I want to concentrate on, the almost forgotten men of our current times and hope it does not turn out to be a bit of a rant! The Community Coppers or ” Village Bobbies”, the men (and of course their wives,) who used to make themselves available 24/7 to their communities, but …
A biography of the DAVIS dynasty. Especially the fascinating life, and not just his police career of Victor Tom DAVIS and his family. When Tom DAVIS was born on the 16th March 1886, he was not expected to live long, but after being well looked after, he proved the doctors wrong …
Or maybe it should be, “Spot the Ball”, with all the trophies ! Can you can recall the days of the Pools companies, Littlewoods, Zetters and Vernons ? With thanks to, retired Chief Superintendent Royston SCOTT and Jayne POVALL SMITH, daughter of Peter SMITH, here are two photographs from the early 1950’s outside …
This is a biography of Percy Barnes COPP, who was one of Dorset’s finest policeman, as told by his grandson John COPP, with some help from the Dorset Echo and information from some other historical sites. I never knew my grandfather, he died a month before I was born in …
Written on the rear of this photograph are the words ” Taken in the back of Poole Gasworks after a Police Service at Skinner Street Congregational Church about 1930 or 1931. ” …
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, …
What I enjoy most about this blog is, that I have contacted so many different people and shared some historic interests. A bit like the old days, when we had pen pals. I have spoken too and gained so much information from retired police officers, relatives of officers and now and again I …
The surname BISHOP is not a common surname but, neither uncommon. In My years of researching the Dorset Constabulary and coming across the surname BISHOP, meant it was always a little difficult to work out who was who. You see, when you have a name like SWATRIDGE, researching and …
Obviously, when Dorset County Constabulary was formed, each town, and village had a police station or police house. Sometimes you have to wait a few years to find them. That was the case for Market Street Station in Poole, the Shaftesbury original police station and even Weymouth station on Dorchester Road which I was …
Victor Walter SWATRIDGE, my grandfather, was in the right place at the right time being a police Sgt at Dorchester in WW2 . He witnessed many local incidents and especially the build up to the finale of WW2. When I think back to all the information I have read about …