Metropolitan Police Met pair just arrived through the door :)

[Insp43519]

It's about time I posted something, seeing that so many members have helped me in the past, so when these came through my door today I thought I would share them with you as my latest medal addition:

1887 Metropolitan Police Jubilee medal: PC R. STAFFORD P DIVISION (CAMBERWELL)
1897 bar to the above medal: PS R. STAFFORD H DIVISION (WHITECHAPEL)
1902 Metropolitan Police Coronation medal: PS R. STAFFORD H DIVISION (WHITECHAPEL)

RUSSELL GUNNING STAFFORD was born on 1/10/1864 at Short Street, Ditton Marsh, Westbury, Wiltshire, and was the son of a local farmer. By 1881 he had moved to Somers Street, Portsea, Hampshire where he worked as a grocer's shopman and lodged above the shop. The following year he married Clara Conrad a music seller in Portsea, then on 23/2/1886 he joined the Metropolitan Police. His warrant number was 71307 and he went onto P Division (Camberwell). He gave evidence at The Old Bailey on 30/01/1888 in a deception/forgery trial and his collar number then was given as P.387.
By 1897 he had transferred to H Division (Whitechapel) where he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant and lived with his wife in Exmouth Street, just off the Commercial Road.

On 20/04/1909 he again gave evidence at The Old Bailey in a deception/fraud trial, but this time he is recorded as Police Sergeant, H Division Warrant Officer - Thames Police Court (Which is a new rank on me, did every Court have a warrants Sergeant I wonder?)

He remained in Whitechapel until his retirement on 27/02/1911 whilst serving as a Station Police Sergeant.
He passed away on 12/3/1937 at 41 Ben Jonson Road, Stepney, London. The below photo of him is on the Stafford family tree on Ancestry.com

Regards, Jon

Edited April 17, 2013 by Insp43519

[Mervyn Mitton]

Welcome to GMIC Jon. You say you haven't been on for a while - I'm wondering why it hasn't shown-up ? Your post on these medals is interesting -

Thames Court is where we used to go since it covered mainly 'H' Div. There was a Court Inspector and a Court Sergeant - he administered the prisoners

and the cells. I don't recall a Warrants Sgt. However, Bethnal Green had an admin. office with officers attached for serving Warrants. Mervyn

[Chris Boonzaier]

Thats really nice, and for me exotic.... was there not a recent TV series in the UK about police at Whitechapel?

[219PG]

Interesting research Jon and what a bonus to to discover a photograph on Ancestry - always nice to put face to a the man !

Alex

[paul wood]

Nice pair and well researched, shame he couldn't have stayed on another 6 months to get the 1911 Coronation.

Paul

[Brian Wolfe]

Jon, now you're starting to make me envious. Very nice pair of medals and as mentioned it's great to see a photo of the recipient as well.

Whitechaple is a name that must be known around the world. If I mention to anyone here that I collect British Police memorabilia the first thing they mention is Whitechaple, too bad that H Division is still not represented in my collection. But perhaps there's still time left to correct that.

Regards

Brian

[Insp43519]

Thank you Brian, I know what you mean about Whitechapel, the reason I collect is because the Victorian period is my favourite era and out of all the divisions of the Met, I concentrate on Whitechapel as it was a very busy poor area with a very high crime rate, and obviously has had it's fair share of notorious crimes such as the Ripper killings and the Siege of Sidney Street etc..

Jon