Bosbury Policemen

Herefordshire Constabulary 1912

The Herefordshire Constabulary was the county police force from 1857 to 1946 when it merged with Hereford Borough Police and then continued through to 1967 when it became part of the West Mercia Force.

Ledbury Constabulary. Back Row: P.C. 11 W. Thomas, P.C. 78 T. Ovens,
P.C. 48 J. White, P.C. 7 T. Dix , P.C. 63 G. Powell
Front Row: P.C. 18 H. Campion, P.Sgt. 4 W. Gwynn, P.C. 72 G. Powell

Cap Badge, Helmet Badge, and Uniform Button

The constables who were based in Bosbury were:

P.C. Thomas Chadd 1849
P.C. Thomas Henry Wooley 1856
P.C. William Collins 1862-65
P.C. Edwin Harper 1867
P.C. Robert McDonald 1871-85
P.C. George Morgan Lewis 1885
P.C. Edward J. Price 1890-91
P.C. William Woosnam Jones 1891-1901
P.C. Douglas Evans 1903-1
P.C. Henry V. Campion (PC18) January 1914-31
P.C. Trevor C. Rees (PC72) April 1933-40
P.C. A. F. Rook 1942
P.C. David Hughes Roberts 1947
P.C. Charles Edwin Dominey (PC88) June 1947-49
P.C. Christopher Charles Boughton 1952-61

On the 1903 OS map the Police Station is situated opposite Dog Farm ...

 

by 1926 it has moved to the corner of Southfield Lane.

 

Another possible location of the Police Station in Bosbury is opposite the Parish Hall and the house is now owned and rented out by the Bosbury Educational Foundation. It still carries the name ‘The Old Police House’ and during a renovation in between tenancies, four handwritten police journals were found at the back of a cupboard. However the 1921 census records P.C. Campion living in Elms Cottage.

Whether it is an official log, or a diary kept for the writer’s information is not known but there is a reference in the text to Police Journal. As can be seen, it comprises a standard hard backed exercise book with the columns hand drawn. It offers an insight into everyday duties of a village constable, no mobile phone, radio or patrol car, just a bicycle and a good pair of boots, and provides a snapshot of social history at that time.

The journals cover:

Journal 1     June 1 1927 – Sept 22 1929   P.C.Campion
Journal 2     Sept 23 1929 – Jan 31 1932   P.C. Campion
Journal 3     Nov 30 1935 – July 18 1937   P.C. Rees
Journal 4     Mar 26 1948 – June 23 1951   P.C. Dominey