Bristol Constabulary 1836-1974
Bristol Constabulary was formed following the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, and amalgamated into the Avon and Somerset Constabulary in 1974.
 |
| How the Bristol Constabulary uniform has evolved |
These photographs show the old Bridewell Police HQ as it was in 1844, then after it was rebuilt in 1928 and finally in 2014. These were taken on the Bridewell Street side. The main entrance to the central
Bridewell Police station was on Nelson Street. This closed in 2005.
 |
| Above the entrance door on Bridewell Street |
 |
| Bridewell Street June 2016 |
 |
| Bridewell Street July 2019 |
 |
| Bridewell Police station entrance on Nelson Street 2011 |
 |
| Nelson Street entrance 2019 |
Inside the old Police station 2016
No doubt some serving Police officers and ex-Police officers will recognise some of these locations taken inside the old Police station in June 2016. It's not open to the public and used by local community groups for exhibitions and activities such as dance classes. The new Police station is across the road from the rear of the building. It's a shame it couldn't have been preserved as a Police museum.
 |
| St. George Police Station Church Road, Bristol 1940's |
 |
| The same view of the old St. George Police Station today |
St. George Police Station on Church Road was originally built in 1881 for Gloucestershire Constabulary. In 1897 boundaries were changed and the Police Station became part of the Bristol Constabulary. Having been considered inadequate it was rebuilt and reopened in 1900. It closed in 1997 and subsequently converted to flats.
Helmets and helmet plates
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet plate 1905-1935 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet 1905-1935 |
The helmet used in the early 1900's was shorter than the standard custodian helmet and was a 'ball top' design. In fact the shape has similarities with the modern helmet used by Humberside Police. The Port of Bristol Police also used a similar helmet but without the chain. These were probably supplied by the same maker. The helmet plate used by Bristol Constabulary during this time is often described as '
white metal' because of the colour resulting from the alloys used to make it. Helmet plates made later were brass which was either blackened for night duty or nickel plated. In 1935 Bristol Constabulary issued the standard Home Office issue custodian helmet with black furniture.
This Bristol Constabulary cork helmet has plastic beading on the rim and is probably one of the first to use this as an alternative to leather. These earlier helmet plates included the division letter and unique collar number of the officer. In this case, "A" division was central Bristol. Such older helmets are more collectible and can easily sell for over £100.
 |
Bristol Constabulary helmet 1952-1967
|
 |
Standard two hole brass ventilation eyelets on each side
|
 |
Plastic beading is stitched around the helmet rim
|
 |
Small wooden pegs made from matchsticks were usually used to secure the helmet plate and rose top. However, it was often sufficient to simply push the lugs through.
|
 |
Standard patent leather chin strap
|
 |
The officers number is also written inside the helmet liner
|
Here's an example of an unissued helmet plate. The division letter and
officer's own number are attached using the holes. The second
photograph on the left shows the rear of a helmet plate with numbers
fixed. The pattern of holes would typically be one pair at the top for
the division letter, then two or three pairs of holes below that,
depending on the whether it was a two or three digit number.
 |
| Unissued Bristol Constabulary helmet plate |
 |
| Rear of a Bristol Constabulary helmet plate |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet plate 1952-1966 |
From 1966 Bristol Constabulary adopted a new helmet plate incorporating the Bristol City crest.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmets 1966-1974 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet liners 1960's |
These photographs are the liners of the helmets above. The first one uses a plastic sweatband which I imagine proved unpopular. The second one has a soft leather sweatband and the size is visible stamped on the leather in black ink (see below). Sizes marked in this way are often no longer visible on well worn helmets.
The wooden pegs used for fixing the helmet rose and helmet plate are clearly visible. The red drawstring continued to be used on Avon & Somerset cork helmets in the 1970's. Other Police Forces used white cotton. Although relatively rare, these Bristol helmets sell from as little as £35 to £50. Earlier Bristol Constabulary helmets can sell for much more.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary 1960's helmet with size stamp |
 |
| A selection of Bristol Constabulary helmet plates 1935-1966 |
All the helmet plates shown here use three brass or metal lugs for fixing to the helmet.
