Dave Wilkinson

11 hours ago, Graf said:

Thank you again very informative again I am 'glued" to the thread

Thanks again Graf. I'm glad the effort was appreciated.

Dave.

This evening we bring ourselves up to date by looking at Met. insignia which has been worn/used since the late Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952. Despite the passage of some 70 years, the number of different types of badge used by the force during that period is comparatively few in number and indeed all are (I think) represented in the photo shown below.

The first helmet badge of the new reign was the black star on the bottom left hand side of the photo. This was worn by Sergeants' and Constables'. Note there was no chrome version at that time. This badge was worn on days and nights. At the centre on the bottom row is the cap badge again worn by Sergeants and Constables'. Top left is the helmet badge worn by Inspectorate ranks when wearing their No:1 ceremonial uniform. Next to it and to the right is the current version of the Mounted Branch horse belly badge. Across the centre are three blue ringed star cap badges. The first one is the version worn by Inspectorate ranks. The second version is in sterling silver and was, up until about 20 years ago, worn by the ranks of Superintendent and above. The third version is the Superintendent (and above) cap badge which is in silver plated metal. The sterling silver badges were rather expensive and this is an inexpensive alternative issued as a cost saving measure. 

In 1965, the black helmet badge was discontinued and a chrome version, second from the right on the bottom row was issued. This was a one piece striking, worn on days and nights. The similar (but slightly smaller) chrome helmet badge to its left was a manufacturers sample which was rejected. The Inspectorate ranks continued to wear their two piece (separate EIIR centre) on ceremonial helmets. The "blue ring" helmet badge on the extreme right on the bottom row was introduced in 1980 and replaced the all chrome version. Moving back to the top row. The centre badge mounted on black leather is the silver and enamel warrant badge issued to ranks of Commander through to Commissioner. To the right is the experimental short lived breast badge. It was trialled in two divisions "K" and "TD". It was not adopted. To the right of that is the old issue warrant badge for all ranks. At the extreme top right is the helmet badge worn on a squat reinforced helmet by lightweight Velocette motor cycle riders. Staying on the right hand side is a black backed coat of arms badge which was at one time worn by motor cyclists and by the Mounted Branch. To the extreme right of this is the previous version of the motor cycle helmet badge, used on a black "Corker" helmet. The remaining items are, a "Thames" division collar badge and pair of tunic anchors. The numbered "S1" crowned chevron badge was worn on the cape strap. The inclusion of the crown indicates that the badge was for a Station Sergeant in "S" division..

A couple of points to note. No:- 1 ceremonial uniforms were worn for the last time on Remembrance Day 1971. After which they were discontinued. Several years ago, the force began having headdress badges made with a blue coloured soft blue plastic enamel, instead of hard fired enamel. This was allegedly done as a finance saving measure. However, after a period of wear this soft enamel tends to fall out leaving a completely chrome badge. So, in reality having the plastic colouring inserted in the first place seems rather pointless. None of these inferior examples are shown. Alas, a sign of the times!

The Met. have publicly said that they will not be buying or issuing any new insignia featuring the CIIIR cipher until their current stocks of headgear have been issued and depleted. So, no new badges yet. 

We've come to the end of this short series. I hope it has been of interest, those comments received so far suggest that it has. If forum members have any Met. badges which are not featured here, please feel free to jump in and show them.

10 hours ago, Graf said:

Hi Dave

Thank you for the very interesting information

Graf,

I appreciate your comment. Thank you.

Dave.

This evening is the turn of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC). The SC not only in London, but elsewhere were most active during three specific periods in our history. The Great War (1914-1918), The General Strike (1926) and World War II (1939-1945). The Met. made great use of the MSC during all three periods.

At the start of the Great War several thousands of men enrolled. Most of these public spirited individuals were too old to fight. Many were indeed "gentlemen" in the true sense of the word. A goodly number were very well connected, wealthy and often the holders of honours bestowed upon them for previous service to their Country.

The top row of badges on the first below photo show the Great War pattern cap and lapel badges. The same badge was used with different fittings as appropriate. The colours in the Crown indicate different ranks. As you move to the right the colour of the badges changes from chocolate brown to a brighter finish and this is indicative of the passage of the years in terms of their use. This particular pattern of badge continued to be worn by the MSC (with a chrome finish) until the mid 1960's. Not surprisingly, because of the large numbers manufactured and its long span of use, the basic badge is still very common and can easily be found. Some of the variations are not so available. In the centre of the top row is the MSC long service medal and on either side the "service" stars.

The second row shows the more modern headdress badges. To-day's MSC do not wear MSC named cap badges. They wear the same cap badges (and helmet plates) as the regular force.

