NickLangley

Where will new recipients wear the Chief Constable's Commendation badge? Somewhere on their best-dress T-shirts, I suppose.☹️

WMP passing out parade

The manufacturing quality of the new warrant card badges is terrible. One step up from what you would find in a Christmas cracker.

Can I suggest Essex County in SW Ontario? On the border with the USA, which would explain the American look of the badge.

Alternatively, Essex County VT. Although Constables are elected at township rather than county level.

The experimental chest shield looks as if it came out of a Christmas cracker. Did they actually use Dymo tape for the serial number?

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

The Honorary Police in each of Jersey's parishes make the island much more "interesting".

City of London perhaps, but that's the Corporation of London; they are a law unto themselves. As for the rest who is going to put up a fight?

Welsh forces will have "Hedlu".

It's happened before: Scotland.

I'd be willing to bet that the Home Office will use this an opportunity to continue its long-term "stealth nationalisation" of policing by using costs as a reason to introduce a standardised cap badge/helmet plate to be worn by all forces.

Some old-timers "forget" they are retired. At a party  not so long ago.

Me: "Sid, you can't arrest me. First: you are as pissed as a fart. Second: you retired three years ago. The third reason shall remain confidential!."?

On 12/04/2021 at 11:59, Steuart Campbell said:

My grandfather John Campbell was in the Stafforshire Police most of his working life, ending up as Superintendant of the Handsworth Division. I have a news paper report of his life and some family records. Where would I find the police's own records of investigations? 

Handsworth was transferred from Staffordshire and incorporated into the City of Birmingham (Warwickshire) in 1911.

Not strictly about insignia but related. A couple of days ago i was chatting to a friend who is a vintage bus enthusiast and he asked why it was that, back in the day, boroughs and cities would paint their buses and trams in distinctive liveries complete with the municipal coat of arms; their fire engines would have the brigade's name on the side in fancy goldleaf. But, when it came to their police forces municipal pride vanished and it was plain black for everyone. I didn't have an answer, but there must be a reason Does anyone know or have a theory?

First thing to check is to see if the fabric wear under the collar numbers matches up. That would be very hard to fake.

The English Made on the buttons makes me suspicious. Country of origin markings came about as part  of the British Merchandise Marks Act, which took effect on August 23, 1887.

Almost too good to be true.?

PC 55H Jonas Mizen (Joseph Mizen PC 55H—Times Aug 19th 1886)

One of the first constables on the scene after the Ripper murder of Mary Ann Nichols.

If, and it is an enormous if, it is genuine the tunic could fetch a considerable sum.

 Production of appointments.  An officer was required to display his appointments, including his truncheon, at the beginning of his shift, to his supervisor.  This was a long-standing practice but not one which continues to the present day.

Police forces were organized on para-military lines. Officers saluted their superiors, boots were polished, faces shaved and, naturally enough, the shift would begin with an army-style parade.

Were they just being frugal and using up old stock? That doesn't look like an 1887 version of her majesty.

I'm not a medallist, but is there a reason for Victoria being a mere Regina rather than RI?

This is a fascinating thread . For instance, how would we react, nowadays, to a presiding magistrate who is: the mayor, but also a member of the Watch Committee and the de facto and de jure boss of the the Pc who made the arrest and the prosecuting Chief Constable?

Where's my lawyer?

Not necessarily British policemen. The traditional British police helmet was modelled on the army's Home Service Helmet and military fashion would suggest that other organisations followed suit. For example Pennsylvania State Police wore British pattern helmets for a time.

A close inspection of the helmet plates shows that there is no crown on the eight pointed star. Now a few British forces did wear crownless helmet plates, but  commonsense would suggest that these are continental soldiers wearing the latest military fashion Circa 1904-5. 

Well, according to this link

http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2011/08/31/star-david

the Trinidad connexion looks dubious. It states that the Trinidad Constabulary was wearing a "Star of David" type badge well before the end of the 19th Century.

So where on the wicking t-shirt do you wear the ribbon?

It's hard to imagine someone of Mr Perrott's social standing being a "hobby bobby" nowadays. But then you only have to look at old photos (during the General Strike in particular) to realise that the Special Constabulary then was a very different creature from its modern counterpart.

I'd say that being Commandant of a small borough's special constabulary pre-WW2 was very much a position in the local social/political scene. As he subequently became mayor it's a pretty good bet he sat on the Watch Committee and was, in effect, the Chief Constable's boss.

The general view is that this badge was not an issue item but was manufactured and purchased privately.

Which reminds me of Sir Hugh Orde, erstwhile President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, who generated some derision by being photographed wearing an ACPO cap badge of his very own design.

Unfortunately, for future collectors, his badge lacked the "quality" of its Great War counterparts, looking more like a gift from a Christmas Cracker.  Truly a plastic policeman.

Pretty good. Both Metropolitan Police officers and you have their collar numbers. "C" division covered Mayfair and St James.

The Metropolitan Police have  a family records department which you can find on the net. I think they charge a few £ to search their database.

A handy link to Boston (Mass) Public Libraries who have very kindly digitised the whole book

Book of Public Arms