"INTERNET LAW BOOK REVIEWS", Provided by Rob Jerrard LLB LLM (London)
Police History, Books by serving or retired officers concerning their repective forces or careers.
Books for review to Rob Jerrard please
A Policeman's Lot
Edition: 1st
Format: Paperback
Author: Tony Beaden
ISBN: 978 187396388
Publishers: AFM Books
Price: £12.95
Publication Date: 30 Sep 2009
A unique account of life in the Colonial Police Service in Africa (Uganda) from the early 1950s through to 1965.
Hailing from Lee Green in London, Tony Beaden left school aged 15 at the outbreak of war, to avoid being evacuated to the country with his classmates. Rejected by the RAF for being under age and having been bombed out during the blitz, Tony worked for Morris Motors at Cowley in Oxford, where his job involved repairing crashed Spitfires. He eventually joined the RAF in which he served as a flight engineer until 1946 when he joined the Hastings Police Force. After three frustrating years rattling doorknobs on night-duty, Tony joined the Colonial Police in Uganda as an Inspector. His 'beat' in Uganda involved dealing with wild animals, snakes, tribal warfare, murders and Mau-mau, tales of which he recounts with candour and dry humour in this wonderfully compelling book. Set mostly in the 1950s and early '60s, this is the true story of how a young man crammed a lifetime's experience into a few short years.
Tony and Margaret Beaden returned to Sussex with their young family in 1965 where Tony rejoined the police as a constable in Bexhill-on-Sea. Tony is now retired and -having owned a nursing home and dabbled in the property market -appreciates that he has used up most of his nine lives in Africa and is preparing to slow down. Recently he learned that while in Uganda his colleagues referred to him as 'Action Man'! He has no idea why! He holds the title of 'Lord of the Manor of Bexhill,' the town in which he lives quietly with his wife Margaret. They have recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
Review
The title could be a little misleading when perhaps it should read, 'A Ugandan White Policeman's Lot', because after three years the author moved to Uganda. As with all Colonial forces this meant an instant appointment as an Inspector or above.
He served in Uganda until 1965, after which according to the book's cover, he rejoined the British Police in Bexhill on Sea. This is one of the facts of serving in a Colonial force, the rank is not recognised in the UK, although many who do return move up through the ranks after returning.
There is a short introduction to his early life, including the years with the Hastings Borough Police.
The author has had an adventurous life, which he has recorded in the book, including war service in the RAF and his long stint in Africa. I conclude from the book that he was born in 1923 (being 16 in 1939) and was therefore 42 when he returned to the UK in 1965. He doesn't dwell on that aspect - however it must have been difficult making the move back. Our paths may have moved near each other as on Page 556, the author mentions the Army mutiny in Tanganyika in 1964 and the fact that HMS Centaur arrived off Mombasa with Commandos. In fact shortly afterwards so did HMS Victorious which I was serving in. Victorious also landed Royal Marine Commandos who were forced to fire a few shots before the Army surrendered. SEE HMS Victorious
This is an interesting and well- written book, mostly about Policing in Africa where as one could imagine a white Policeman's Lot included many luxuries denied to the black Constables, not such a bad lot after all!
Rob Jerrard
Tip to Toe
A Remarkable True Story of
Courage and Determination
Author: Swasie Turner
ISBN: 1905217161
Publishers: Jeremy Mills
Publishing Ltd
Price £9.99
Publication Date: 2006
Publisher’s Title
Information
Overcoming
adversity, demonstrating true courage, sheer determination and doing what most
people thought was impossible, this is the true life account of Swasie Turner's
amazing journey from John O'Groats to Land's End in an NHS wheelchair.
His
unique and unparalleled achievement is at once a fascinating story and
intriguing journey through the British Isles, and at the same time, a moving
and very human triumph.
This is the story of the journey of one man whose ,grit
and determination knows no bounds and for whom raising money for charity is a
life's work.
"Swasie
is a genuine inspiration to others... his determination and ability to succeed
should inspire everyone to compete against themselves in life and
adversity".
Simon
Weston, OBE
"Swasie
Turner is a truly remarkable man and always seems to achieve the impossible! He
has endless courage and determination to overcome any obstacle, which he uses
to the full in his continuous fundraising activities. He is a true inspiration
and a great friend to all".
Her
Grace the Duchess Of Norfolk
This is a difficult book to review. It is, as the cover
tells us, "A remarkable, true story of courage and determination" for
which one can have nothing but admiration for the author. However, as a book it
stands in need of stringent editing if it is to become a pleasurable read.
Swasie
Turner had been in the Fire Service and then the Police Force when an incident
in the course of duty left him, after painful operations and finally
amputation, confined to a wheelchair.
Lifting himself out of the depression which inevitably followed, Swasie
began attempting wheelchair pushes to raise money for charity. The traumatic death of his beloved wife
eight months later turned these efforts into what he describes as an obsession:
he would accept any challenge to help his chosen cancer charity to fight the
disease.
