National Registration Act 1939
Encyclopedia
The National Registration Act 1939 (2 & 3 Geo. VI c. 91) was an Act of Parliament
in the United Kingdom
. It became law on 5 September 1939 as an emergency measure at the start of World War II. The Act established a National Register which began operating on 29 September 1939, a system of identity cards, and a requirement that they must be produced on demand or presented to a police station within 48 hours. The law was repealed on 22 May 1952. The last person prosecuted under the Act was Clarence Henry Willcock
.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It became law on 5 September 1939 as an emergency measure at the start of World War II. The Act established a National Register which began operating on 29 September 1939, a system of identity cards, and a requirement that they must be produced on demand or presented to a police station within 48 hours. The law was repealed on 22 May 1952. The last person prosecuted under the Act was Clarence Henry Willcock
Clarence Henry Willcock
Clarence Henry Willcock, a member of the Liberal Party, was the last person in the UK to be prosecuted for refusing to produce an Identity Card....
.
See also
- Identity Cards Act 2006
- Rayner Goddard, Baron GoddardRayner Goddard, Baron GoddardRayner Goddard, Baron Goddard was Lord Chief Justice of England from 1946 to 1958 and known for his strict sentencing and conservative views. He was nicknamed the 'Tiger' and "Justice-in-a-jiffy" for his no-nonsense manner...
- Defence RegulationsDefence RegulationsDuring the Second World War Defence Regulations were a fundamental aspect of everyday life in the United Kingdom.They were emergency regulations passed on the outbreak of war and during it to give the government emergency powers to prosecute the war. Two Acts of Parliament were passed as enabling...
- Courts (Emergency Powers) Act 1939
External links
- Select Committee on Home Affairs Fourth Report, 20 July 2004
- Michael Caines, Identity crisis, Times Online, 11 April 2006
- Nick Cohen, Blunkett's identity crisis, The Observer, 30 June 2002
- Jon Agar, Identity cards in Britain: past experience and policy implications
- Privacy International, History of ID Cards in the United Kingdom, 1 Jan 1997
- Statewatch, Identity cards in the UK - a lesson from history
- The 1939 National Identity Card