMP's Facebook team don't seem to know why there are so many new records either! I assumed they were waiting till "Findmypast Friday" to announce whatever they had added - I still think it must be unoccupied properties.

[kiterunner]

This week's "Findmypast Fridays" says "Where were your relatives at the outbreak of the Second World War? Find out with a newly-opened tranche of over 95,000 records from 1939. We regularly open previously redacted 1939 Register entries making Findmypast's version the most up-to-date one available online."

Strange, because the total number of records on the "person search" is 42,067,366, just 1 higher than it was over three weeks ago. And no mention of the 7 million records that were added?! My relative who was born 6 Apr 1921 still doesn't show up, but I don't know whether that's because they haven't opened any records since the 100th anniversary of her birth, or because there is no record to open, or her dob is wrong on the Register or what.

[Merry]

Isn't 42m more than the population of England and Wales at that time, and certainly more than the number of people born before 1921?

I could understand the 7m new entries being empty properties or somthing (though the number sounds too big really), but I don't see how the 95,000 they are advertising has not caused an increase in visible records.

[kiterunner]

Same. I don't know whether those 95,000 records were actually opened weeks ago and they just waited for a quiet "Findmypast Fridays" week to announce them, or what.

[Phoenix]

I wouldn't wonder about the number being too high: Dad is on there twice. It's difficult to work out why, but I suspect it is people giving a home address but lodging elsewhere (Dad was in his first term in University)

Be interesting to know whether the totals include the redacted entries?

[Phoenix]

Same. I don't know whether those 95,000 records were actually opened weeks ago and they just waited for a quiet "Findmypast Fridays" week to announce them, or what.

That would be my gut reaction.

[Merry]

My relative who was born 6 Apr 1921 still doesn't show up, but I don't know whether that's because they haven't opened any records since the 100th anniversary of her birth, or because there is no record to open, or her dob is wrong on the Register or what.

You could see how many people are recorded as born 6 Apr in an earlier year and then compare it with the number showing born 6 Apr 1921 to determine whether they have opened those records yet (my guess is that they haven't!). You could do the same for other dates to make an informed guess at where they are up to with blanket openings of records.

[kiterunner]

I might have a go at that later, thanks.

[Ann from Sussex]

Using any of the links in today's FMP Fridays email I can't get into the site: all I get is a message saying it can't be reached. Anyone else having problems?

[kiterunner]

Yes, it looks as though they put some duff links in. You should be able to get to the databases via Search - All Record Sets.

[kiterunner]

You could see how many people are recorded as born 6 Apr in an earlier year and then compare it with the number showing born 6 Apr 1921 to determine whether they have opened those records yet (my guess is that they haven't!). You could do the same for other dates to make an informed guess at where they are up to with blanket openings of records.

Okay, it looks as though they are up to 15th April with opening records where the birth date is more than 100 years ago. So I can give up on finding my relative! I have no idea why the total number of results on the "person search" hasn't gone up in the last few weeks, though.

[Merry]

Okay, it looks as though they are up to 15th April with opening records where the birth date is more than 100 years ago.

and yet they've only opened one record in the last three weeks?

[kiterunner]

Today, the number of records on "person search" has gone down to 34,943,465. Fits with 95,000 records being opened as the total on 23rd March was 34,848,670. But I still don't know what those other 7 million records were which have now disappeared!