police officer divisions and collar identification in 1870's London

[sweet_gardenia]

Allright I have Googled my brains out for the answer to this and no luck. I've combed through about every website on the metropolitan police and the city of London police and came up with nothing

I know that around the 1870s the police of London had divisions the only one I'm recalling at the moment was H division which was centered in whitechapel

Comments

[reggie11]

This may be of some help. It has all of the divisions and warrant numbering for London from the inception of the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829.

HERE

Good luck!

[sweet_gardenia]

Many thanks I appreciate it! I did come across that website I'll give it a more careful looking over but I don't think it quite had what I was looking for in terms of what would have gone on the uniform collar. Ergo:

H45
C662
D35
and so forth

City of London officer badge number eh we'll say 62 (I'm pulling a number randomly for the sake of example) It's what letter or abbreviation that goes on his collar that is stumping me

[syntinen_laulu]

My first thought is that a constable of recent German descent would most likely be posted well away from areas with a high concentration of German immigrants and German speaking individuals. Even if his superiors were 100% confident of his not showing favouritism to his compatriots, he would be constantly vulnerable to the accusation.

[sweet_gardenia]

that's a good point. I mentioned below he's not really fresh off the boat, he was born in london but I will keep that point in mind!

[sollersuk]

He'd have to be at least third generation, and no longer identifying himself as being German, before that would stop being an issue.

[sweet_gardenia]

Hm! I think I could tweak that easily then

[dorsetgirl]

I'm sorry I can't be of any help, but - "what in the sam hill" ??

Is that a typo or a standard American phrase? Meaning?

[beesandbrews]

It's slang. Not in heavy duty useage because it's old, but recognizable as a variant of 'what the heck' all the same.

[sweet_gardenia]

hah yeah that's very outdated American southern slang probably only used by eighty-year old farmers in overalls and myself ^^

[duckodeath]

No, I use it too. In fact, I said it (to myself, but still) earlier tonight well before I read this post. So there are at least two of us keeping it alive!

[elfbert]

You could tweet the City of London Police and ask.

@Citypolice

Someone there might know? Or be able to find out. They must, at the least, have archive photos of officers in uniform.

[sweet_gardenia]

oh that's a good idea too! thanks!

[syntinen_laulu]

Both the Met and the City Police have museums (both easily googleable), and I'm sure they would be happy to help you. The first question, of course, is whether anyone of obviously foreign descent would have been an acceptable recruit to either force at all. It's very possible that he would not have been.

[sweet_gardenia]

surprisingly in my research that wasn't the case! I had had concerns about that also but I ran across an article published in 1868 or thereabouts that talked about the ethnic backgrounds of the metropolitan police force of the time period and mentioned " eleven foreigners " being among the force, and some of them being in the ranks of detective. my fellow was also born in London so you know, second generation raised in a predominately German speaking community that sort of thing.