Wigan Album
The White Horse pub, Leigh 1890
10 CommentsPhoto: Ben
Item #: 29377
Although over the passage of time the style of the Policemen's uniforms have changed, but the helmets have remained more, or less the same, as headwear, until recent. times.
This is a good picture, a moment in the everyday life in the streets of Leigh over a century and a quarter ago.
THIS IS WIGAN WORLD.......This photo is LEIGH NOT WIGAN
Several police forces have adopted the use of the base ball, style caps, with the word POLICE across the front of the cap. These are to replace the traditional helmet. I believe they are much cheaper to make, than the helmet.
You've obviously read the title Scaramouche, it does indeed say Leigh but I'm afraid you've not been keeping up, since The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan was formed in 1974 and is an amalgamation of several former local government districts and parishes which includes LEIGH. Oh yes and this site is WIGAN WORLD so anything in that world is relevant to this site, the others who form part of the amalgamation are, part of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Orrell, Standish, Atherton, Tyldesley, Golborne, Lowton, Billinge, Astley, Haigh and Aspull, all of whom, like Leigh, are part of wigan world.
Albert, I heard that the reason for the change was that the pointed helmets damaged the inside of the roof in the Panda cars. True or false?
Alan.H. More to do with finance. When driving police cars, you always wore a flat cap. When I was a panda car driver, in Kent, in the sixties, you had to change your headwear, from flat cap, to helmet, when you parked up, to carry out a foot patrol of the area.
Albert, So they transferred you to Kent from Wigan? Seems an excessive distance. Did the force have no bounds in those days. Why would this happen may I ask respectfully.
Julie. I joined the Wigan Borough Police, in early, 1958, but during the early sixties, it became apparent that the days of small Borough Police Forces were numbered. As you didn't have a crystal ball, you did not know what the future held for you. I did not wish to be moved to other locations within Lancashire. I did consider applying for the Australian Police, but that seemed a step too far, so I settled for a transfer to Kent, and moved there in July, 1964. A jump, before a probable push to somewhere I didn't wish to go. There were also other considerations that I had to contemplate.
What Ben says is correct Scaramouche, and UpHolland, Dalton and other outlying districts that were once part of the historic Wigan Union could be added to the list.