BillyH Posted 27 November , 2019 Share Posted 27 November , 2019 A Great War veteran I am researching has the job title on the '39 Register (attached below). Unfortunately a piece of Sellotape has been stuck over the last bit He was living near Ilford, and it reads "Clerk at Food Department (defence ???)" Does anything spring to mind please? BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 27 November , 2019 Share Posted 27 November , 2019 Defence company ? The National Defence Companies (something like the RDC from what I can see) were called up on the outbreak of war but if he was an important job he may not have been called up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defence_Companies Men had to be aged 45-60 so a WW1 veteran could easily make it. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 27 November , 2019 Share Posted 27 November , 2019 (edited) 37 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said: Defence company ? The National Defence Companies (something like the RDC from what I can see) were called up on the outbreak of war but if he was an important job he may not have been called up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defence_Companies Men had to be aged 45-60 so a WW1 veteran could easily make it. Craig Possible - but the Register was taken on the 26th September 1939 and those who had already been mobilised were supposed to be excluded. Civil Defence roles are normally in the next column across - the first on the facing page. The National Defence Companies and the Home Guard I suspect sit somewhere between Civil Defence and the Army, but I have seen examples of men in both those units recorded on the register. It may be just a question of ink drying at a different rate but the slash after "Department" seems like a subsequent addition. I've just been working on the names on WW2 memorial thats away from my normal geographical area of interest and looking for details on the Register. I been coming across a lot of instances of individuals working as, for example, a Mattress Stuffer \ Sewing Machinist Kit Bags and Sand Bags, etc,on "Govt. contract" or for "Air.Min", (i.e. Air Ministry), which I've not seen before. Coming at it from that perspective is it possible that the wording is "Defence.Min". Although the Ministry of Defence wouldn't come into existence until May/June 1940. it's precursor was the Ministry for the Co-ordination of Defence, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)#History - which is a bit of a mouthfull to get into the space available Cheers, Peter Edited 27 November , 2019 by PRC Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyH Posted 27 November , 2019 Author Share Posted 27 November , 2019 2 hours ago, PRC said: It may be just a question of ink drying at a different rate but the slash after "Department" seems like a subsequent addition. It is actually a bracket, not a slash, but I had unintentionally clipped the bottom of it off. BillyH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 27 November , 2019 Share Posted 27 November , 2019 Can you not search the register just by occupation and see who else is a "clerk at food department, defence ??". 'home' is the word that sprang to my mind. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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