Kelly's Directory Of Berkshire 1939 Wartime Census Substitute

Kelly's Directory of Berkshire 1939: The Essential Wartime Census Substitute (Digital Download / CD)

Unlock the Doors to 1939 Berkshire: Your Ultimate Wartime Census Substitute

Have you hit a brick wall in your Berkshire family tree? The 1931 census was destroyed in a fire, and the 1941 census was cancelled due to the Second World War. This makes the year 1939 a critical "gap" for genealogists. While the 1939 Register exists, many of our ancestors actively refused to fill it out.

Much like the government distrust and privacy concerns we see today, many civilians in 1939 feared the register was a covert draft for conscription, while others simply didn't trust the state with their personal data. If your relatives were among

those who dodged the official census takers, there is a high chance they are listed right here in Kelly's Directory of Berkshire 1939. Businesses and private residents needed to be found by customers and postmen, making this directory the perfect "census substitute" to track down elusive ancestors.

What’s Inside This Directory? This meticulously scanned digital edition preserves every detail of the original publication. Because Kelly's Directories are strictly alphabetized by parish and surname, navigating the scanned pages is incredibly easy, even without a traditional index. The directory is broken down into highly useful sections:

• County Information & Statistics: Historical, geological, and architectural details of Berkshire.
• Towns & Villages (Alphabetical): Detailed local information for every parish, including local councils, churches, and institutions.
• Private Residents: An alphabetical list of private households, their names, and their street addresses (the perfect census substitute!).
• Commercial & Trade Directories: A comprehensive list of local businesses, from blacksmiths to boot makers.
• Trades Classification: A reverse directory allowing you to find all the people in Berkshire working in a specific profession (e.g., finding all the carpenters or nurses in Reading).
• Official Information: Lists of magistrates, county council members, and local officials.

1939 Berkshire: A County on the Brink of War Reading between the lines of this directory reveals a county transitioning from peaceful rural life to the epicenter of the British war effort.

• Industry & Wartime Prep: By 1939, Slough Trading Estate was a powerhouse. You will find the addresses of workers and managers at major factories like Hawker Aircraft (builders of the legendary Hurricane fighter) and the Citroën car plant, which was rapidly being converted for munitions manufacturing.
• Sport: Football was about to be suspended, but you can find the addresses of players and officials associated with Reading Football Club, who were playing in the Third Division South that very year.
• Famous Residents: Berkshire has always been home to the great and good. In 1939, you may cross paths with the residential listings of literary figures, industrialists, and of course, the extensive household staff and officials connected to Windsor Castle, where King George VI and the Royal Family were residing. (Keep an eye out for the private residences of notable figures connected to the area, such as the late Kenneth Grahame's widow, or prominent figures at the Broadmoor criminal asylum).
• Music & Culture: While the famous Reading Festival was still decades away, the local brass bands, choirs, and theatre managers listed in the trade sections show that local music and entertainment were thriving right up to the outbreak of war.

Cutting-Edge Technology Meets 1930s History While you are purchasing scanned images of the original book, you are not stuck in the past. When you open this PDF on a Desktop PC, modern PDF readers (like Adobe Acrobat or Edge) work magic:

• On-the-Fly OCR: Your computer will read the text directly from the scanned images, allowing you to use the "Find" (Ctrl+F) function to search for surnames, street names, or trades instantly.
• Google Lens Integration: On desktop, simply right-click and use built-in Google Lens to extract hard-to-read text from worn pages or translate sections into different languages.
• Text-to-Speech: Desktop PDF readers can read the extracted text out loud to you—perfect if you are visually impaired or simply tired of reading screens.

Please Note: Text-to-Speech, on-the-fly OCR, and Google Lens translation features are only available when viewing this PDF on Desktop PC web browsers or PDF software. They generally do not work on mobile phones or basic tablet e-readers due to processing limitations.

Important Map Disclaimer Please be aware that due to the ravages of time and the way these directories were previously stored, fold-out maps were often removed, lost, or damaged before scanning. We cannot guarantee the original county or town maps are present in this edition. However, if the maps are included in our scanned file, consider it a fantastic bonus!

Format Options Choose exactly how you want to access your history:

• Digital Download: Get instant access immediately after checkout. No waiting, no shipping fees.
• CD-ROM: Prefer a physical backup? We will mail a CD directly to your door (Please note: this is a data CD for computers, not an audio CD).

Don't let the 1930s census gap keep your family tree incomplete. Add Kelly's Directory of Berkshire 1939 to your cart today and find the ancestors who refused to be counted!