Who lived in your Chiswick home in 1939?

In 1939, on the eve of war, the government recorded the lives of 41 million people living in England and Wales. Taken in 1 day, this information would inform rationing, conscription and post-war services like the NHS. FindMyPast.co.uk, in association with The National Archives, has just launched the 1939 Register online. Explore the Register to discover who lived in Chiswick, W4 – in your home, your street, and your neighbourhood. Dubbed ‘The Wartime Domesday Book’, the Register is the most comprehensive survey of the population ever taken. In September 1939, the Second World War had just broken out. 65,000 enumerators were employed to visit every house in England and Wales to take stock of the civil population. Who lived in your house on the eve of war? There was a population of 49, 251 Chiswick residents. The top male occupation was general labourer and the top female occupation is described as 'unpaid domestic duties'. Sixty eight people in W4 were employed in the notable profession of capstan lathe hand. The Register is particularly significant as the only surviving record of the population between 1921 and 1951. It bridges a 30-year gap in history as the 1931 census was destroyed during the war and the 1941 census was never taken. Each record includes the names of inhabitants at each address, their date of birth, marital status and occupation. Over three million children and adults were evacuated from Britain’s key cities. Andrew Marr presents the 1939 Register on Findmypast: Evacuation in WW2, which reveals the stories of the children and the families they left behind. Find out more about the 1939 Register in the National Archive blog, or join the free interactive webinar. The research guide can also help you start your search. On 8 December, Audrey Collins will deliver a talk at The National Archives building at Kew, about how to use the Register. Book a place here.