The final part of my research into law, order and crime in Aberystwyth during the Second World War will focus on the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps (WAPC). As with my prior research, all of the information found in this article was gathered from the County of Cardigan Standing Joint Committee Minutes from 1939-44 and the second volume from 1944-48, which were found in the Ceredigion Archives. They contain reports from the Chief Constable of the Cardiganshire County Police Force who relayed information about local crime rates and statistics, general police activity and some limited information about the WAPC being established, and later disbanded, in Aberystwyth. Whilst the books cover policing in Ceredigion as a whole (which will henceforth be referred to as the historic Cardiganshire county), the majority of the information relayed here is specific to the Aberystwyth area.
The Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps was formed in the August of 1939, despite the government not planning to enrol women as constables in the National Service Handbook. Out of the 60,000 police constables across England and Wales at the beginning of the war, fewer than 300 were women but this number would grow by 1945. The duties of female police officers were restricted in the early years of the war, with many only handling situations involving children, female enemy aliens or refugees. This description of WAPC activities is complimented by the reports of the Chief Constable of the Cardiganshire County Police Force, who mentions the local branch of the WAPC in his notes. Unfortunately the notes do not go into extravagant detail, but I have included below all of the information I could find.
Before the war began, reference was made at a Borough Council Meeting at Aberystwyth to the effect that the services of women police were not required. However, the Chief Constable pointed out in his report that “during the last four months there have been 84 charges against juveniles”, and under these circumstances women police were not only required but necessary.(1) In the January of 1940 the Home Office approved of the resolutions passed at last meeting, and police accommodation was agreed for the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps. However, this did not prevent the Aberystwyth Borough Council from communicating with the police force and “protesting against the employment of Women Police in the Borough of Aberystwyth”(2). Nevertheless, the Chief Constable explained that they would only be engaged for the duration of the war.
By June 1940, the WAPC was proving itself to be extremely useful; they helped police juvenile offences and were exceptionally useful in the search and control of female enemy aliens. The Chief Constable claimed that “it would have been impossible to carry out some of the instructions contained in Home Office circulars without them” (3). While speaking about one particular member, he stated that “she has been invaluable in making enquiries on suspected aliens, and her knowledge of German has proved extremely useful” (4). By March 1941 offences against the person, more especially against female juveniles, was increasing and the Chief Constable viewed this “lapse of morality by young girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 15 with very great concern, but I can assure the Committee that every effort is being made to stamp it out and that the Women Police are constantly on the lookout for any signs of further outbreaks” (5). The four girls involved were been dealt with by the Magistrates in a salutary manner and all except one were sent to Approved Schools.
By the end of 1941, the county of Cardiganshire employed 11 members of the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps, which was a lot in comparison to other Welsh counties during the war. Flintshire employed 4, Anglesey and Pembrokeshire employed 2 each, Breconshire employed one, and Radnorshire, Montgomeryshire, Merionethshire and Caernarvonshire did not employ any. The number of Women Police patrolling on beat included one sergeant and three WAPCs, the latter of which were embarking on advanced training in London. Two women drivers were also attached for permanent duty, as well as two reserves. These women would also attend training at the Lancashire Driving School. This number would rise to 14 in Cardiganshire in 1942. In the same year, the police force faced a checking visit from the Colonel, who criticised the force’s filing system and arranged for one WAPC to attend a short course. However, by 1945 when the WAPC were inspected the inspector expressed great satisfaction with what she had seen.
While The WAPC was disbanded in Cardiganshire on the 31st of March 1946, the duties of the WAPC had lasting effects on policing nationwide. The Second World War established women as essential parts of the police force, and their work allowed many women to later join as women constables; in September 1947 the Chief Constable referred to 2 policewomen being given probationary appointments in the force in Cardiganshire.
Blog by Zoe Cashman
Notes
(1) - (5) Standing Joint Committee Minutes, 1939-44, County of Cardiganshire
Sources:
“History of Women in Policing.” Greater Manchester Police, 2018. Accessed 10 September 2021. https://gmpmuseum.co.uk/collection-item/history-of-women-in-policing/.
“Women Police and Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps (WAPC).” Memories of War. Accessed 10 September 2021. www.memoriesofwar.org.uk/page_id__31.aspx?path=0p13p22p.
https://gmpmuseum.co.uk/collection-item/history-of-women-in-policing/
Standing Joint Committee Minutes, 1939-44, County of Cardiganshire, accessed from Ceredigion Archives.
Standing Joint Committee Minutes, 1944-48, County of Cardiganshire, accessed from Ceredigion Archives.
Waterfield, Terry. “Police at War: Second World War.” Open University, 2019. Accessed September 11, 2021. www.open.ac.uk/Arts/history-from-police-archives/PolCit/polww2.html.
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