RECORD ROUND-UP
What’s available online and in the archives
The National Archives
The 1939 Register available at the National Archives in Kew, as well as online at findmypast.co.uk/1939register, is often the first official UK record of family members who arrived in the UK ahead of the outbreak of the Second World War. Other records from this period include those held in the Home Office’s Aliens Department Internment Index and Exemption from Internment records. The indexes and records from The National Archives ( TNA) have been digitised and are now available via Findmypast (visit bit.ly/ BEAIWW1and2) and on-site at TNA. These records run from 1939-1947 and detail mostly Germans, Austrians, Italians and their spouses who were interned on the Isle of Man or considered for internment during the Second World War.
World Jewish Relief
The World Jewish Relief ( previously known as the Central British Fund) rescued 65,000 people from Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, including 10,000 through the Kindertransport. Their archives, which contain records of 35,000 people, have now been digitised and you can apply to find any that relate to members of your family ( bit.ly/ WJRYFH). The Who Do You Think
You Are? episode featuring Jerry Springer showed him receiving records regarding his family from the World Jewish Relief’s archive.
Don’t forget to look in naturalisation records and also for possible name changes, if your family wanted to appear less foreign. You may find more information in The Gazette ( thegazette.co.uk) and at TNA ( nationalarchives.gov.uk).
Places to visit in the UK
Visit the Imperial War Museum London to see the award-winning Holocaust exhibition ( bit.ly/
IWMHolocaustexb). It traces the Nazi persecution and murder of Jewish people in Europe from 1933-1945. You can see photographs, diaries, toys and films illustrating the lives of people who lived through the Holocaust. You can also hear powerful testimonies from survivors that bring a moving perspective to these objects and artefacts.
Visit Beth Shalom, the House of Peace in Nottingham to find the National Holocaust Centre and Museum ( nationalholocaust
centre.net). You can also read and watch a number of survivor testimonies on the website.
The Wiener Library is the UK’s Holocaust Library. Visit its website ( wienerlibrary.co.uk) to read more about its resources and to find out how to make an appointment to visit if you want to undertake on-site research. The library also hosts the UK’s Copy of the International Tracing Service ( ITS) Digital Archive. Priority for ITS archival research assistance is given to Holocaust survivors and their immediate families who may wish to examine documents related to their own fate or to that of family members during the Second World War. The digital copy is also available for consultation in the Reading Room for those interested in conducting historical research ( wienerlibrary.co.uk/ ITS). Documents are provided to survivors and their families free of charge.
Finally, by joining the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, which has recently moved to the Society of Genealogists’ building, you can get mentoring and further advice with your research ( www.jgsgb.org.uk).