The third row down shows a small selection of mufti lapel badges. At least three of these are not issued items, but are badges which have been produced and purchased privately by MSC members.

The bottom section shows a selection of collar and epaulette badges. Some divisions of the MSC produced their own divisional specific badges, presumably at their own expense. Scotland Yard seems to have turned a benevolent "blind eye" to much of their individuality insofar as uniform was concerned. Indeed, the MSC senior officers were allowed to run their divisions very much as their own fiefdoms. Reading between the lines its almost as if the regular force were fearful of "upsetting" their volunteer colleagues.

Some further evidence of their individuality exists in that at least one division "G", presumably did not like the issued cap badge and decided to produce their own! The issued badge was also altered to indicate that the wearer was a member of the MT HQ Branch as can be seen. 

Dave.    

3 hours ago, NickLangley said:

The speed with which the Edward VIII insignia was produced is amazing. Or, are we just dilatory nowadays?

As I've said, the Met. produced the badges but there is no evidence of their being worn. Police Orders for 1936 are silent on the subject. Gloucestershire Constabulary also produced a full set of badges and actually issued theirs. Of course those who produced the Edward badges were in fact far too quick off the mark and as a result wasted a great deal of cash. Presumably the defunct stock of brand new items were eventually "binned". So, I suppose there is much to be said for not rushing.

Dave. 

To-day we look at badges produced for the brief reign of Edward VIII (they were never worn) and also at the GVIR period. The centre helmet badge on the top row was worn by Superintending ranks in ceremonial uniform. Far right on the top row is the helmet badge worn by Sergeants and Constables. The chrome version of this badge, first left on the bottom row was worn by Inspectorate ranks in ceremonial uniform. The badge on the far right on that row is a mystery. It has a silver plated finish and I've not been able to ascertain who wore it, if indeed it was ever worn. It may be another manufacturers sample. The wreath shaped cap badges were worn by Divisional Bands as were those cap badges which have a "lyre" in the centre.

The large circular badges with crowns atop were worn on the belly of the horses used by the Mounted Branch.

Halfway down and to the left you with see the Metpol. coat of arms with enamel inlay. This is slightly out of context and is the current issue warrant badge.  

Dave. 

To-day we are going to continue looking at the KC garter stars with the divisional letter and numbers in the centre. The Commissioner, Sir Edward Henry approved the introduction of these then new badges on the 2nd November 1906, some four years after the death of Queen Victoria. The same basic design was also worn by the Inspectorate ranks, but with a just large divisional letter in the centre. 

The small version of the badge with just the number in the centre were worn by women police on their pith helmets. The ones with the cipher centre were worn by senior officers of the women police, again on the pith helmet. The Victorian version in white metal is something of a mystery and I've been unable to discover who may have used it. It may have been a manufacturers sample.

The large versions with "M" centre and "CO" (Commissioner's Office) centre were worn by Inspectorate ranks. The term "Commissioner's Office" relates to New Scotland Yard. The large badge top centre of the second board was worn by Superintending ranks on their ceremonial helmet during the GVR period. The chrome plated star badge, bottom left, again on the second board was worn by Inspectorate ranks and the one far right, on the bottom was worn by Sergeants & Constables during the same period. The large crowned garter badges are from the belly of the horse. The small crowned garter badges on the left are cap badges worn by, initially all ranks and later by only Sergeants and Constables. Senior Officers later adopted as a cap badge, the small crowned stars around the bottom centre badge. I hope that adequately explains everything. 

Dave.  

22 minutes ago, I_♥_Police said:

Fantastic  collection which must have some of the rarest examples. There cant be many private collections with examples as old as these surely?

There is a good friend of mine who is a retired Metpol. Sgt. He has a comparable collection of Met. badges. That said, there are items that he has which I don't have and vice versa. You can never have everything no matter how hard you try. Some items will always be elusive, but the joy of collecting is to continually try to find them. I'm glad they are of interest.

Dave.     

10 hours ago, Graf said:

Hi Dave,

 

Thank you for posting this interesting collection and information Great

Thank you for your interest Graf. My pleasure.

Dave.

To-day we took at Dockyard Division helmet plates of the Victorian & Edwardian period and also the Thames Division.

The Met. were responsible for policing the Royal Dockyards which were situated outside the Metropolitan Police District (MPD) from 1860 onwards and for Woolwich Dockyard from 1841 through to 1920. Rosyth (Scotland) and Pembroke (Wales) until 1926. Chatham until 1932 & Portsmouth until 1933. Dockyard policing  ceased in 1934 when the men were finally withdrawn from Devonport.

