When the First World War started in August 1914 a vigorous propaganda campaign persuaded tens of thousands of young men excitedly to sign up and do their bit for King and Country. To fight abroad you had to be at least nineteen, but you could enlist at eighteen. Many boys of 15, 16 and 17,... Continue Reading →

After the Registration of Births and Deaths Acts 1874, it became compulsory to register the birth of a child within 6 weeks (42 days) on penalty of a fine. In order to avoid this, parents who had left registering their children late would often falsify the date of birth on a certificate by a matter... Continue Reading →

Some people falsely added years to their age on the 1911 census in order to qualify for the old-age pension (to which some people over 70 were entitled from January 1st 1909). Black and White Image of an Elderly Woman by Chalmers Butterfield, Via Wikimedia Commons