Mossband, Gretna, 1941

[Narnster]

Can anyone tell me if people lived on site at Mossband in WW2?  I'm looking for someone who worked there in 1941 (information from son's birth certificate) but whose family lived in Carlisle.  This person is not on the 1939 Register.  Another odd thing is that there is a photo of him dressed in a sailor's uniform with "HMS Victory" written on the back yet he was never in the navy!  Do records exists for civilians at munitions depots?

Any information would be appreciated!

[ScouseBoy]

How old was the person, please?

[andrewalston]

Mossband is, of course, pretty close to the border with Scotland. The area south of the border is pretty sparsely populated, so if your relative was billeted nearby they are likely to be in Gretna or Eastriggs, and so won't be on the 1939 Register that we can see.

By the time of the Register the depot would already have been quite busy with munitions movements.

Was it the photo or the uniform which had HMS Victory written on it? What was his rough age in the photo?

[ScouseBoy]

There are several Ministry of Defence  establishments  in that area  around Carlisle and Gretna.    Longtown;  a rail depot;    A RAF    Maintenance Unit; and munitions factories  around Carlisle.

[Narnster]

Many thanks for your replies.

This person was born in 1921.  He was born and raised in Carlisle.  He was known to be working at Mossband in 1941 because his son's birth certificate stated that.  (His wife is from Carlisle and his son was born in Carlisle.)  The real problem is that he cannot be located on the 1939 Register.  His wife is on the register living with her mother but they weren't married at that point.   

"HMS Victory" was written on the back of the photo but I don't think it was dated.  (I'll double check on that because I don't have the actual photo.)  He looks 18-20 ish in the photo.

[Ruskie]

If he was in the services he would not be on the 1939 register:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/1939-register/

[CarolA3]

If he was in Scotland he won't be found in the 1939 Register on FindMyPast either.  Only the England and Wales sections have been made available via that site.

Carol

[ScouseBoy]

Can anyone tell me if people lived on site at Mossband in WW2?  I'm looking for someone who worked there in 1941 (information from son's birth certificate) but whose family lived in Carlisle.  This person is not on the 1939 Register.  Another odd thing is that there is a photo of him dressed in a sailor's uniform with "HMS Victory" written on the back yet he was never in the navy!  Do records exists for civilians at munitions depots?

Any information would be appreciated!

.     What did they do at this site?

[CarolA3]

Can anyone tell me if people lived on site at Mossband in WW2?  I'm looking for someone who worked there in 1941 (information from son's birth certificate) but whose family lived in Carlisle.  This person is not on the 1939 Register.  Another odd thing is that there is a photo of him dressed in a sailor's uniform with "HMS Victory" written on the back yet he was never in the navy!  Do records exists for civilians at munitions depots?

.
What did they do at this site?

Big clue in the original post
Also here:

By the time of the Register the depot would already have been quite busy with munitions movements.