Thus
came about the ultimate "Tip to Toe" challenge: he would travel from
John O' Groats to Land's End. Of
course, this journey has been made by many others, but Swasie's was to be a
first in that he would go all the way in his standard NHS, non-powered,
wheelchair, using his massive upper-body strength (he had been a weight lifter
and a boxer) to push himself along all the 904.2 miles of hills, towns and
country of the great trek.
The
trip was meticulously planned. The wheelchair manufacturers, Lomax, would
provide back-up, so that a van, bearing a large notice "BEWARE - slow moving
wheelchair within one mile" followed him all the way, carrying changes of
clothing and other necessities and, not least, two very helpful drivers and
companions. Using his Fire Service connections Mr Turner (where did the name
Swasie come from?) arranged for overnight accommodation in the nearest fire
station at the end of each day's trek - the back up van would take him there
and return him to the evening's finishing point the following morning. Although in some of the small unmanned
stations this simply meant floor space for their sleeping bags, in many areas
the warm response of the fire-fighters went well beyond the call of duty.
Vehicles would be waiting for the travellers in a convenient lay-by to escort
them through the towns, with crew members walking beside the wheelchair,
enthusiastically collecting contributions from passers-by.
The
project was successfully accomplished - and how many of us would contemplate
pushing ourselves along a mere five miles of level paths? Since then, as a synopsis at the end of the
book tells us, "To date, Swasie has pushed his chair a total of 33,400 miles and raised half a million
pounds for various worthy causes and charities, - each and every endeavour is
all in memory of his beloved wife Marjorie."
Why,
then does the book need stringent editing? First, because in spite of the
intrinsic interest it allows the narrative to become boring. Mr Turner records each day's activity in
detail so that we learn at what time he rose on each of the forty-four days of
the trek; that he washed and changed at the end of each stint; whom he met and
what he ate and drank. Admittedly, the author wished to mention all those
supporters who helped him on his way, but a judicious arrangement of themes
(e.g. Hills and Valleys, Overnight Accommodation, The Weather) could have
provided a more varied, interesting read than the tedious 'Then we did this ...
then we did that' narrative.
Then
there is the question of style. Grammar
is sometimes shaky: "A welcome awaited Art and I" is one of many
similar instances. Inverted commas are
used to excess: "I 'plundered' the contents of the glass ruthlessly"
gives the impression that the author wishes to draw attention to his clever use
of metaphor. The buckets used for collecting donations are nearly always given
this treatment, while in the following example one set of inverted commas is
used correctly while the other is quite unnecessary: " ... I met a couple
of cyclists who were 'going the other way' on their 'end-to-end'. When the author
hits on a phrase he likes he uses it relentlessly: 'Copious amounts' of money
flow into his buckets and he is frequently refreshed by 'copious amounts' of
tea or water. Vocabulary can be florid: "I ... was overcome by the
anaesthesia of slumber". Mr Turner sees
himself as a writer (there are frequent examples of "I presented him with
a copy of my book, 'Wheelchair Pilot"') so perhaps in his next venture
into writing he should submit himself to a little guidance.
However,
if readers are not irritated by these possibly pedantic cavils but want simply
to read a tale of magnificent fortitude and single-mindedness, there is no
doubt that this book is for them. It is
illustrated with photographs taken en route.
Pearl
Norman
The Aylesbury Duck
Author: James Goodwin
ISBN:1-905226-61-6
Publishers: Melrose Books
Price £12.99
Publication Date: 3rd October 2006
Publisher’s Title Information
Jim provides a retrospective, behind-the-scenes look at various practices that
are less common today, such as the police boxes and the 'bobbies on the beat'.
Although he willingly shares these memories with us, which make this an amusing
and humorous read, Jim also portrays effectively the harsh reality of the job.
He provides moving descriptions of some of the disturbing issues that the
police deal with every day - accidental deaths, fires, suicides and murders.
The reader will soon appreciate the courage and strength required by the men
and women in the profession, both past and present, witnessing in their daily
lives happenings that the average citizen can barely comprehend.
This challenging but light-hearted work will prove essential reading for anyone
interested in crime, sociology and history, and reveals why we should never take
the Police Force for granted.
James
Goodwin was born in Aylesbury on the 2nd March 1930. He moved to Rochester in
1939 where he attended Sir Joseph Williamsons' Mathematical School up to the
age of 18. James joined the Metropolitan Police Force in 1951. The
Aylesbury Duck provides a fascinating insight into his career and
demonstrates how the Police Force has changed over the last 50 years - the
uniform, the laws, the people, and even the crimes.
Review
It is not unusual for
members of the older generation to recall with smugness the immediate post-war
years when police constables such as PC George Dixon, a fictitious character
portrayed by Jack Warner in the BBC TV series Dixon of Dick Green, maintained
law and order in London by their mere presence of walking the streets.
