In 1939, the National Registration Act was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War. These cards, issued to every man woman and child were carried at all times, presented to police officers when requested and provided the government with a complete national register of the civilian population of the United Kingdom. This measure was vital at a time when the population of the country was in constant flux due to evacuation, the mobilisation of individuals for wartime efforts and a higher than usual death rate. It also provided a way to support the administration of rationing.
In 1952, the Act expired and it was no longer necessary to issue or to carry a National Identity Card, although the numbers were subsequently used for voter registration and the NHS.
Jean Coster was issued a registration card when she was born in 1949. Her sister, born just three years later, was not.
