This is a photograph printed on page 33 of “Bobbies On The Beat” 150 years of Dorset Police by Melvin HANN.
I apologies, as it is not a very clear photo, just a copy !
It is the days of black and white photography, and a time when in the summer, Dorset Police officers wore grey uniforms, mainly because of all the unmetalled dusty roads ! The grey uniform stopped in 1912. I have written a post already called ” Men in Grey” so rather than going over that, you can find that post instead ! With my knowledge and other photos it is clear to me that it was between 1908 and the WW1 but that is 6 years. Under this photograph is written: “A group of recruits with the sergeant drill instructor in 1908. Police drill instructors were loaned to the army during the First World War to teach drill.”
So that means the author thought it was about 1908 although it could only be in the 4 years between 1908 and 1912. So the recruits could be 6 of about 100 recruits, taken on in those years.
At this point I would just like to think about the author Melvin HANN. Melvin was obviously asked if he could write the book and then had unlimited access to all the old books and photographs. No doubt many photographs had nothing written on them so some educated guesses had to be made as he had a deadline.
Luckily I could quickly identify the Sgt Major and 3 of the recruits from their numbers on their grey uniform. However I had no clue who the other 3 were, wearing civilian clothes. !
The Sgt Major is, William WHITE. My great grandfather was promoted to Superintendent on the 13th Oct 1910, and WHITE took over and was the HQ Sgt Major till Aug 1919. So the photo is after that date and before the end of the Grey summer uniforms in 1912.
Why are some in uniform and others not ?
Possibly, there were no grey uniforms left or the recruits had literally just turned up and not been given any uniform yet. On that theory the men in civilians will have joined slightly after those with uniforms.
With that in mind I have identified the officers as:
Front Row:
1: PC 116 Eden Charles COX, who joined on 5 Aug 1912
2: SGT MAJOR 24 William WHITE
3: PC 129 Joseph COTTRELL, who joined on 6 Aug 1912 and died in WW1.
Rear Row:
3rd: PC 153 Joseph Charles GERRARD, who’s joining date I don’t know, but I believe he joined with COTTRELL, so the 6th Aug.
1 , 2 are 4 are likely to be:
PC 159 Arthur Edwin FOSTER who joined on 12th Aug 1912
PC 160 Joseph OSBOURNE who joined on 19th Aug 1912
PC 161 Andrew Henry Edward READ who also joined on 19th Aug 1912.
Note: All three joined the Army for WW1.
PC Andrew READ. I knew more about so I started with him. I knew I had a photograph of him but it was much later in 1935 when he was a Police Sgt. 23 years is along time between photos so I am not 100 per cent but when it said on his service record in 1915 he was 5 ft 10, then I am pretty sure as he was shorter that the other two by a few inches. Below in 1935 he is 5th in the rear row, and you can see the resemblance in the 1912 photo with Andrew being 2nd in the rear row.
PC Joseph OSBOURNE or OSBORNE after training was posted in late Sept to Shaftesbury and appears during early WW1 to have been moved to Poole and then Dorchester . In 1917 he was married at Dorchester and lived in Monmouth Road, with his family. On the 9th May 1918 he was passed fit to join the Army and took PC LEWIS’ place in the Somerset Light Infantry. I cannot find his enrolment service record with his description but he like Andrew READ re joined the Constabulary in 1918 and went on to be a Sgt. I have been unable to locate any photos of him.
PC Arthur FOSTER completed his training and was posted to Sherborne, where my great grandfather was the Supt.
On the 10th Dec 1915 he joined the Army, Royal Garrison Artillery for the war effort. On his service record it says he was at Gillingham, he was 6 ft and half an inch and his mother was his NOK who lived in Talbot village, Bournemouth. On his record it says he was medically discharged in Feb 1918 to his home address after poisoned by a gas shell. Two weeks later he married his fiancee near Sherborne and then they settled down in Bournemouth, It appears he did not return to the police and his number 159 was reissued in Aug 1919. Arthur lived till he was 85.
So all have been identified, well almost as either 1st in the rear row is FOSTER or OSBORNE or the last is either FOSTER or OSBORNE !