May 15th, 2009

Have your ID ready, please

Identity is something we’re quite preoccupied with these days.  Identity theft and the issue of identity cards for the general population. And of course the ‘who do you think you are?’ generation.

For two of my ancestors, ID cards were a fact of life. Both carried them during periods when Britain was at war with Germany.  First, my father, Tom.

Tom, a policeman, had what was called a reserved occupation in World War II.   A Schedule of Reserved Occupations was drawn up in 1938 and included farmers and railwaymen as well as policemen. These jobs were regarded as vital to the country at home.  Nonetheless, Tom went to the recruiting offices of every armed service and tried to enlist.  He was turned down – because a stray cricket ball had punctured his eardrum (more…)