Whistles Military (and non military)

[muckaroon1960]

Just recently added to my Whistle collection and though I'd share them with you.

Left to Right:

1915 Hudson Trench Whistle.

1944 Hudson Trench Whistle with crows foot and Chain.

WW2 Hudson Air Raid Precautions.

1930's Hudson Metropolitan Police Whistle No 49807

Top right, Air Ministry Whistle

Bottom right, Girl Guides.

All in working condition and great items to collect as they are so varied and easily obtainable.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Hi - Muckaroon - good to see you posting , and a topic that could have a lot of mileage. Let's hope members will

add from their collections.

I will show some Police examples - some quite different to the Hudson patterns you show above. Hudsons were the

main manufacturers of most whistles, lamps and restraints . Parker, Field and Sons were the official armourers to the

Metropolitan Police and commissioned most items from Hudsons. When my Police book was published Hudsons

bought - I think - 30 copies to send to their agencies overseas.

The early Constabulary and the Night Watch carried a rattle in the early days - whistle came into use in the 1880's.

However, the military had been using them much earlier - usually, the pea type and often with a military button on

each side. Sometimes, the entire whistle will be carved from a soft wood such as Pear.

We must also remember that the Royal Navy used Bosuns Calls or, Whistles for hundreds of years. I am sure

someone will post pictures of these.

This was the pattern for the City of Liverpool Police in the 19th Century. They wore a crossbelt - similar to the Army

and this whistle was pushed into a leather holder over the chest.

...................................................................http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-6209-0-78024500-1360076746.jpgclick.........................

[Mervyn Mitton]

This is a Police whistle - probably for a County Force. The Chief Constable was too 'cheap' to pay the extra

1/6d ( 7 new pence) to have the name stamped on the side. We know it is Police because of the official standard

chain. The hook went into the 2nd button down on the old high collar tunics and the whistle went into a small pocket inside.

...............................................................http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-6209-0-24219500-1360077079.jpgclick...............................

[Mervyn Mitton]

This is a very rare whistle - dating from the 1880's this is the first pattern whistle for the Metropolitan Police.

There would have been a chain.

.....................................................................http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-6209-0-44316500-1360077962.jpgclick.....................................

[Mervyn Mitton]

.............................................................http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-6209-0-85413900-1360078377.jpg...................................

These whistles are - from Left : Early 20th Century Traffic whistle. Early Victorian Police whistle. This is a

Military Whistle - prob. 18th Century. Buttons form the sides. Victorian Glasgow Police. Handcarved Pear

wood whistle. This was used by an early Parish Constable - but was of the type used also by military.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This was an experimental pattern - tested by the Metropolitan Police but, never adopted. There is an internal

fan and it makes the sound of a siren. Being a Community Policeman I had the use of a bicycle - 6d a day

extra - but Insurance cover. I used it as a joke one night duty - amazingly the traffic just parted for me as I

cycled past.......................

...............................................................http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-6209-0-29594500-1360078846.jpgclick............................

[Brian Wolfe]

Great idea for a post, now to find my secimens and add to the post.

Regards

Brian

[muckaroon1960]

Great to see the more unusual Police whistles. I wonder if any members have unusual military ones? Would it be the wrong section to post foreign comparisons?

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Muckaroon,

I would rather keep this section for British examples only, especially since Mervyn had posted so many great British specimens.

Regards

Brian

.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Hi - Muckaroon - good to see you posting , and a topic that could have a lot of mileage. Let's hope members will

add from their collections.

I will show some Police examples - some quite different to the Hudson patterns you show above. Hudsons were the

main manufacturers of most whistles, lamps and restraints . Parker, Field and Sons were the official armourers to the

Metropolitan Police and commissioned most items from Hudsons. When my Police book was published Hudsons

bought - I think - 30 copies to send to their agencies overseas.

The early Constabulary and the Night Watch carried a rattle in the early days - whistle came into use in the 1880's.

However, the military had been using them much earlier - usually, the pea type and often with a military button on

each side. Sometimes, the entire whistle will be carved from a soft wood such as Pear.

We must also remember that the Royal Navy used Bosuns Calls or, Whistles for hundreds of years. I am sure

someone will post pictures of these.

This was the pattern for the City of Liverpool Police in the 19th Century. They wore a crossbelt - similar to the Army

and this whistle was pushed into a leather holder over the chest.

...................................................................CT 3299.jpgclick.........................

Mervyn,

I've collected police insignia, photographs and memorabilia from my home City of Liverpool since the early 1960's and have never seen any evidence that Liverpool City Police Officers wore a crossbelt with the whistle pushed into a holder on the belt. Photographs (and I have a very large number) indicate that whistles were worn normally in the tunic or greatcoat pocket as with other forces. The only crossbelts were worn by the Mounted Dept. when wearing their ceremonial uniform and even then the whistle was worn with the chain exposed and the instrument itself placed in the pocket of the stand collar tunic. Why Liverpool issued this type of whistle is something of a mystery. I often wonder where these myths originate!

