Female Police Officer Medals?

[bigjarofwasps]

Chief Superintendent Constance Hobbs Metropolitan Police.

Connie was brought up in South London and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1954. She retired in 1979 notably at this time, having reached the rank of Chief Superintendent. 

Constance Elizabeth Hobbs (Connie). Died on 4th May 2021, aged 93 years.

[bigjarofwasps]

Commander Thelma Wagstaff Metropolitan Police. 

Thelma served in the Wrens for 3 years before entering into the Metropolitan Police Force in 1961. Rising through the ranks, she commendably went on to achieve the rank of Commander in the CID before retirement in 1988.

Passed away on Sunday 28th March 2021.

[dpk]

Earlier in this thread, a question was asked 'Are there any other types of Constable besides police Constables?' I am not sure how the Admiralty, War Department etc police were engaged and classified but they had the title Constable. Also the small number of Cathedral Constables who are appointed by the Cathedral Constables Association rather than by a Watch Committee or Force (as I understand it). They even have their own long service medal:

 

[bigjarofwasps]

Assistant Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson Lincolnshire Police.

Kerrin was appointed Assistant Chief Constable in July 2018 Cleveland & Durham (Police) Special Operations Unit.

Kerrin has 27 years of service with four North East Forces starting with Northumbria Police in 1992 and the bulk of her service with Cleveland Constabulary before moving to North Yorkshire Police on promotion to Chief Inspector and then joining Durham Constabulary in 2013 as a Superintendent. 

Kerrin has a background in a variety of disciplines at all levels of her career from operational uniform, CID and specialist roles. This has included Head of Tasking & Co-ordinating Command (Media, Resourcing, Intelligence, Research & Analysis, Control Rooms); Safeguarding; Volume Crime; Diversity Unit; Local Area Command; Neighbourhood Policing and serving on secondment to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as the Director for Training the Iraqi Police based in Baghdad.

[bigjarofwasps]

This medal and certificate awarded to Miss Marjorie Swift were acquired in June 2021 and initially of interest as they loosely fitted within the collecting sphere of Police Officers who had been awarded the Silver Jubilee Medal 1977. 
 
Marjorie was Police Staff and listed in the 1977 Jubilee Medal roll as a Secretary, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police.  However the reverse of her certificate, possibly written for presentation of the medal, read – ‘Chief Constable’s Secretary Miss M Swift Millgarth Police Station.’
 
No details could be found on Ancestry.UK as there were simply too many Marjorie Swift’s living in Yorkshire, to be able to make a link.  However, further research revealed that in 1977 Marjorie would have been secretary to Ronald Gregory, the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, he, being in overall command of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper from the Headquarters at Millgarth Station. 
 
1977 was in the approximate centre of the enquiry, 1975-1980 and Marjorie would no doubt have seen many important documents passing to and from the Chief. 
 
Whilst there are no biographical detail of Marjorie, it is important that her role in one of the UK’s most horrific murder sprees and subsequent enquiries are recorded for posterity.  

Also within this collection are the medals to Chief Inspector Roy James GORE who also served during this unsavoury time.

 

 

https://martinharrisonsmedalresearch.weebly.com/swift-marjorie.html?fbclid=IwAR0waZ1Yb-mNvc4w9H54OYgeTJysWf9J5_tXp4ALi0HOSzbYevBzaMd5rwE

Edited September 22, 2022 by bigjarofwasps

[dpk]

I recently acquired a SCLS medal and case, issued to a female officer. It was a good acquisition (I think) because it has a combination of unusual attributes- it is to a female officer, she had/has a very senior rank, and it was issued through the Birmingham Mint (in the period c1995-2007 when they had the contract).

Hard to find this kind of SCLS!

 

[bigjarofwasps]

Constable Vanda Bairstow.

 

Unknown which force she served with but a Vanda Kathleen Bairstow died late last year in Essex. 

[bigjarofwasps]

Here’s an interesting example - 

 

Amanda Blakeman, first ever female Chief Constable in the history of North Wales Police, and first ever Welsh Constabulary recipient of the King’s Police Medal. Having only taken over as Chief from Karl Foulkes on the 31st October 2022. 
 

 

[Graf]

On 17/06/2023 at 18:37, bigjarofwasps said:

Here’s an interesting example - 

 

Amanda Blakeman, first ever female Chief Constable in the history of North Wales Police, and first ever Welsh Constabulary recipient of the King’s Police Medal. Having only taken over as Chief from Karl Foulkes on the 31st October 2022. 
 

 

Nice and interesting Thanks

[bigjarofwasps]

Birmingham Mint E11R (second version) LSGC to

Superintendent Joan Susan Williams South Yorkshire Police.

 

(*The Birmingham Mint held the contract for LSGC’s between roughly around 1995 to around 2007.)

 

I believe Joan must have joined the police in around 1978. So it can be assumed that she must have qualified for her LSGC around 2000. Her service dates would confirm that she also entitled to the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. I assume she must have retired around 2008.

 

Service wise -
As a Chief Inspector I believe she served in Woodseats, Hackenthorpe (which then became Moss Way) and Hammerton Road.

Police Almanc for 2007 & 2008 has her as Superintendent and head of Communications, Operational Support Services, South Yorkshire Police.

 

She makes the national press as a result of a couple of incidents.

 

Firstly in 2007, when she and her judge husband posed nude for a calendar to raise money for a fox hunting group she was part of. How many serving Superintendents can claim do have done that I wonder? (*No photograph of her available, before anyone asks, her husband however was not so lucky and his photo was all over the press, but no one wants to see that!)

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-428527/His-Honour-Mr-July-police-chief-wife-pose-nude-calendar.html

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10341843/judge-naked-calendar-snarled-attack/amp/

 

She next appears in the press in 2020 granted this must be long after she had retired from the force. On this occasion she and her husband (the judge) were involved in an altercation with hunt saboteurs. These articles document that she had previously been a Super in South Yorkshire Police. There are also a few posts about it on social media (Facebook).

 

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/theyre-anarchists-class-war-hunt-chairman-cleared-assaulting-sabs-704688

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/10/judge-complain-police-cps-appalling-treatment-cleared-attacking/

 

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-judge-cleared-on-new-years-day-assaults-on-hunt-saboteurs-in-derbyshire-field-1359253

 

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/crime/video-shows-the-moment-barlow-hunt-master-uses-horse-to-threaten-saboteurs-in-new-years-day-incident-near-chesterfield-3014889

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/10/judge-complain-police-cps-appalling-treatment-cleared-attacking/

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/08/judge-cleared-attacking-hunt-saboteurs-tearfully-tells-court/

Edited May 23 by bigjarofwasps

[bigjarofwasps]

Should anyone be curious, have found a copy of the calendar photo…..

 

Not the best quality granted, but you can just make out the caption underneath in which Joan Williams is named. 

[archie777]

I have a picture somewhere, of a SADF female officer receiving the Military Merit Medal

 

Will look for it and share with all

[archie777]

A well known SA Special Force Operator with his wife, wearing her well earned medals during a veterans day parade

[archie777]

SADF female officer receiving the Military Merit Medal

 

[bigjarofwasps]

Cracking double LSGC group, with both E11R & C111R effigies. 
 

Constable Emma Chapman Essex Police.