The Dockyard Division were issued their own distinctive helmet plates and collar badges which featured a foul anchor as can be seen. The garter plate (without star) with the "Guelphic" crown atop was a short lived helmet plate which was taken into used by the whole force. It replaced the wreath pattern but was for some reason withdrawn in favour of the gartered star.

The oval shaped "patch" was worn by members of the Thames Division only, on each shoulder of their refer jacket. This is believed to have been the first instance of a shoulder patch being worn on a British police uniform. See the photo of a Constable wearing it.

Dave.

25 minutes ago, Mike McLellan said:

Dave. I never get tired of looking at collection. Thanks. Mike

Thanks Mike. I think you've seen them all.  Its a long time since you've visited. Hope you are well and keeping warm. Have you added any more interesting items to your Met. and City Police collection?

Dave.

1 hour ago, I_♥_Police said:

Looks absolutely great! Thanks for posting. I'm lucky enough to have already seem some of these which you kindly sent me pictures of by email, however they are a window to the past. Can't be many examples of any of these around. In fact, a couple of them i've only ever seen pictures of, never pictures of the actual metal badge in reality. My main interest is in the later badges and equipment, however this is great. Don't suppose you know which Divisions trialled the breast badge in the 70s or 80s and what made them decide against it? There are some pictures on the net somewhere of an Inspector with the experimental breast badge on his tunic and two little stars above it, worn on the chest rather than the shoulder as per norm.

Yes, I think you may have been one of the few that have have had sight of some of these boards previously. With regard to the short lived breast badge, I think the Met. one I have is from "K" division. Several forces experimented with a similar badge but the idea did not really seem to take off. I think Greater Manchester still use one and Dorset did also, although I'm told that they no longer use theirs as it was only worn on the tunic, a garment they no longer issue.

Kent Constabulary issued their version in 1984. I can pin down the year exactly because the first time I saw one was when I was standing waiting to be served breakfast at an army camp in Humberside during the miners strike. The bobby in front of me was from Kent and I commented on his breast badge. He told me that they had only just been issued, were total rubbish and that the fittings on the back were held on with water soluble glue which fell apart when it rained. He took the badge off, handed it to me and said, "There you go mate its yours, I'll say it dropped off". I still have it. The manufacture was later improved upon and I understand that Kent Police still use a modified version on their tunics. There will be a picture of the Met. version on a later posting. Apart from "K" division I think "T" also trialled it.

Dave.

Quote

The "Met" are frequently the subject of media coverage here in the UK., often for the wrong reasons. They have been in existence since their formation in 1829 and in six years time will celebrate their bi-centenary. Alas, for a variety of reasons they no longer seem to be the iconic organisation they once were and seem to stagger from one crisis to another. Nonetheless, they were the model upon which the majority of police forces here and abroad were based.

As can be expected the items of insignia used over the years are many and varied and are arguably amongst the most collected by enthusiasts here in the UK and overseas. Over the next week or so I will show my personal Metpol. badge collection which some forum members may find of interest. I'll start with the Victorian period and work through to the present day. The force introduced the iconic bobbies helmet in circa. 1865 and this coincided with their first helmet plate/badge, a gartered wreath with a Victorian Crown atop. Its been suggested that the first helmet plate was a large Maltese cross shaped badge. If it was then examples seem not to have survived. As an aside, I should explain that it is really incorrect to describe all police helmets as "Custodian" helmets. The term "Custodian" is a registered trade name for the helmet manufacturing company "C.W. Headdress Ltd", they began using the name in the 1980's. It being marked on the inside of police helmets made by them. So, if the helmet was not made by C.W. Headdress Ltd and dates from the 1980's then it is NOT a "Custodian" helmet. I hope that gem of information is helpful. 

So, here we are with the first grouping. The plates with the large divisional letters in the centre were worn, top left by Chief Inspectors and top right, by Inspectors. The gartered badges (without wreath/star) were worn on the belly strap by mounted police. The "BR" plate was worn by "B" division reserves. The numbered helmet plates which show a single letter signify the division the wearer was posted to. 

Dave.    

54 minutes ago, I_♥_Police said:

 

Indeed, it really has to be worn properly with the old thumb on the end of the nose pointing upwards to test it haha. Then again, have you seen some of the most recent generations of the custodian? No actual foam liner, literally just a harness very similiar believe it or not to one in a builders hat if that makes sense. The flat caps are not what they used to be either, not at all unfortunately.

The really horrible helmets that have emerged in the last few years are those with a "Columbus" trade mark. The covering is a very strange dark blue colour which seems lighter than normal. The air vents on either side are very low down and the brim seems almost too flat. I think the parent company was Hobson & Sons. A few forces used them Herts. is one. Gibraltar is another. Oh, and I think Humberside did also. That said, I think they have stopped making them. Humberside seem to have scrapped their strange "squat" looking helmet and replaced it with a more conventional "rose" top version made by C.W.Headdress. So, the scrapping of the "Columbus" make is certainly a step in the right direction.

