The Stature and Weight of Men from England and Wales in 1941

Abstract

Variation in stature and weight from one region of Britain to another is generally taken for granted: the short Welshman, the burly Scot, and the tall Southerner are accepted national types. But until recent years, there has been little scientific evidence to confirm the reality of such differences in physique, for in the 20th century no extensive anthropometric survey was undertaken to collect the necessary information about the whole population until the second world war. The nearest approach to such a study was the work of the Industrial Health Re- search Board between 1929 and 1932 (Cathcart, Hughes, and Chalmers, 1935), but