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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:08 BST (UK)

Title: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:08 BST (UK)
Can anyone (Stan !!!) tell me what the letters after these men's names mean please
It's from the 1948 electoral roll in Willesden Green.

Thanks

Carol

Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: stanmapstone on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:22 BST (UK)
Hi Carol,
Sorry, I have no idea, there is no explanation at the front of the roll

Stan
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:29 BST (UK)
But I thought you were the fount of ALL knowledge Stan  ;D

Someone suggested it was a link to birth certs,but I don't buy into that one at all.

Thanks anyway- maybe someone out there knows.

Carol
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:35 BST (UK)
I've just googled bxhv and find that the letters come up as a type of plane on an air britain website.

Is it possible that there was some link to the men (father and son?) being in the RAF?

Long shot I know.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Alexander. on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:35 BST (UK)
Maybe a reference to the ballots or some other identifier to distinguish two people of the same name at the same address?

Alexander
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: mazi on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:44 BST (UK)
I wondered if it was a code for why they were not eligible for jury service, as the electoral roll was used to randomly select jurors.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: arthurk on Wednesday 18 June 14 17:55 BST (UK)
The BXHV sequence reminds me of the original NHS numbers - 4 letters followed by a number (mine had a single digit, I think my wife's had 3). We were both born well after the war, but I think I once read that the NHS numbering system was a continuation of that used for national registration during WW2.

Having said that, I've no idea why these numbers should appear in an electoral register...

Arthur
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: rosie99 on Wednesday 18 June 14 18:15 BST (UK)
Maybe a reference to the ballots or some other identifier to distinguish two people of the same name at the same address?

Alexander

I agree with Alexander  :)

There are three other examples on the double page and they both duplicate names. 

I think in those days you were only called for Jury service if there was a 'J' against your name.
I can't be sure as I was born around then.  ;D

Rosie
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 18:27 BST (UK)
The BXHV sequence reminds me of the original NHS numbers - 4 letters followed by a number (mine had a single digit, I think my wife's had 3). We were both born well after the war, but I think I once read that the NHS numbering system was a continuation of that used for national registration during WW2.

Having said that, I've no idea why these numbers should appear in an electoral register...

Arthur


 Possibly. I still have my hubby's original card (b 1950) and his number was 4 letters and 3 numbers.

Keep em coming folks ;)

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Romilly on Wednesday 18 June 14 18:33 BST (UK)
 
I don't know if this helps? (From the Family Search Site)

'In 1948 the principal of "one man, one vote" was accepted in an Act which abolished the separate representation of the universities and the second vote of graduates, as well as the additional vote of those who owned businesses in premises other than their homes. From 1949/50 until 1969 the names of those who would reach the age of 21 in the first half of the year are marked with a "Y" in the register'.

Romilly.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: josey on Wednesday 18 June 14 19:49 BST (UK)
I am 1944 vintage & my original NHS number was four letters, three numbers [no forward slash] & is the same as on my National Registration Identity card [which I still have  ;D] as suggested by arthurk.

Josey

ADDED: Found this posting which has the same [almost] query
https://www.facebook.com/surreyheritage/posts/389462027801161
The suggestion  by the Electoral Commission Officewas to contact the Parliamentary Archives.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 20:00 BST (UK)
I am 1944 vintage & my original NHS number was four letters, three numbers [no forward slash] & is the same as on my National Registration Identity card [which I still have  ;D] as suggested by arthurk.

Josey

ADDED: Found this posting which has the same [almost] query
https://www.facebook.com/surreyheritage/posts/389462027801161
The suggestion  by the Electoral Commission Officewas to contact the Parliamentary Archives.

Yes the query I am helping with is on Ancestry. :)
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Alexander. on Wednesday 18 June 14 20:05 BST (UK)
Ancestry.co.uk is still down for me so I can't check myself, but if there are similar entries on the same or surrounding pages, it would be worth comparing.

Alexander
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Alexander. on Wednesday 18 June 14 20:26 BST (UK)
I'm liking Arthur's suggestion.

