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Police and Special Constabulary
The outbreak of war put a huge strain on the British Police force as a large number of new regulations came into force and many Constables and Sergeants were also reservists and were called up, the police service is a common occupation for those leaving the armed forces. As during the Great War, police service was not a reserved occupation and the ranks were diminished by conscription. Before the war the police numbered around 60,000 (only 300 of whom were women) across 182 County and City Constabularies. To cope with this the number of Special Constables was increased to around 130,000, about seven thousand of these were full time and received a wage, the remainder were unpaid part time volunteers, many fitting police duties around reserved occupations. While the majority were male, women were encouraged to join, and were mainly engaged in admin and dealing with women and young children.
7th Feb 1940 Scare
3rd Mar 1940 Exercise
23rd May 1940 Air Raid
30th May 1940 Drumhead service
6th Jun 1940 Air Raid
17th Jun 1940 Air Raid
27th Jun 1940 Air Raid
3rd Jul 1940 Air Raid
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11th Sep 1940 Bombs
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13th Sep 1940 Bombs
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30th Sep 1940 Parachute mine
30th Sep 1940 Parachute mine
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1st May 1943 Shelling
9th July 1943 Air Raid
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18th February 1944 Air Raid
30th Apr 1944 On the Move
13th Jun 1944 Shelling
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13th Sep 1944 Air Raid
7th Nov 1944 Aircraft Crash
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
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Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
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Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
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Want to know more about Police and Special Constabulary? There are:6963 items tagged Police and Special Constabulary available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Harry Whitehead My Father,Harry Whitehead was recruited into the police force during World War 2 as a War Reserve Policeman his number was B128 and he served in Manchester fighting fires in the blitz and saving lives. He is dead now but he never received any recognition for his Wartime Service. He worked from Willert Street Police Station and his beat was around Cheetham Hill, which was a big Jewish area. People felt this was why the bombs were concentrated there. I would like to find out if my Father was entitled to an award or medal. It would mean a lot to me and his Grandson.
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Sp.Cons. John Charles Caldwell John Caldwell went to Bristol as a Special Constable to help the police in WW2.
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Cons. George Leonard Spall L Div. Lambeth My father, George Spall, was born in 1902 and was too young to serve in WW1. In 1939 he was a porter in a department store and with no military record and his father having been in the Metropolitan Police most of his life it would have made sense for him to join the Metropolitan War Reserve.
He was a full-time, paid constable from 4th September 1939 until 20th April, 1942 but continued 'off pay' which meant he could be called up again at any time. He was signed off on 31st December 1945 and commended for good work. He initially worked at Brixton police station but that was hit by a bomb in 1941 and was too badly damaged to use.
He met my mother in Brixton where she was working as a cook at the Maudsley hospital and they married in Cheam on June 29th, 1941.
They lived in Thornton Heath but were twice bombed in the Blitz. In 1943 my mother, pregnant at the time, was evacuated to Durham with me as a baby so my father moved back into his mother's house. They put what remained of their furniture in the store and the store was bombed. They lost their belongings 3 times but were very fortunate not to lose their lives.
In 1947 they left London and moved to the south coast.
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James Thomas Johnstone My grandfather James Johnstone was in the Specials during the war. I have photograph taken outside Mather Avenue Liverpool, with him on it.
He had served in military during WW1and was wounded and left to become a Painter and Decorator. He was born in 1893 in Burnley and moved to Liverpool in his teens.
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SPC. Raymond Drewett-Browne On my Mother`s side, my Grandfather Raymond Drewett-Browne was a special constable from 1939-1941, and my grandmother was an ARP warden, in Bristol.
My grandfather was also a lay reader for the Church of England, for over 50 years.
I am from New Zealand and have been researching my Family`s War history service, which is extensive, on both my fathers and Mothers side.
I present my poetry at ANZAC Day services in honour of War Veterans.
Below is one of my poems:
Hearts on the Line
- They put their hearts on the line
- many names....all important
- many loved ones....all important
- they went to war ...with the duty of protecting their country
- They put their hearts on the line....we must do the same
- ...to honour their history....to honour their bravery
- in our minds...their presence is strong
- in our souls....their strength lives on
- in our blood....their love runs deep
- they put their hearts on the line....we respect.
(copyright) Wendy Joy Baker
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SPC. Stanley Richard Payne My dad, Stanley Payne was recruited in 1939 into the police force during World War 2 as a War Reserve Policeman. I think his number was 305 and he served in London. I can remember him saying that he would have to check buildings that had been bombed out after the raids. Would like to know if there are any records of the War Reserve Policeman that I could look at?
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PWR. Leacey Gloucester I purchased a copy of ABC for Special Constables and Police War Reserve. Written in inside cover is "PWR Leacey, 218 Tewkesbury". Sadly that's all I can find at this stage.
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SPC. William James Price My grandfather William Price was a coal miner and also a special constable during WW2. His lapel badge shows he was with the Glamorgan Constabulary number 2782.
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Charles Leslie Batterham Charles Batterham was a bank manager in Sheffield and joined the Special Constabulary in 1939. He carried out police work in bomb storms. I heard a story that he had pulled some people out of a burning building.
He took part in the post-war parades in Sheffield, where he and his colleagues marched with the armed forces. He rose to the position of commandant in 1968 and on Thursday, August 20th 1970 he featured on the front page of the Morning Telegraph newspaper, Sheffield. The headline was entitled 'The Specials started with King Charles'.
Charles remained in the Specials until his death on November 16th 1973. At his funeral uniformed specials acted as pallbearers. He believed in public duty and loved being part of the Special Constabulary.
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PC Leonard Dennis Hall GM H Division Metropolitan Police PC L D Hall, together with Station Sergeant Blake and PC W R Edwards was awarded the George Medal for rescuing people trapped under the Co-op Warehouse, Barchester St., Poplar on the night of 19-20 April, 1941. The building had been bombed and the debris fell onto a public shelter.
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