General Discussion

Alan - the following Post Office Circular was issued on the subject in 1944:

Parliamentary Registration - Armed Forces Declaration Cards: 1944

The Post Office Circular of 5 April 1944 announced that a separate Electoral Register was to be compiled to enable HM Forces to vote in elections.  For this purpose a special declaration card (Army Form B.2626, S.1300B, RAF Form 2040) was issued to each member of HM Forces and at the time of the Circular the initial distribution of the cards was being made.  After completion the cards were sent by post to Electoral Registration Officers in the UK, folded double after the manner of reply postcards.  Completed cards were posted both within the UK and overseas.  The address portion (Part 3) of the cards was illustrated in the Circular as shown below.

 The Circular went on to state that the following arrangements with regards to addressing, despatch and delivery would apply:

2. ADDRESSING:

(a)           Where a vote is claimed in a constituency (other than a University) in England, Wales or Northern Ireland the address portion (Part 3) will be completed by the insertion of the post town and county of the residence in respect of which the vote is claimed, e.g. “Crewe, Cheshire”, “Tenby, Pembrokeshire”, “Larne, Co. Antrim”.  In the case of London and certain large towns, the name of the town followed by the district number will be given, e.g. “London, SW1”, “Birmingham 15”.

(b)           For Scotland, the address portion of the card will be completed by inserting “Edinburgh” as the post town.

(c)            A voter who claims a vote in a University Parliamentary Election will be instructed to complete the address portion of the card by inserting the name and place of the University for which a vote is claimed.

3. DESPATCH: Cards posted in this country (and, at certain offices, those received in mails from overseas) should be forwarded in ordinary course for delivery to the post town shown in the address.  It is probable, in the case of postings in this country, that a number of the cards (which will be readily identifiable) will be posted at one time addressed to one or a small number of towns.  Where justified by the numbers, the cards should be segregated at the outward primary stage for inclusion in separate bundles for the office of delivery.  Where the items are for more than one town, sorting at a special fitting to selections for the offices of delivery may be justified.  The labels of bundles of the cards should clearly indicate the contents, being addressed for example “Electoral Registration Officer, Norwich”.

4. DELIVERY:

(a)           ENGLAND AND WALES: In general, the aim should be to deliver the cards to the proper Electoral Registration Officer whenever this can conveniently be done and in other cases to deliver the cards to the nearest Electoral Registration Officer in the County who will be responsible for the disposal of cards proper to another Electoral Registration Officer.  Normally the Town Clerk is the Electoral Registration Officer for the Parliamentary Borough and the Clerk to the County Council for the Parliamentary County.

Head Postmasters of offices, other than offices in Parliamentary Boroughs, should make up cards addressed to the Head Office and subordinate dependent offices (see below) in labelled bundles and send them to the County Town for delivery to the Clerk to the County Council.  A similar course should be followed in regard to cards received at an independent Sub-Office addressed to that office.  Cards addressed to a Parliamentary Borough should normally be delivered to the Town Clerk.  In cases where the offices of the County Council are situated in a Parliamentary Borough, a distinction will require to be made between the cards deliverable to the Town Clerk and the cards deliverable to the Clerk to the County Council; cards received from offices outside Parliamentary Borough should be delivered to the Clerk to the County Council.

Cards which require to be sent to another Head Office for delivery should be made up into labelled bundles, labelled as indicated in paragraph 3.  At delivery offices, the contents of all such labelled bundles should be checked before delivery to ensure that only cards of the kind in question are included.

Cards received at a Head Office bearing the name of a dependent Sub-Office in the district should not be sent on to the Sub-Office but should be intercepted at the Head Office and put in course for delivery to the Electoral Registration Officer.

(b)           NORTHERN IRELAND: The arrangements should be the same as in England and Wales adapted, as necessary, to suit local circumstances.

(c)            SCOTLAND: Cards for Scottish constituencies, other than the Universities, while addressed to the “Electoral Registration Officer for EDINBURGH” will be delivered to the Registrar General for Scotland, New Register House, Edinburgh 2, who will forward them under cover to the appropriate Electoral Registration Officers.  Any cards addressed wrongly to a post town or place in Scotland other than Edinburgh should be sent specially to Edinburgh for delivery to the Registrar General for Scotland.

(d)           UNIVERSITIES: Cards addressed to Universities should be forwarded for delivery to the Registrar of the University concerned.

(e)           UNADDRESSED CARDS: Any cards received with the address portion (Part 3) not completed should, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, be forwarded for delivery to the Registrar General’s Department, Somerset House, London WC2 and, in Scotland, to the Registrar General, New Register House, Edinburgh 2.

5. GENERAL: Because of the importance of the cards, Head Postmasters and all other concerned should take special care to ensure that they are forwarded promptly and to the proper Electoral Registration Officer whenever this can conveniently be done.  Owing to the wide dispersal of absent service voters and to the fact that service personnel may claim a vote on reaching 21 years of age, these arrangements will remain in force for some time to come.  An abbreviated version of this notice appears in the Sub-Postmasters’ edition.