The Wartime Memories Project

- Police and Special Constabulary during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

Police and Special Constabulary



Those known to have served with

Police and Special Constabulary

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of Police and Special Constabulary from other sources.


The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

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  • The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
  • 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
  • Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's
  • The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
    If you enjoy this site

    please consider making a donation.

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 photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



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.


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.

Norma Ritchie



Sp.Cons. John Charles Caldwell

John Caldwell went to Bristol as a Special Constable to help the police in WW2.

Peter Charles Game



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.

Margaret King



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.




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

Wendy Joy Baker



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?

Liz Bennett



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.

Adrian Boast



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.

Linda Webb



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.

Helen Clarke



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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    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

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