Summer News 2022

Things continue to get busier as life becomes the new normal.

There have been several talks in the Thornbury, Chipping Sodbury area which before the boundary changes of 1974 were policed by Gloucestershire Constabulary. It is good to see that we are attracting higher numbers as the weather improves and we can have the doors and windows open without shivering.

 We have also managed to get out to a school fete.

This flurry of activity has led to more bookings for talks in the Autumn not only in Thornbury but also in Stroud and Newent.

It’s that time of year where the volunteers and I are working hard to prepare for the Force Open Day after a break of 2 years it’s amazing how much needs to be done.

We continue to have several queries each week, another 40 or so this quarter as usual some are very complicated while others are easily dealt with.

We had a request to visit a widow of a police officer who wanted to donate some of her husband’s photographs. After the phone call to arrange the visit there was great excitement in the office as we discovered that the officer’s father had also been a police officer and had been awarded the silver braid.  The Silver braid was initiated by Chief Constable Stanley Clarke who wanted to recognise the bravery of police officers in the course of their duty.  While we had pictures of officers wearing the silver braid we could not find anyone who had seen it and we had no proper photographs of it. 

  We are now the very proud owners of a piece of silver braid.

  Sergeant Fitzroy Taylor wearing his silver braid.

We had a request from an ex officer about his cadet service in 1962 which took a while but we were able to find a programme from an event celebrating cadets that he featured in. It is always great to be able to help and incredibly frustrating when we draw a blank.

We are still collecting photographs sent to us by both serving and retired officers and their families this one was taken at Dursley as part of planting trees for the Platinum Jubilee Queen’s Green Canopy.

 

We also received photographs when police officers, staff and volunteers helped to load lorries for Ukraine.

 

If you have any photographs we are always happy to receive Jpegs via gloucestershirepolicearchives@gmail.com and queries can also be sent to the same address.

 

Open  Monday to Wednesday until 2.30pm.

Sue Webb, Gloucestershire Constabulary Archives

Communications and Engagement Department, Gloucestershire Constabulary