As I have said before on this forum I believe women’s contribution to both world wars has been sadly under represented by manufacturers and modellers (with notable exceptions from Paul Blaber at Paul Blaber Miniatures and Peter Gillson at Sarnia Miniatures. Legion also make a nice model of the Queen in her WTS uniform).

Women, of course, served in a variety of roles.....not only the three main services (WRNS, WRAF/WAAF, WAAC/ATS) but also as nurses (military and civilian), The Land Army, Lumber Gills, Fire and Rescue, APR, munition workers, bus/train drivers, ambulance drivers, NAAFI, the WI etc. etc. .....and not forgetting the police force.

Having made a 1/6 scale busts of a ww2 nurse & a WRNS officers steward and a 180mm WRNS in full dress I thought it would be interesting to make a 1/12 scale (one of my favourite scales) female police office from the First World War.

I thought I’d share my research.

THE HISTORY OF THE METS FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS

PRIOR TO 1918


There were three majors contributing factors which prompted people, during the early years of the First World War, to start thinking that there was a need for female police officers.
The first was the huge loss of manpower as men joined the armed services. The second was a perceived threat to “moral standards/decency” caused by the large number of young women lured into the Capital for the purpose of prostitution and the third was a perceived threat of “white slavers”

Female officers were seen as a solution to plug the gap in numbers and it was felt that women would be better suited to deal with the influx of young women into London.

“The strength of Police forces fell rapidly as men of all ranks left to join the Colours. Everywhere problems of order and decency in public places cried out for an urgent solution” wrote Dorothy Peto, the first Woman Police Staff Officer in her dairies.

Two differing schemes for the organisation and employment of women on police duties were subsequently launched. The various Women's Suffrage and Women’s rights movements abstained from their militant activities and threw their weight behind the war effort in general and the idea of a female police force in particular.

In 1914 Nina Boyle, the noted women’s suffrage and rights campaigner, advertised in 'The Vote' for women to offer themselves as 'Specials' , when Sir Edward Ward called on the nation for special constables. She called for recruits to work part time as “Women Volunteer Police” (“WVP”) Sir Edward declared only men were suitable, Nina Boyle ignored him and carried on recruiting.

Meanwhile, Miss Margaret Damer Dawson, a noted suffragette - was “Head of Transport” of a committee formed to greet and help Belgian refugees escaping from the Germans, and she had been involved in an incident whereby a couple of the refugees had been “spirited” away by “white slavers”. She decided that she needed a group of women in uniform - women police in fact- and in September 1914 started recruiting “women police”

When she learnt of Nina Boyles plans, they decided to join forces and Nina became her deputy. They became the “Women Police Volunteers” (“WPV”)

In February 1915 - Damer Dawson and Boyle fell out over the WPV being used to police a curfew enforced against women. A vote was taken, Boyle was defeated. Damer Dawson decided to drop the name “Women Police Volunteers” and reformed the group as the “Women Police Service” (“WPS”). Later they became the Women's Auxiliary Service (“WAS”).

The Met.'s future Women Police had their foundation in a second scheme proposed by the National Union of Women Workers. In 1914 they had been approached by Scotland Yard and asked to set up women patrols in the Metropolitan Police area and they were known as “Voluntary Women (sic) Patrols” (“VWP”). Their task was to work among the women and girls who were coming to London in increasing numbers to hang around the various army camps, parks, recruiting stations and railway terminals.

A Special Women's Patrol Committee was formed by the National Union in London and within a few months more than 500 women had volunteered with the movement gradually spreading throughout the country.

The National Union of Women Patrols Committee received a subsidy of £400 in 1917 to carry out its patrol work in the Metropolitan area. A Mrs Sofia Stanley was appointed Supervisor of “Special Patrols”, and by the end of the year 2,338 women were working as patrols in 92 different areas. The Union trained the women and then sent them out under their auspices or lent them to Chief Constables. Between 4,000 and 5,000 women eventually passing through their hands.

In 1918 women aged 30 and over were given the Vote for the first time. By the end of 1918 the Home Secretary had ordered the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to recruit women into the police force.

Interestingly in 1916 women had for the first time in history been employed as typists in New Scotland Yard, taking the place on male officers. The Daily Express asked a Scotland Yard official if women would ever be employed as police constables? “No, not even if the war lasts fifty years” was the reply.

1918

On the 23rd December - Police Orders sets out the qualifications and conditions for the new “Metropolitan Police Women Patrols” (sic).

The Monday after Christmas the first group of women began training at Beak Street Section House.

1919

Women Police established in London when the first Metropolitan Police Women Patrols came into service on 17th February.
Establishment 110. Strength 110. The first batch were recruited from the Special Patrols, although many in the second batch were from the WPS.
Mrs Sofia Stanley was made Superintendent in Charge, assisted by Mrs Elinor Robinson.
The first three sergeants were Grace Russell, Patty Alliot and Lilian Wyles.
London was divided into three and each was given a section.
The female officers were given a contract for a year, as an experiment....... but no power of arrest.
The volunteers had to be between 25 - 38 years of age and not under 5'4" in height.

.......and the rest, as they say, is history!



I’ll post details of the figure as

As I started to say, I’ll post details of the figure itself as work progresses.

Nice one.

Beak Street section house, was that the old 'C' div section house. Perhaps my memory has failed me.

And now the Met has a woman Commissioner - how times change eh? I did know how many woman Chief Constables there were in the 43 force areas - it was quite a few as I recall. We had one in Thames Valley during my time there.

Very interesting research - I look forward to seeing what comes out of it.

Phil

This is 'Police Chase' from 1912 and shows our ladies in blue in action....





Mike

The one out front.....hopefully

Mike

Thank you all for the support you’ve shown.
Nap.....I posted some pictures of some of my work (including the QARNNS Nursing Sister and the WRNS officers steward) in my Welcome Aboard post dated 2 August. Can post again if needs be.
Pictures of the female police officer to follow shortly.
Nigel

Trenchard House in Soho you might mean... had some nights in there...

Blimey my memory has gone, perhaps Beak street was for Cannon street PS ( mind you 30 odd years ago)

And women, even then only those over 30, couldn’t vote until 1918..

Well! Modelling finished and undercoating started.
sculpted in 1/12 scale and mainly made from Magic Sculpt supplied by El Greco.
Base meant to represent a street pavement/gutter/kerb.
My goodness don’t these close up photos show up the faults!!
I’ll now get Nap to move this to WIP thread.

Simple and well posed

Here’s another forgotten role that women fulfilled......but must concentrate on getting this Police Officer finished first!

http://littlechambermusic.com/ww75/ Small project I support

Coming on!