GB Historical DB

Age-sex structure data for local government districts for 1939.

Table ID:
AGE_1939_EW     (1246523)
Contents:
Age-sex structure data for local government districts for 1939.
Approx. number of rows:
1,472
Table type:
Raw Data
Documentation Author:
Paula Aucott
Geography:
Reporting units are identified by:
   Administrative County
   Local Government District
   Local Government District Type
Chronology:
The data are for the single year 1939.

Sources:

  1. The data were transcribed from table 3, 'Population by sex and year of birth (and age). Great Britain and Isle of Man', Part A - England and Wales - Counties, Boroughs, Urban and Rural districts', pp.86-119 in National Register: United Kingdom and Isle of Man: Statistics of Population on 29th September, 1939 By Sex, Age and Marital Condition: Report and Tables (London: HMSO, 1944).
  2. These data were input at Portsmouth by Paula Aucott and Rachel Granville in May and November 2001.

Notes:

  1. The 1939 National Register is the best available substitute for the 1941 census which never happened due to WWII. It was carried out at the outbreak of war and used the same machinery that would have been used for the 1941 census.
  2. The introduction to the report states that the simplification of the age groups to nine bands was to aid the enumerators who were doing much of the analysis before sending the completed forms to the Registrar General. Again, to simplify the forms, people were asked to state their year of birth rather than their age. The fractions in the age bands occurred because "In consequence of these procedure restrictions, the number of groups identified ... is limited to nine in respect of each sex and being calendar year of birth groups, they do not correspond with integral years of age owing to the fact that the enumeration took place at the end of the third quarter of 1939."
  3. The table only includes civilians, not serving members of the armed forces. At this date, the armed forces were almost all male. The impact of this exclusion is shown by relative scarcity of males compared to females in the age group 14.75 to 19.75. This deficiency is greatest for the next age group and diminishes to negligible proportions after age 45, but is difficult to measure because of the demographic effects of WWI. An estimated 1,010,000 were in the services in Great Britain, of whom 900,000 were in England and Wales.
  4. This transcription covers England and Wales only.

Checking:

  1. The sum of the numbers of males and of females from the 1939 National Register was checked against the stated total number of people of each sex.
  2. The sum of females in Macclesfield RD in Cheshire does not match the total for females given in that district, due to an error in the original table.
  3. The geographical units have been cross-checked against the GBHGIS administrative unit gazetteer to ensure that all units are correctly identified. Each unit in this table has a unique unit ID assigned to it and this ID can be used to cross-reference against other datasets.

Indices:

IndexTypeColumn(s) indexed
age_1939_ew_pkey Primary key rec_num
age_1939_ew_idx_name Unique lg_dist, lg_type, adm_cnty, rec_num

Constraints:

The table has the following associated constraints:

ConstraintTypeDetails
age_1939_ew_pkey Primary Key See details above for primary key index


Columns within table:

ColumnTypeContents
adm_cnty Text string (max.len.=44). Name of the Administrative County containing the district as given in the original report.
lg_dist Text string (max.len.=54). Name of Local Government District as given in the original report.
lg_type Text string (max.len.=8). Type of Local Government District as given in the original report.
adm_cnty_unit Integer number. Unique ID number for county unit.
g_unit Integer number. Unique ID number for unit (Local Government District).
m_tot Integer number. Total male population in 1939
m_0_4 Integer number. Males born '1935 and after'. Aged under 4 and 3/4.
m_5_14 Integer number. Males born '1925-34'. Aged 4 and 3/4 - 14 and 3/4.
m_15_19 Integer number. Males born '1920-24'. Aged 14 and 3/4 - 19 and 3/4.
m_20_24 Integer number. Males born '1915-19'. Aged 19 and 3/4 - 24 and 3/4.
m_25_34 Integer number. Males born '1905-14'. Aged 24 and 3/4 - 34 and 3/4.
m_35_44 Integer number. Males born '1895-1904'. Aged 34 and 3/4 - 44 and 3/4.
m_45_54 Integer number. Males born '1885-94'. Aged 44 and 3/4 - 54 and 3/4.
m_55_64 Integer number. Males born '1875-84'. Aged 54 and 3/4 - 64 and 3/4.
m_65_up Integer number. Males born '1874 and earlier'. Aged over 64 and 3/4.
f_tot Integer number. Total female population in 1939
f_0_4 Integer number. Females born '1935 and after'. Aged under 4 and 3/4.
f_5_14 Integer number. Females born '1925-34'. Aged 4 and 3/4 - 14 and 3/4.
f_15_19 Integer number. Females born '1920-24'. Aged 14 and 3/4 - 19 and 3/4.
f_20_24 Integer number. Females born '1915-19'. Aged 19 and 3/4 - 24 and 3/4.
f_25_34 Integer number. Females born '1905-14'. Aged 24 and 3/4 - 34 and 3/4.
f_35_44 Integer number. Females born '1895-1904'. Aged 34 and 3/4 - 44 and 3/4.
f_45_54 Integer number. Females born '1885-94'. Aged 44 and 3/4 - 54 and 3/4.
f_55_64 Integer number. Females born '1875-84'. Aged 54 and 3/4 - 64 and 3/4.
f_65_up Integer number. Females born '1874 and earlier'. Aged over 64 and 3/4.
notes Text string (max.len.=504). Notes on individual rows.
rec_num Integer number. Unique number identifying row in table.