Best wishes, Dave.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Dave - with these early pieces so much depended on the whims of the Chief Constable. I have no idea why this design

was picked for just one area. Within the deep recesses of my memory, I do seem to remember seeing a cross belt - it

may well be a confusion with something else and I must be honest and say that most pictures don't show this. Perhaps

right at the beginning when it was first introduced ?

There has to be a reason why this shape was adopted - and of course , it has similarities with military cross belt whistles.

I sometimes find that the Chief Constables were ex-Military and tried to carry over their military past. One must always

remember that Ch. Const. who wanted to introduce artillery to control Riots. The Home Secretary had to stamp on that one.....

Mervyn

Brian has sensibly said keep this to British - but that would be Police and Military + any others.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Dave - with these early pieces so much depended on the whims of the Chief Constable. I have no idea why this design

was picked for just one area. Within the deep recesses of my memory, I do seem to remember seeing a cross belt - it

may well be a confusion with something else and I must be honest and say that most pictures don't show this. Perhaps

right at the beginning when it was first introduced ?

There has to be a reason why this shape was adopted - and of course , it has similarities with military cross belt whistles.

I sometimes find that the Chief Constables were ex-Military and tried to carry over their military past. One must always

remember that Ch. Const. who wanted to introduce artillery to control Riots. The Home Secretary had to stamp on that one.....

Mervyn

Brian has sensibly said keep this to British - but that would be Police and Military + any others.

Mervyn,

I appreciate the points you make. However, I have photos of Liverpool City wearing top hats and carrying rattles and similar with whistle chains showing but no sign of a cross belt. I think the cross belt theory may have been an assumption made by someone way back in the mists of time and as with many such assumptions with the passage of years they tend to become cast in cement. The shape of the whistle may have been a whim of the CC, perhaps a simple explanation was that the "lipped" version was more expensive. Whatever the explanation, the purchase and issue of this unusual shape persisted for a great many years with the "lipped" version making its appearance with Liverpool Police just after the first war. Even then the "oddity" was not withdrawn and I can recall occasionally seeing them on the end of a chrome chain still being worn by older Liverpool bobbies in the early 1970's. They are certainly very common and thousands upon thousands of them must have been issued. On most days if you do a search on that famous on line auction site you can usually find two or three for sale.

Best wishes, Dave.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Dave Wilkinson

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Fellows,

This is a great post and one I've wanted to get involved with for some time now, thank you for starting it off.

My offering in the military is a set of Second World War whistles from 1939 through to 1945. The whistle to the far right, I have been told, is to the Royal Navy, WWII. From what I have read, and I stand to be corrected, the Royal Navy never had their whistles dated and used the doubled neck chain.

I have one lonely First World War whistle dated 1915. I would like to finish the WWI group some day.

Regards

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Here is my small police whistle collection.

From left to right:

Buck’s Special Constabulary

A.R.P. with badge

Essex Constabulary

Clarke Leicester

Metropolitan Police London 1942

City Police or Fire Whistle, C.T.W’S

G.P.O. (Post Office)

Kent Special Constabulary

Liverpool City Police

Staffordshire Constabulary

The last, an unmarked specimen, belonged to a
good friend of mine and a former Police Constable “H” Division who served from
1967 to 1974, City of London, Bethnal Police Station (London’s East End). He was a Home Beat or Community Officer. It’s not often you get a whistle with as much
information. The former PC’s name is
withheld to preserve his privacy.

Regards

Brian

[V0SPER]

Hi,

Re Police whistles, from my own experience I can tell you that Cleveland Constabulary (now known as Cleveland Police) issued the following whistles from 1979 to C.2000 when they were no longer issued.

All conform to the WW2 ARP pattern.

The force never had its name stamped on the whistles.

Marked examples known are;

A.R.P. J. Hudson, Barr St. Birmingham.

The Metropolitan. Made in England.

The EMCA City Whistle. Made in England.

The ACME City. Made in England.

SONDICo. made in India.

Vosper

[Mervyn Mitton]

Hi - Vosper - if we haven't said this before - welcome to GMIC. I have mentioned that County Forces had to pay extra for naming,

this does mean a lot of whistles have no attribution. The important point to remember is that virtually every household bought them

selves a whistle in case of emergency. The point applies to bulls eye lanterns. They were the torches of Victorian times and do need

the police hook to prove origins. Mervyn

[muckaroon1960]

Fantastic collection Brian, that's got my collective juices going. I'll be on the lookout for more and different whistles from now on!

[Brian Wolfe]

Oh no, what have I done!

Seriously, I think it is a great area of collecting and one that would seem to be open ended.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing more of your collection as it grows.

Regards

Brian

[muckaroon1960]

Two more whistles I've acquired recently.

Left hand A DeCourcy 1917 Trench Whistle, Right ACME Scout Master.