Entries in the Date of Birth Column checked to the BDM:
YMCA van, Crete, during World War II. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: DA-01273. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23195632
“Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.”
1. Wherever possible a check has been made to the Birth Index, first to see if the person features there and then to validate date of birth.
2. Where a birth occurred more recently than 100 years ago, this has been earmarked with an asterisk (*) or has a letter highlighted in blue, as a reminder for future update. This cues me to follow up on these over the next few years and is not something you need take note of.
On the N.Z.E.F. Roll of Honour some birthdates are more recent than 100 years prior to date of search. They are here because they were identified on the Death Index or were found on the Cenotaph or some other record. Only when 100 years from date of birth has passed will these births be found on the Birth Index.
Where a birth cannot be found in the Birth Index, I have fallen back on the date shown in the Death Index (if recorded). If nothing there, then only then have I looked to other sources.
Where the birth date in the Birth Index differs from that in the Death Index, that in the former has been accepted as the correct one. I acknowledge that there will be incorrect dates in the Birth Index, but it is certainly the more likely one of the two to be correct.
There is a possibility that a name displayed in the Roll exists but in varied form on the Birth Index.
3. I found that few if any of the Maori births were registered and when they had been, more often than not this was in a different name to that shown on the Roll. Where you see a date of birth showing up this has likely come from the Death Index, the Cenotaph database, the Maori Battalion roll, or a cemetery record; usually from the Death Index.
4. When reviewing the Death Index I often found either date of birth or age at death recorded. Where date of birth shows, this has been entered directly onto the roll and wherever possible checked to the Birth Index. Where age at death shows, this has been entered in the ‘age’ column, and used as a guide to establishing year of birth.
Greek Andarte leader with one of his aides, during World War II, Greece. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: DA-09560. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22486595
“Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.”
Summary of why a Birth may not be found:
* the 100 years has not elapsed
* it was never registered or was registered in a name different to that on the Roll
* the birth was overseas
* there is a misspelling of the name on the Roll or a nickname has been used in the Christian Name column
Note: Details of parents’ names may show up on the Birth Index and these are also being added where possible. Parents details are to be found in Column AO of the Roll.
Just reiterating .. Where the birth date in the Birth Index differs from that in the Death Index, that in the former has been accepted as the correct one. I acknowledge that there will be incorrect dates in the Birth Index, but it is certainly the more likely one of the two to be correct.