It's possible that the first "A99" helmet plate seen in the photograph above belonged to PC 99 seen wearing the older style
plate in the photograph below. The officer could have still been in service at the time when the helmet and helmet plate was changed.
 |
| Edwardian PC 99 of Bristol Constabulary |
Helmet plate values
The early white metal helmet plates will sell for £50+ and others like those shown above from £30-£40. A scarce Victorian era helmet plate could sell for hundreds. There's probably a handful of serious collectors in the UK who specialise in Bristol Constabulary helmet plates and badges, perhaps retired Police officers themselves. This usually results in some eager bidding among just a few collectors on eBay.
The last helmet plate to be issued had the Bristol City crest and these can be found for £12-£15.
A Sergeant Peacock of Bristol Constabulary was using the collar number E4 in 1935. It's possible the helmet plate on the left below was his. If he was still in service during the 1950's then the second helmet plate would also have been his. A Sgt. George Peacock was appointed as the force training instructor in the late 1930's which may also be the same person.
In 1937 a new Road Traffic Department using Austin 7s was formed and officers in this Division were allocated 'E' numbers. In 1947 the Traffic Department was changed to 'G' Division.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary 'night' helmet plate comparison with Kings crown (left) and Queens crown (right) |
What makes this Bristol Constabulary helmet plate rare is the modification for a slider fixing on the rear. This was done so it could be fitted to a motorcycle helmet. The conversion here has been achieved by soldering a strip of brass to the rear. Some conversions can be found with a slider bar taken from a cap badge and soldered on the rear. The standard version of this helmet plate with lug fixings can be bought for around £15. The converted version is worth around double the value of a standard one.
Here's a comparison with the standard version which uses three lugs and the slider version.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet plates rear - slider and lug fixings |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary helmet plate with brass slider fixing |
This next Bristol Constabulary helmet plate is unusual because it has been carefully hand painted. These were used on ceremonial helmets. I have been informed that during the 1960's a mounted section display team of six was formed and they were issued with such helmet plates. They were subsequently adopted by all twenty four mounted section officers on their ceremonial helmets. The badges were painted by the Bristol Model Makers Club in the correct colours.
 |
Bristol Constabulary 1960's hand painted helmet plate
|
Cap badges
 |
| Bristol Constabulary cap badge c.1930's/1940's |
The badge above measures 7.5cm high and almost 6 cm wide making it one of the largest styles of cap badges found in any Police force. It weighs 18g.
The next two photographs give a comparison between two cap badge variants. The first 'No. 1' badge has different construction which is more evident from the reverse. It is also slightly heavier at 20g. It is constructed from four different pieces - the crown, centre circle, number and the Brunswick star. The first badge has a more ornate circle design. The number one badge is almost certainly older. These were primarily used by female officers as male officers used helmets.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary cap badges c1901-1952 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary Sergeant Grace Caple and Inspector Florence Rawlings 1950 |
Here's another variation of the badges above. This features a queens crown which is unusual since the standard issue queens crown cap badge was of a generic circular design as seen further down.
Here's a rare photograph showing a Bristol Constabulary WPC who appears to be wearing the variation cap badge shown above. This could be from around 1955 since these cap badges were soon superseded. Interestingly, she also wears the standard peaked cap as issued to male officers. This could have been an interim arrangement until female officers received their own style soft hat.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary War Reserve cap badge 1938-1945 |
This War Reserve badge has the WR stamped into the metal as one piece rather than having a separate centre as with the numbered version. It has two copper lugs for fixing to the hat using a brass cotter pin.
