Saturday 19 May 2018

Our Wynne family in the National Register of 1939

On 29 September 1939, during the earliest days of WWII, the British government compiled a National Register of its civilian population. The Register would have many uses, but initially it was used to issue ID cards and ration books, as part of the War effort. The details for England and Wales are now available online, and included my Wynne family, who had emigrated to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.[1] And, as you know, I like to collect every snippet of information concerning my direct ancestors. 

My great-grandfather, Patrick Wynne, died on 21 December 1937, so it was his wife, my great-grandmother, Teresa (Carroll) Wynne, who headed up the Wynne family, in Newcastle, in 1939.  She was one of five people living in their home - 297 Two Ball Lonnem, Fenham.

Teresa resided with her second eldest son Brendan, born in 1908, and her eldest daughter Eileen, born in 1916. But, the identity of the two other household members is officially closed. The records of anyone born within the last 100 years, who are still living, or who died after 1991, are restricted, for privacy reasons.

Patrick and Teresa had eight children.  By 1939, their eldest son Maurice was married and heading up his own household at 11 Waverdale Avenue, Newcastle, while my grandfather Kevin lived back home in Dublin. This leaves Brian (1918-1969), Nora (1920-2000), Terrence (1922-1993) and Laurence (1924-1993) unaccounted for in the survey. The records for the three youngest are likely still closed, but we should be able to locate Brian Wynne, who died well before 1991. Yet, there is no sign of him.

Newcastle was a major port and industrial centre in 1939 and an attractive target for German bombers. Young children were removed from the city to the countryside, during the War, but the National Register was probably enumerated long before the evacuation started.  So, it isn’t clear which two of the four youngest were living at home with Teresa.

The following information can currently be gleaned from the Register: -

Name
Sex
Birth date
Status
Occupation
Teresa Wynne
F
10 May 1888
Widow
General Dealer
Brendan Wynne
M
6 Apr 1908
Single
Wholesale General Warehouse
Eileen M. Wynne /Johnson
F
22 May 1916
Single
Unpaid Domestic

Eileen married John Walter Johnson in 1950, and her married-name was added to the Register, over time. 

1939 Register, Wynne household, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

[1] 1939 England and Wales Register, separately indexed and available online at ($) Ancestry and ($) FindmyPast. Click on image to enlarge.

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© Black Raven Genealogy

6 comments:

  1. Every single snippet! I feel the same way, no detail is too trivial.

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    Replies
    1. and you never know which little detail will lead to bigger and better things.

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  2. How disappointing to come up against that black line.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, but between now and 2024 it will all be revealed.

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  3. My mother Nora Wynne was still living at home.
    On the day Patrick Wynne died my mother told me they had just finished having lunch together. Patrick Wynne, her father complained of feeling unwell, he was unsteady on the stairs and two of her brothers went to help their dad. He collapsed and I believe she said died on the stairs.
    I do recall Nora (my mother) saying that her brother who grew up in Ireland had come for a visit and was one of two of her siblings helping his father to his room when he collapsed and died.

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  4. That's interesting thanks, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. And thank you for letting me know my Granda Kevin was there at the time. He supposedly had quite a good relationship with his father, and visited fairly regularly.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!