GREATWAR-L Archives

Archiver > GREATWAR > 2001-08 > 0996938549


From: Iain Kerr <>
Subject: Re: [WW1] Special Police
Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2001 16:22:29 +0100
In-Reply-To: <008e01c11cbb$86c7fd00$db8dfcd8@merritt>


At 18:00 04/08/01 +1000, you wrote:
>Hi Everyone,
>
>Does anyone know anything about the Special Police that were in England
>during the Great War? My g-grandfather served for them in Kent and was
>awarded a medal. Unfortunately it was lost during the family's move to
>Australia in the 1920's and now my grandfather, who is 92, says he would
>love to get a new one so he can 'see it one more time'. My
>g-grandfather's name was Albert Herbert Sidney Goodhew, Service No. 339536.
>
>A bit of a hard one I guess but hopefully someone out there might know
>something.
>
>Regards,
>
>Rhonda, in Mareeba, Qld, Australia.

Rhonda,


I suspect that you have a reference to the Special Constabulary (not
Police), a part-time voluntary reserve to local police forces that
continues to this day. With many regular policemen (many of them
ex-servicemen) volunteering to serve or being recalled from the reserve in
1914 and 1915, there were serious manpower shortages in many police
forces. Hence the greater reliance on the Special |Constabulary which may
have been open to men who were too old or physically unfit for military
service.

Each Special Constabulary was administered by its parent police force - the
Kent Constabulary in this case. Any surviving records will be with the
headquarters archives of that police force. You may fins a list more
focused in police issues may be able to offer more specific help.

Yours aye,

Iain Kerr in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Web Page at: http://home.clara.net/iainkerr/index.htm
RootsWeb Sponsor and Listowner for the WORLDWAR2 Mailing List.

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