Genealogy Chat

Christine She would have to have had a ration book, clothing coupon book and ID card in her own right. She could not have used her husband's in the same way that people can go on the back of passports. I am unsure how she would have ben issued with these items without some proof of identity, but she would have had a marriage certificate. She would also have had to prove where she was born as aliens were often treated very differently, particularly if they were German. Many innocent Germans, who had been in this country many years, were interned during the war, simply because they were German, and this caused a lot of hardship where the woman and a young family may have been left to fend for themselves while her husband was interned. So she must have had no difficulty in proving who she was. Janet

Just got back in from work. Thanks for replying everybody. Now nudging this for Christine.

My dad had one produced for insurance purposes when he started work in 1930-something. nell

Greeting's Trish No. 1...... The first time I used my birth certificate as a form of identification was when I was made an Indentured Apprentice....... and it was endorsed on the back MIKE.

Walter And you also know that the last no of your identity card denotes the place you have in the family, your parents being 1 and 2. We remember them well and I can still quote mine much better than I remember my Bank Number! Janet

In 1939 all living persons in Gt. Britain were issued with IDENTITY CARDS as a form of identification ( which like Gas Masks, we had to carry at all times) and this carried a unique number, still remember mine, it was FFSJ/128/3

Trish, Your mother could have had a short form birth certificate and still not known about her step mother as the short form only gives name and date of birth but not parents details. Judith

I have a copy of my maternal Grandmothers birth certificate dated September 1899 and according to the heading issued for the purpose of "the factory and workshop act 1891" she was then aged 13 and starting work in service. it goes on issued for the purpose of the above mentioned act or any purpose connected with the Elementary education or employment in labour of a child under 16 years. Regards Tony

Thanks John, I wasn't born until the mid 50's so all that was past by then - not that I'd have taken much notice of it anyway as a child. Jim, schooling as well? I was trying to work out when my mother (born early 1920's)had a copy of her birth cert - this would have been when she discovered that her mother was really her step-mother. I had just assumed, until now, that it was her marriage to my father.

Trish I wasn't born until 42 but still have my id card so i guess my mother had to prove who we were,not many people had a car & driving licences were fairly basic so i guess birth certs were what people used. John.

Hi John, if I'm reading you right, they would have needed their birth cert to obtain an ID card and get ration books. Many thanks - I must read up on recent history!

They had National Identity Cards then,probably a Drivers Licence,Ration Books. John.

When would a person have needed to produce a birth cert for the first time in the 1940's apart from a passport? Would this have been for a marriage or would they have needed it for some other reason?