Dave. 

43 minutes ago, I_♥_Police said:

 

All look amazing. They are in great condition. I really like the old style plates where the centre of it is almost seperate you could say. Wish they were still like that. I know the Eastern region forces arent any more. Having said that, Herts still had the seperate centre held in by a pin up until fairly recently when I assume costs dictated it was cheaper just to make it all out of one 'sheet' if that makes sense.

 

I can't say I like a spike top or a rose really. In my opinion, I find the comb looks better.

Great minds think alike! I too favour the combed helmet. If worn properly, and it invariably is not these days, it presents an imposing image which is hard to beat.

Dave. 

Here is an unusual helmet from one of the former Welsh forces, the Anglesey Constabulary. Anglesey lost its independent force in 1950, when it amalgamated with the Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire Constabularies. The new combined force was named the Gwynedd Constabulary.

This helmet can be seen being worn in the group photograph which was taken in 1942. Those who are wearing the standard "Home Office" helmet with the black furniture are War Reserve Constables. Interestingly the "chain", appears to have been a purely decorative and not intended for wear as a chin strap. As can be seen a normal leather chin strap is provided for that purpose. 

Dave.

Yet another Chief Constable's helmet. This time from Stockport Borough Police.

Dave.

13 minutes ago, Nick said:

Interesting that helmets were used as opposed to cocked hats as worn in the Metropolitan Police. 

Towards the tail end of the 1940's and into the early 1950's bi-corn hats replaced helmets for wear by some provincial Chief Constables others adopted a peaked cap with a silver embroidered band around (similar to the Middlesbrough CC cap shown previously). The Met. senior officers below Deputy Assistant Commissioner did wear ceremonial helmets with their No:- 1 dress. The last occasion they were worn was on Remembrance Day Nov. 1971. The Met. decided to abandon the wearing and issue of No:1s at that time. That said, DAC's and above did continue to wear their ceremonial dress with bi-corn hats. I think that Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe was the last to be seen wearing such costume when mounted on his horse in The Mall during the late Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 

Dave.

9 hours ago, I_♥_Police said:

 

Both amazing pieces and thanks for sharing. Why did these senior officers have helmets rather than flat caps with braiding?

There was a period (up to 1950's) when senior officers in some forces had a ceremonial uniform. This usually consisted of a helmet/bicorn hat and an up market braided tunic. For everyday wear their usual uniform and cap was utilised. The CC of Middlesbrough (whose cap I show) would have had an ornate helmet for wear on appropriate occasions also.

Dave.

For to-days posting we pay a return visit to Merseyside, Liverpool to be specific. This one is a Superintendent's helmet from Liverpool City Police worn into the 1930's. Its unusual in that instead of having a familiar Tudor rose at each side of the helmet, Liverpool had their own custom design featuring a representation of the mythical Liver Bird on an eight pointed star. The Liver Bird appears on all Liverpool Police insignia. When worn as part of a headdress badge the bird always looks to the left. If the badge is worn as part of a pair, for example on the collar or epaulette, or as in this case part of a helmet side decoration, the bird always faces the front (neck) of the person wearing the item of clothing. So, in the case of this helmet, on the opposite side to that shown, the bird is facing in the opposite direction to the one you can see. There is a label inside showing the words "Supt........." but the surname has been unfortunately obliterated.

Dave.   

To-days contribution is a helmet worn into the 1930's by the Chief Constable of Grimsby. The metal fittings on the helmet, including the helmet plate are solid silver.

Dave.

The Metropolitan Police have to-day confirmed that officers policing the Coronation will NOT have replacement insignia bearing the King's cipher etc. The force say they have been instructed that all stocks of uniform featuring the EIIR insignia must be used and depleted before new badges are purchased.

Dave. 

No, I don't use gloves. I store it in a plastic bag. I'm sure conservators would not recommend that but its been kept that way for goodness knows how many years without any apparent ill effect.

Dave.

At a guess I would suggest that the epaulettes have a "Royal Gloucestershire Hussars" connection judging by the design.

Dave.

The photo below shows the uniform cap worn by Henry Riches who was the Chief Constable of Middlesbrough between 1902 and 1930 and a further image of Mr. Riches wearing the cap as part of his uniform. Not surprisingly, the cap is beginning to show its age, but is all there. It was manufactured by Try & Lilly Ltd., of Liverpool. That family run company still exists in Liverpool and is still making uniform headdress for the military and  police forces at home and overseas.

Dave