 |
| A Bristol Constabulary War Reserve Police Constable 1939-1945 |
The War Reservists were full time paid constables whereas the Special Constables were part-time volunteers. Some Special Constables were recruited into the War Reserve.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary senior officers enamel cap badge 1935-1952 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary senior officers enamel cap badge 1953-1974 |
The cap badge above has an enamel ring which appears black. It has lug fixings on the rear. This cap badge is valued at about £30 since there were significantly less of these badges compared to the standard cap badge shown below.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary and Special Constabulary cap badges 1953-74 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary cap badges with slider fixings |
Other items
This next badge was made by J.R. Gaunt, London during the First World War and is individually numbered. It was intended to be worn on a jacket lapel since Special Constables were not issued with uniforms at that time. It was sometimes used as a cap badge for those who may have purchased their own peaked cap (see photo below). Many Police Forces produced their own versions of this type of enamel badge. It has a diameter of 5cm.
 |
| Bristol Special Constabulary lapel badge 1914-1918 |
 |
| Makers stamp on rear |
A Bristol Special Constable from the WW1 period seen here wearing the enamel badge on his peaked cap. His tunic was probably a private purchase since it's not the standard issue high collar version.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary Special Constable c.1914-1918 |
The next silver metal lapel badge measures just 2cm in diameter.
 |
| Bristol Special Constabulary lapel badge |
 |
| Individually numbered |
 |
| The makers name Thomas Fattorini can be seen here |
There's also a variation of the badge above, having two lug fixings on the rear. Both are the same size and have the same makers stamp.
Here's a rare Bristol Special Constabulary badge.
This small badge below would be fixed to a presentation trophy or wall shield like the example further below. Note how the crown has been misaligned when it was made making it appear broken at first glance.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary Athletic & Social Club badge |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary 'C' Division Athletic and Social Club wall shield |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary horse brasses |
Here are a pair of circular Bristol Constabulary horse brasses showing evidence of extensive polishing over many years.
This second type of horse brass dates from the 1960's.
 |
| Bristol Constabulary horse brass c.1966-1974 |
 |
| Avon & Somerset mounted section ceremonial attire |
 |
| Avon & Somerset Constabulary mounted section outside Bristol Cathedral at the 'Legal Sunday' ceremony |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary mounted section wall plaque c.1965-1974 |
 |
| Bristol Constabulary notebooks c.1960s |
The Bristol Constabulary notebook below is from the 1960's period. It's made from stiff card and the example shown here is in unissued condition. It has a pen pocket on one side. There is an elastic strap used to hold the book closed. There are also several elastic straps on the inside middle. One side on the inside provides an aide memoir for road traffic accidents and the other side offers a pocket. These are not easy to find and rarely appear on eBay.
  |
| 'Aide memoire' for road traffic accidents |
 |
| Elastic strips across the centre for holding pages |
This next photograph is a slightly different version to those shown above. It has a different 'Aide memoire' by Norman Frost on the inside front cover. Norman Frost was the Chief Constable for Bristol Constabulary 1954-1964.
Bristol Constabulary document holder:
 |
| Bristol Constabulary Athletic & Social Club Rules c1970 |
 |
| Bristol Police air raid precautions 1942 |
The article says that the helmet plates with the divisional number inset was used until 1967. I joined in 1963 as Constable 79C and certainly had a helmet plate with my number on it at first. However, before I left in 1966 to change forces I had been issued with the new helmet plate and am fairly sure that everyone else had as well. Bristol was funny in that way, everything had to change on the same day, we even had instructions on when to change from summer to winter uniforms and which issue to wear and when. We had a new issue of tunic and two pairs of trousers every year, summer and winter weight alternating and the oldest appropriate issue was worn on nights.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul Wiltshire. What area of Bristol was C Division. I have a relative that was in C Division, it seems. I have a picture of him in his uniform, taken at H A Blakes Photographers in Bristol.
