The Post Office Directory Of Glasgow 1941-1942 Census Substitute

The Post Office Directory of Glasgow 1941-1942 (Digitally Scanned Census Substitute)

Product Description

Step back into wartime Glasgow and trace your ancestors with this essential 1941-1942 Census Substitute.

Due to the cancellation of the 1941 Census caused by the outbreak of World War II, finding where families lived and worked during this specific period can be a challenge. This digitized Post Office Directory of Glasgow 1941-1942 fills that crucial gap, offering a detailed snapshot of life in the "Second City of the Empire" during the height of the war effort.

Whether you are tracing a lineage of shipbuilders, looking for relatives in the tenements of the Gorbals, or researching the commercial landscape of the Clyde, this directory is an indispensable resource for genealogists and local historians.

Product Format & Navigation

Please note that this directory is a high-quality scan of the original book, consisting of digitized images, not a text-searchable database.

• Navigation: Despite being image-based, the directory is intuitively organized alphabetically (by surname for residents and by street name for addresses), making it easy to browse through sections to find your specific entry.
• PDF OCR Feature: Because the files are provided in PDF format, you can utilize the "OCR" (Optical Character Recognition) function found in many modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) to search the text on the fly.

What's Inside the Directory?

This comprehensive volume is split into distinct sections to help you cross-reference and build a full picture of your ancestor's life:

1. Street Directory: An alphabetical listing of streets within Glasgow (including suburbs), showing the head of household or business occupying each property. Perfect for tracking house moves or identifying neighbors.
2. Commercial & Trades Directory: A classified list of businesses and tradesmen. From bakers and butchers to engineers and provisions merchants, this section reveals what your ancestors did for a living.
3. Private Residents Directory: An alphabetical list of the private citizens of Glasgow, typically the heads of households.
4. Official & Municipal Directory: Listings of local government officials, council members, public institutions, churches, and schools.

Historical Context: The Census Gap

The 1931 Census for Scotland was largely destroyed during the war, and the 1941 Census was never taken. Consequently, directories like this are the primary census substitutes for this decade. They provide the only major alphabetical listing of inhabitants available for this specific year, bridging the gap between the 1931 register and the 1951 Census.

Glasgow in 1941: Industry, Sports, and People

This directory captures Glasgow at a pivotal moment in history. The city was a major target during the Clydebank Blitz (March 1941), and the industrial might of the Clyde was vital to the Allied war effort.

• Industry: The directory is dominated by the industries that defined the city: Shipbuilding (John Brown’s, Fairfield’s), Engineering, and Locomotive manufacturing. You will find thousands of entries for the workers and foremen who kept the "Clyde-built" reputation alive.
• Sports: Despite the war, sport continued where possible. The entries for the Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) are prominent. Rangers' manager at the time, Bill Struth, appears in the directory, having led the club to multiple wartime league victories.
• Famous Residents & Births:
  • Sir James Lithgow: The legendary shipbuilder and industrialist, who was a central figure in British munitions production, is listed among the city’s commercial elite.
  • Alex Ferguson: The future legendary Manchester United manager was born in Govan in 1941. While he would not appear in the directory as an infant, his father, Alexander Beaton Ferguson, a shipyard plater, may be listed in the residential or trades sections.
  • Billy Connolly: The "Big Yin" was born in the Docker's flats in Partick in 1942. Again, his father (also William) and mother may be discoverable in the residential listings shortly after his birth.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note: While we have made every effort to include the complete original directory, the original publisher omitted certain maps from this specific 1941-1942 edition. Therefore, no street maps are included in this digital download or CD version.

System Requirements:

• Any computer or device capable of reading PDF files.
• This product is available as an Immediate Digital Download or can be purchased on a CD-ROM.

Reconnect with your Glasgow roots today—add this vital piece of history to your collection!