The approach of war in 1939 was felt across all parts of the country, including among the police force, within which preparations were taking place. Stations were beginning to anticipate that, with the changes brought by war, their role was soon to become more demanding and more would be needed from them than ever before.
The stations and officers that were already in place before the war had limited resources and were few in number. As a result, as war became more likely, the requests began to flow. With Cardiganshire being such a rural area, many of the requests for improvements to stations were things like requests for wiring electric lights or connecting to a water supply. To a 21st century individual, this may seem ridiculous. In 1939, could people still be living without electricity or running water? But these amenities, that we are so accustomed to now, would often have felt like a dream to those living in rural areas in the first half of the 20th century.
In Cardiganshire, it seems that the uncertainty the war brought meant that the police force was determined to take every precaution possible, whether that was recruiting new constables at a specific station or increasing attempts to recruit individuals to newer groups that were being formed to assist war efforts, such as the Women’s Auxiliary Force and the Police War Reserve. These new precautions also included increasing the amount of equipment available and approving the purchase of equipment required for the war effort.
These new pieces of equipment included things like air raid shelters, the cost of which was provided by the Home Office. Further approved expenditure was the renting of two rooms for the Women’s Auxiliary Police Force to use. Although these improvements were being made during 1939 in the area, there were still issues, for example a request was made for fifty electric hand lamps but this request was denied, evidence of how budgeting constraints restricted the abilities of the force, as they had before 1939, but also how the war did not mean that every extra precaution was taken straight away.
With the advance of war, more and more men were drafted into the military from all walks of life, even from within the police force. Various recommendations were put forward in order to support those called up to war and the loved ones they left behind. One such recommendation, made in 1939, was that every police officer who undertook war service was to be paid enough on top of their war service pay to equal what they would have received if they had continued in the police force. Another recommendation made was that the wives of those that went to fight were allowed to remain in the properties they currently resided in or, if properties were required, that a housing allowance would be provided. However, this would not be given if the wife chose to leave a current premises of her own volition. This is a striking generosity that displays sympathy towards the loved ones of those who went to war and it’s also a demonstration of how loyalty within the police force was valued.
Resources throughout the war were limited for all. One such resource was petrol. While in the 21st century, petrol is readily available and almost every household has access to a car, in the 1940’s the world looked very different. Very few people in the period had access to a car and those that did often had to make sure they stored extra petrol just in case. The scarcity of petrol made it extremely important for the police force to have reserves available. In such a rural area as Cardiganshire, it made it doubly important to make sure supply reserves were maintained, as opportunities to restock were few and far between.
The remoteness of Cardiganshire created many problems for the police. They had a large geographical area to cover with few constables available within it, as well as limited resources. Urban and more populated areas had much easier and more frequent access to commodities such as telephone connections and petrol pumps, while in the Aberystwyth area these were still a point of contention. Although some areas were being approved for these newer and more modern commodities - the approval of the purchase of a petrol pump and its erection at a cost of £58 and the installation of a telephone line - some areas still lagged behind in many ways.
For example in places like Brynhoffant, the entire village still lacked access to water, a basic necessity. It seems that the correction of this fell onto the local police force, if only because they wished to have access to water in the police station and its accommodation. The war brought opportunities to enhance many things in rural areas, not just defence systems and upgrading services - like the police force - that already existed. However it did also cause additional problems: How would water access be put in place with workers and provisions being sent to the front lines? It is doubtful that this kind of work would be given any sort of priority, considering the inhabitants of this village had lasted so this long without access to water. In such a time of need among the general population elsewhere, work like this would have been placed on a back burner.
Although many men and women chose to volunteer and fight, it seems that applications to join the police force continued with 1,418 applicants as of January 1940, and 528 of those completing the necessary study and lectures. There were however still those who objected to women within the force which led to the Chief Constable having to explain to the local committee that women were indeed necessary especially considering the amount of juveniles that were remanded and how women were best suited in those situations. These views are antiquated by modern standards but considering the levels of opposition in general towards women and the war effort, the fact that someone in such a high positions is actively fighting for hiring women is a big step, especially so early in the war.
In a committee meeting during January 1940, the Chief Constable briefly discussed how the number of juveniles on remand was rising and he also mentions how there was, at the time, no remand home for the children to go to. Once remanded, large numbers of juveniles were being sent to Bronglais Workhouse (now the site of the Bronglais Hospital). The workhouse was poorly equipped to deal with these extra inmates, as the workhouse was already in decline, as were most workhouses around the country if they hadn’t already been closed. The existence of such a place is most often associated with the poverty of the Victorian era but for such a place to exist in the 1940’s really sheds light on the kind of poverty and social issues that befell the Aberystwyth area. In an effort to prevent more juveniles having to be sent to the workhouse, the Chief Constable proposed that a new remand house be found or built and that it cover four counties as opposed to just one.
The approach of war, therefore, saw changes and preparations throughout the country in every sector and every different social structure, and the Police were no different. Whether the preparatory steps were to hire new constables, or to stock pile petrol, or even prevent purchases of equipment, it is clear that war meant sacrifices and changes for everyone. Anxiety and fear affected everybody, and with no idea of what the coming years would look like, it was difficult for those in positions of power to assess what steps would be needed to protect the country. In the Aberystwyth area, the police faced struggles in trying to provide the area and its constables with the basic amenities that the rest of the country were becoming accustomed to, during a time of crisis when these amenities were sorely needed.
Studying the Second World War often leads to more popular topics, such as the role that women played or the Army and the like. However, other infrastructures within the country, such as the Police force, also played a very important role and kept the country as functional as possible during such uncertain times as war.
Blog by Naome Wrightson
Sources: Police Standing Committee Minutes Aberystwyth Area 1939-1940, with thanks to Archifdy Ceredigion Archives for making this resource available.
No comments:
Post a Comment