DeleteIn 1876 Bristol adopted the four lettered divisions A-D. 'A' Division in the city centre was the largest and served as HQ based at Bridewell Street. 'B' Division to the south had a station at Bedminster. C' Division covered the northwest area with a station at the foot of Brandon Hill (Clifton). 'D' Division covered the eastern area of the city from Trinity Road. In 1947 a new Traffic Division was formed and designaged 'G' Division.
DeleteThanks Paul - useful information. I'll make an edit to reflect that the new helmet plates were being issued already in 1966. Did you fit the new plate yourself or was it done by stores? or did they issue everyone new helmets with the new helmet plate already fitted? I wasn't aware that tunics were replaced so frequently. I assumed they were only replaced when they became too small or were damaged.
ReplyDeleteThe plates were issued to each officer who fixed it to his helmet. The helmets were Custodian type, pre PSU type reinforced, and were just a single layer of material, three holes and 3 split pins to hold the plate in place. The annual clothing parade was a feature of life, you had to attend to be measured and the uniform was tailor made, certainly I never had to have any alterations. In addition you had a new cape every four years, again individually measured to replace one of the two capes you were issued. I joined at the time when Gannex raincoats were first issued to replace the old schoolboy type belted raincoat. Two Gannex were issued, a heavyweight double breasted and a lighter weight single breasted, plus a military style greatcoat. You needed a spare room just for all the uniform.
ReplyDeleteI assume the black night helmet plates were withdrawn when the new one was issued in 1966?
DeleteThe black helmet plates were withdrawn before Feb 1963 when I joined, I wore a helmet with the 'silver' plate on nights as did everyone else.
DeleteThanks Paul. You've provided some really useful information. Would you be willing to share your email address so I can contact you directly? I may have other things to run by you. If you're willing to, then please send another message with your email address - I will not publish it here. No problem if you'd rather not, I can post some more questions here as they arise. Thanks
DeleteAnother memory from the funny Bristol ways, each PC and PS had a divisional number which obviously changed with an interdivisional posting. This meant, new helmet plates, new numbers and divisional letter on 4 tunics, 2 capes, two raincoat and a greatcoat. Oddly enough I don't remember shirt epaulettes, we had shirt sleeve order, so we must have had something. In addition each wooden truncheon was marked with the
ReplyDeleteofficers divisional number number which meant that when you were posted you had to surrender your old peg and get one with your new number. If you were replacing someone who had also just moved you had to wait for him to surrender his stick to Tom Perkins in the Tailors Shop and it would then be issued to you. Talk about making hard work of a job.
Dear Sir
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the painted helmet plate I have a booklet by Thomas Murphy The Insignia of Bristol Constabulary 1836-1974 which states that the plates were worn by the mounted section and for ceremonial duties.
In the late 60s the mounted section formed a display team of 6 Officers and a painted helmet plate was produced for those Officers.
The Chief Inspector liked the badges so much that it was later adopted for ceremonial use by all 24 Officers.
The badges were painted by the Bristol Model Makers Club to the correct heraldic colours.
Hope this is of use.
Simon Grant
Excellent information thanks. It didn't occur to me that it they may have been used on the ceremonial helmets. I shall try and seek out a copy of that publication also. Many thanks for getting in touch and confirming this.
DeleteHello, thank you for your fascinating article. It has been so useful as I research a mid victorian pewter pint tankard / pourer with a Bristol Constabulary helmet badge attached on the side along with the some other early writing. Think it may be a marriage at some point but not sure. Happy to email you a photo if of interest . Best, P
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting in touch. I'm pleased to hear you've found my blog interesting and helpful. Yes, I'm certainly interested to see some photos of your tankard. If you would be kind enough to send another message with your email included so I can get back to you. I won't publish your email address here.
DeleteThe photo of the Woman Sgt and Inspector 1940's had me investigate further. The Sgt is Grace Caple who retired in 1968 and was the first Woman Chief Inspector in Bristol. The Inspector was Bristols first Woman Inspector, Florence Rawlings who also became the UK's longest serving Policewoman ever,serving from 1919 - 1954
ReplyDelete