What’s going on here?

It’s a cliche, but a true one, that the police of old commanded a respect and trust that they don’t necessarily receive today. The Francis Frith Collection captures some of these copper-bottomed coppers in action. High Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, 1950 Mr W. David Thomas put The Francis Frith Collection in the picture when he explained that the Ford car ‘EDE3’ in this photograph belonged to his late father, Mr William Gwyther Thomas, who was the Divisional Highways Surveyor. The reason for it being apparently abandoned in the middle of the road was that the traffic lights at this junction had failed. At the time this photograph was taken, Mr Thomas was investigating the reason for the failed traffic lights at the control box, while the police

Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965
Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965

controlled the traffic. Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965 “We are sure that the policeman standing in his box doing point duty was our dad, PC McGinty, number 100. He was a policeman for 40 years with Preston borough and we and a lot of Preston people have fond memories of him standing in that spot.” A memory contributed to The Francis Frith Collection website by lanice Kayley The police officer is PC69 Kenneth Edwards of the old Flintshire Force, who is talking to Mr Cummins, a local landowner. Do you have a memory of this location or the people depicted that you could add to The Francis Frith Collection website?

High Street, Holywell, Clwyd, 1959
High Street, Holywell, Clwyd, 1959

Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960 “I am the policeman in this photograph, much to my amazement. “I joined the Worcestershire Constabulary in 1961 and worked at Redditch from 1961 to 1965, when I then went to be a ‘village bobby’ at Oldswinford in Stourbridge. “We had no radios or much transport in those days and most eight-hour shifts would be spent walking the streets. To see if we were wanted, we either passed the end of Church Street and looked down to the Police Station to see if the blue light outside had been put out, or we hovered by a designated telephone box at a set time each half hour and waited for it to ring. The rest of the time you were on your own and expected to deal with anything that came your way.” A memory contributed to The Francis Frith Collection website by Anthony Ingram Thanks for the memory… “It is easy to reminisce at old Lamberhurst, in Kent, and see faces now in the churchyard, where we as scruffy children were allowed to run wild and free. The local policeman (PC Hollands) gave me a clout around the ear for scrumping strawberries from Fermer’s farm, and threatened me with ‘prison’ if he caught me again. This put the fear of God into me and when I found a half-crown right outside the police house (opposite Furnace Avenue) I rushed to his door, frantically knocking, because as a seven-year-old I was convinced PC Holland was ‘setting a trap’. When Mr Holland did eventually come to the door and listened patiently to my tail of truth, he beamed a big smile, put his hand in his pocket, pulled out another half-crown and gave it to me for being honest. Those acts (the clout for taking strawberries coupled with the policeman giving me the ‘reward’) have put me in good stead ever since.” A memory contributed by Mike C. Beech to The Francis Frith Collection website

Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960
Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960

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What’s going on here?

It’s a cliche, but a true one, that the police of old commanded a respect and trust that they don’t necessarily receive today. The Francis Frith Collection captures some of these copper-bottomed coppers in action. High Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, 1950 Mr W. David Thomas put The Francis Frith Collection in the picture when he explained that the Ford car ‘EDE3’ in this photograph belonged to his late father, Mr William Gwyther Thomas, who was the Divisional Highways Surveyor. The reason for it being apparently abandoned in the middle of the road was that the traffic lights at this junction had failed. At the time this photograph was taken, Mr Thomas was investigating the reason for the failed traffic lights at the control box, while the police

Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965
Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965

controlled the traffic. Fishergate, Preston, Lancashire, cl 965 “We are sure that the policeman standing in his box doing point duty was our dad, PC McGinty, number 100. He was a policeman for 40 years with Preston borough and we and a lot of Preston people have fond memories of him standing in that spot.” A memory contributed to The Francis Frith Collection website by lanice Kayley The police officer is PC69 Kenneth Edwards of the old Flintshire Force, who is talking to Mr Cummins, a local landowner. Do you have a memory of this location or the people depicted that you could add to The Francis Frith Collection website?

High Street, Holywell, Clwyd, 1959
High Street, Holywell, Clwyd, 1959

Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960 “I am the policeman in this photograph, much to my amazement. “I joined the Worcestershire Constabulary in 1961 and worked at Redditch from 1961 to 1965, when I then went to be a ‘village bobby’ at Oldswinford in Stourbridge. “We had no radios or much transport in those days and most eight-hour shifts would be spent walking the streets. To see if we were wanted, we either passed the end of Church Street and looked down to the Police Station to see if the blue light outside had been put out, or we hovered by a designated telephone box at a set time each half hour and waited for it to ring. The rest of the time you were on your own and expected to deal with anything that came your way.” A memory contributed to The Francis Frith Collection website by Anthony Ingram Thanks for the memory… “It is easy to reminisce at old Lamberhurst, in Kent, and see faces now in the churchyard, where we as scruffy children were allowed to run wild and free. The local policeman (PC Hollands) gave me a clout around the ear for scrumping strawberries from Fermer’s farm, and threatened me with ‘prison’ if he caught me again. This put the fear of God into me and when I found a half-crown right outside the police house (opposite Furnace Avenue) I rushed to his door, frantically knocking, because as a seven-year-old I was convinced PC Holland was ‘setting a trap’. When Mr Holland did eventually come to the door and listened patiently to my tail of truth, he beamed a big smile, put his hand in his pocket, pulled out another half-crown and gave it to me for being honest. Those acts (the clout for taking strawberries coupled with the policeman giving me the ‘reward’) have put me in good stead ever since.” A memory contributed by Mike C. Beech to The Francis Frith Collection website

Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960
Evesham Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, c1960

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