Summary

Identity card issued to Amelia Roberts (nee Lynch) on 31 March 1942 in Seymour. Amelia migrated to Australia from England in 1924. She married Frederick Roberts in 1926, the couple later settling in Seymour, Victoria.

Such cards were issued to British subjects living in Australia during World War II by the Federal Government. Changes of address had to be declared, as shown on the change of address label on this card. This system was useful in ensuring national security through the monitoring citizens and 'Aliens' (non-citizen residents) during the tense period of the war.

Physical Description

Rectangular brown card. Black text with black and blue ink inscriptions.

Significance

This collection of documents relates to the migration and settlement experiences of two English migrants, Amelia Lynch and Frederick Roberts. They migrated separately to Victoria during the 1920s, and subsequently married, worked and lived in Seymour, Victoria. Amelia left England in April 1924 aged 29, and Frederick Roberts in the December of 1924 aged 22. The couple married in 1926.
The collection includes documents brought from England, as well as items collated whilst in Australia.
Of particular interest are the set of receipts for ship fare repayment, indicating a loans system during the 1920s for unassisted British migrants. A set of broadcast listener's licences from the 1940s and 1950s are also of note for how they reflect a time when domestic communications were highly regulated.

More Information

  • Collecting Areas

    Migration & Cultural Diversity, Politics & Society

  • Issued To

    Mrs Amelia Roberts, Australia, 31 March 1942

  • Inscriptions

    (Front) "Form C.R. 3. / Civilian Registration (British Subjects,) / Keep this Identity Card in a cover / It will fit into an ordinary envelope / Carry it with you when you are away from home. / IDENTITY CARD / Number. / V 8 F 94 24280 " Stamped: "BOX HILL / 515P31MAR42 / VIC-AUST" (Reverse) "TO THE PERSON TO WHOM THIS CARD IS ADDRESSED- / 1. This Identity Card must be signed by you on receipt in the presence of a witness, and carefully / preserved. You may need it under national emergency conditions for important purposes. You must not lose / it or allow it to be stolen or permit it to pass into the hands of any unauthorised person. If nevertheless the / card is stolen or definitely lost you must immediately report the facts to the Divisional Returning Officer by / whom it was issued. Therefore make a separate note now of the address of that officer (see left hand corner on / the other side) and of the Identity Number shown on this card so that if the card is lost you will be able to quote / that number. / 2. If you Change your Place of Living (other than temporarily) you must, after making the change / notify such change on Form C.R. 4. (obtainable at a Post Office). / 3. You must carry this Identity Card with you whenever away from your home. The Card must be / shown at any time on demand, to any person authorised by law to see it. / Witness to Signature - / MJ Galehouse / Address of Witness- / Wimble St, Seymour / Signature of Holder A . Roberts / Holder's business address (at date of signing card) Wimble St, Seymour "

  • Classification

    Military history, Civilian life, Identification

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    History

  • Type of item

    Document

  • Overall Dimensions

    139 mm (Width), 89 mm (Height)

  • Keywords

    World War II, 1939-1945, Identity Cards, Government Policies, Rural Life, Rural Victoria, English Immigration, British Immigration, Immigration, Wartime Security