Wigan Album
Police
10 Comments
Photo: Rev David Long
Item #: 29276
She is Olive Hart, who died recently aged 92.
Olive had a brilliant memory, and, as a life-long resident of Lower Ince, was invaluable in putting names to faces in old photographs - of which she supplied very many for St Mary's archive. This was one of hers - and I thought it timely to supply further information about it, whilst correcting some of the assumptions in the caption below it.
Olive's father was George Arthur Spencer, and he was John's 4th son. He was Baptised in March 1890 at St Thomas Seaforth, and his father's occupation was given as Constable.
John was married at St Laurence Chorley, in May 1882, when his occupation was given as Constable, of Bootle.
Both Bootle and Seaforth were, like Ince, in Lancashire County - so he would have been in the Lancashire Constabulary.
He seems to have moved to Spring View in about 1891 - being given as the father of Elijah Harold, Baptised in 1892 at St Mary’s. Three more Baptisms at St Mary's are recorded, up to 1897. His occupation for all is given as Police Serjeant, and his address as 553 Warrington Road - which is almost opposite Spring View Police Station - so the family of 10 did not live in the Police Station, but in a small terraced house. He was buried from there in September 1920, aged 65.
At the Marriage of his second son, Henry Ernest at St Nathaniel’s, Platt Bridge, in January 1910, he is listed as ‘Ex-Police Serjeant’.
This photograph would therefore pre-date that event.
Reverend. The two point up chevrons, on his lower right sleeve, would be, good conduct stripes, as awarded in the army.
1925 Ince Directory states, Mrs. Elizabeth Spencer, living at the address opposite the police station in Spring View.
How many stripes did you get, Albert?
The Directory was out of date as soon as it was published - John's widow Elizabeth died in November 1925....
I understand the two good conduct stripes identified by Albert, indicate he had served 22 years at least.
The insignia above his rank chevrons appears to be the Lancashire Constabulary Merit Badge.
B. I lived in one of those houses, with my parents', in 1935. The house at the end of the terrace, next door lived a family named Aindow. In later life, one of the daughters' Charlotte, a devout Christian, became a missionary, and went out to Africa. In later life still, she was the sister, or matron, of the maternity ward, at Billinge Hospital.
Reverend. By the time I was serving in the police, the stripes had been superseded by the police "Long service, and good conduct medal" Presented after twenty two years service. In the last, two, or three years, the time required to have served, has now been reduced to twenty years service.
Looking back to the forties, and fifties. There were only two actual police stations serving Ince. One at Higher Ince, near to Ince Bar, and one at Spring View. There was a council house, in Cheltenham Avenue, Lower Ince, that had a metal sign on it. "Police Station". At that time, the area was served by the Lancashire Constabulary.
The house now has a modern sign saying 'The Old Police House', Albert.
Thank you Reverend. It is many a year since I cast my eye upon it.
I was brought up in lower ince and lived there until 1964.
In those days if the polce man told you to move on there was giving him any back chat if you did you would get a clought around the hear.Bring back those days and a lot of the pety crim would stop.