Following the 1918 Act, the vote was given to all servicemen, and to provide a list of those eligible, many of whom were still mobilised, Absent Voters Lists were compiled. These run parallel to the normal electoral registers, and are thus compiled for each constituency, with the information being given by civil parish within each constituency, and alphabetically within each civil parish.
The information on a serviceman varies greatly, from a regiment to a service number and precise unit. Because the information was compiled while fighting was continuing, it is possible that men who subsequently died will appear in the Absent Voters Lists.
It is also necessary to bear in mind that the information was compiled from forms completed by family members at home, which may not have been clear about the serviceman’s precise details. Huddersfield Absent Voters List include 1918, spring 1919, autumn 1919 and 1920