BXA was the district code for Willesden, which formed the prefix of National Identity Card numbers in 1939.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0156d/

Alexander
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Flattybasher9 on Wednesday 18 June 14 21:59 BST (UK)
National Registration Act 1939

Class Codes

Class Codes were used for administration and electoral purposes. Cards were marked A, B, C, N or V.

    A: Aged over 21
    B: Aged between 16 and 21

Additionally, all class code 'B' cards were followed by three numbers. The first two indicated the year in which the holder was born whilst the third indicated which quarter of the year the holder was born in. For example, B. 252 would show that the holder was born in the second quarter of 1925 and would also indicate to a polling clerk that the holder would attain adult status in the second quarter of 1946 (i.e. reach the age of 21).

    C: Appeared on yellow cards issued to workers from the Republic of Ireland who were conditionally admitted to Great Britain.
    N: Cards re-issued under an altered name.
    V: Placed on yellow cards issued to people over 16 arriving in this country who declared that they were usually resident outside the UK.

Temporary buff cards were issued to children under 16 but did not carry a class code.

Regards

Malky
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: montie on Wednesday 18 June 14 22:01 BST (UK)
Isn't it the code found on Birth Certificates issued by the GRO? I imagine in the context of an electoral roll it would have been used to differentiate two people with the same name.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: stanmapstone on Wednesday 18 June 14 22:30 BST (UK)
Isn't it the code found on Birth Certificates issued by the GRO? I imagine in the context of an electoral roll it would have been used to differentiate two people with the same name.

All the GRO birth certificates I have only have six numbers. BXHV/194/2 is a National Registration Identity Card Number mine was JBDE/222/4

Stan

Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Wednesday 18 June 14 22:48 BST (UK)
I'm liking Arthur's suggestion.

BXA was the district code for Willesden, which formed the prefix of National Identity Card numbers in 1939.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0156d/

Alexander

Many thanks for this.

So if BXA is Willesden,where is  BXHV ?
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: montie on Wednesday 18 June 14 23:07 BST (UK)
Isn't it the code found on Birth Certificates issued by the GRO? I imagine in the context of an electoral roll it would have been used to differentiate two people with the same name.

All the GRO birth certificates I have only have six numbers. BXHV/194/2 is a National Registration Identity Card Number mine is JBDE/222/4

Stan

Ah! thanks for the clarification :)
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: Alexander. on Thursday 19 June 14 00:33 BST (UK)
So if BXA is Willesden,where is  BXHV ?

National Identity Cards were issued based on the "census" taken 29 Sep 1939. The registration number on the card was of the format ABCD/12/3, where ABCD is the enumeration district code, 12 is the schedule number, and 3 corresponds to the 3rd person in that household.

I'm guessing that post-war they started using the 3 digits district codes, though I could not find a list of the 4 digit district codes used in the National Registration census (there were 65,000 enumeration districts). Presumably BXHV was an area in or near Willesden.

Alexander
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: stanmapstone on Thursday 19 June 14 08:57 BST (UK)
I'm liking Arthur's suggestion.

BXA was the district code for Willesden, which formed the prefix of National Identity Card numbers in 1939.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0156d/

Alexander

Many thanks for this.

So if BXA is Willesden,where is  BXHV ?

I lived in Sunderland CB, according to the list the code for which is FDA but my number was  JBDE/222/4
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Thursday 19 June 14 09:02 BST (UK)
I lived in Harrow and mine was MJBF ( I think)

Which isn't at all the right code according to the link below.

But the BXA one does fit Willesden  ???

Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: stanmapstone on Thursday 19 June 14 09:08 BST (UK)
My wife's, who also lived in Sunderland CB was FDPL

Stan
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: stanmapstone on Thursday 19 June 14 09:42 BST (UK)
The numbers are obviously to identify people with the same name when they come to vote, and one is apparently the National Identity Card Number, but why aren't they both given that reference? There is this entry where they have.
Title: Re: What do the letters mean?
Post by: carol8353 on Thursday 19 June 14 11:33 BST (UK)
With my original example,the men are John C and John C .C. Gould,so you'd have thought the different initials would have been enough to differentiate them?

Is it just in 1948 I wonder (the first year of the national health service)?