This period is dealt with by
ex-Police Constable James Goodwin in his book, The Aylesbury Duck. Some
of the incidents recalled would scarcely have been written into the television
series! He describes police work in the
1950s in short snappy paragraphs and recalls the long black sleek Wolseley
police cars and loud gong-gongs that always raced after the culprits at the
conclusion of every crime film; how he encountered his first corpse; the famous
New Scotland Yard murder squad detectives who never failed to solve cases and
behind the scenes activities (the word “immoderate” comes to mind!) of police
constables that were probably unknown even to the Commissioner of Police.
The second part of the book
details his life after joining the traffic section as a motor cyclist, his
training at Hendon Driving School and various incidents with which he was
called to deal. The third section
relates to the Lewisham Train Crash in 1957 where he assisted removing and
recovering bodies. Although the
shortest part of the book, the graphic description of the horror of the
accident and his narration compels the reader to really appreciate some of the
more unpleasant aspects of police work.
The fourth and final section
again describes his training at the Hendon Driving School, dealing with traffic
accidents, his career as a member of the Metropolitan Police motor cycle
precision team and the Special Escort Group when he had the honour to meet a
number of famous personalities.
Of the four parts of the
book, the last could well appeal to modern-day motor-cyclists. There have been other books about patrolling
the streets, investigating crimes and official reports of accidents, but few
have been published by officers who were members of the prestigious Special
Escort Group. If the author wished to
pursue his literary career, he could do no better than to write another book
dealing exclusively with this subject, including diagrammatic descriptions of
the work of the Group. Today it has
been possible to watch from a helicopter the police escorting royalty and VIPs
through the busy streets of London at the heart of the rush hour. It is not always appreciated the timing and
accuracy of driving that is required, so a follow-up of the present book by an
experienced driver would be welcomed.
Meanwhile, James Goodwin’s vivid description of bygone times is a
fascinating read of the days never to return.
ICONCLAST
Behind the Blue Lamp
Authors: David Swinden
& Peter Kennison
ISBN: 0954653408
Publishers: Coppermill
Press
Price £19.99 RRP UK
Publication Date: 2003
Behind the Blue Lamp - explores the often-colourful history of
policing in East London and is a serious look at the
police culture.
We are told on the cover that
this book is an opportunity to look behind the "blue lamp" in a
socio/historical way, and to tell the stories of the people who lived and
worked in these police stations.
It reveals how the police culture developed historically,
socially and institutionally. The book shows how the police history is set within each of the North and East borough oundaries. The local aspects of policing have been introduced in a number of ays through work practices, buildings, uniforms, medals vehicles and other
equipment.
This book is a very valuable contribution to the
Metropolitan Police and Police history in general.Covering as it does, North and East London, makes it particularly interesting for your Reviewer a retired City of London Policemen who spent 8 years as a PC at Bishopsgate where a strong association existed with those
divisions which border the City. My children went to School in Bethnal Green and caught the no 8 bus opposite the station where we lived in a police flat.
During my
service with the City of London Police, some cars and vans carried a Met radio
as well as a City one and it was often the case that you left the City to
assist Met units requesting urgent assistance – mostly it would be into what is
now Tower Hamlets or north to Kings Cross, with Alpha 8 the crime car, it could
be even further on the odd occasion.
The City is
of course surrounded by the MPD which necessitated complete co-operation: one
of the strongest scenarios being Middlesex Street (Petticoat Lane) where the
pavement to the west is within the City, with the road and the east pavement
being within the MPD. I will probably
be challenged on the exact border, my "Duckham’s Historical map of The City of
London" does show the border moving into the centre of the road in places.
If on duty in
the market on a Sunday, an arrest a yard outside meant (in theory) a trip to
Leman Street with a prisoner. Police
ranks come in for some discussion, eg the rank of acting Inspector in the City
was denoted by a Crown being added above the chevrons, this could confuse
Metropolitan Police Officers coming into a City station. Many had known the unique rank of Station Sergeant which existed in the Met until 1973 – they also had three chevrons with
a crown above, and, since it was the norm in the City to address Acting
Inspectors as "Sir" they often looked confused.
Family
Historians will also find this book invaluable since as well as the history of
the actual Police Stations, there are 299 photographs and illustrations and an
Index of the many hundreds of officers mentioned in the book.
Although I
lived at Hornchurch (approximately 1947) I was never aware of a Police Station
there (Page 185). Just after WW2 my
father was posted to RAF Hornchurch and we lived in married quarters which were
outside the actual aerodrome. We
children entered via a small side gate, therefore avoiding the RAF Police
stationed at the main gate. I do not
recall any encounter with a local policeman but have memories of that period
including the German POW who did the garden and catching the 123 Bus to Romford
for the Saturday morning "Flicks".
I didn’t have
too much trouble with the RAF Police since my father in charge of the Cookhouse
supplied their tea, sugar and milk. I
did twice encounter the local Fire Service, who had to extricate me when I got
my head stuck in iron railings.
The authors
are to be congratulated on the amazing amount of information they have
gathered.
David Swinden, joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable in
1958. He spent his first eight years at West Ham Police Station in Stratford
and then worked for two years at Romford.
He also served at Bow Road, Woodford, Barkingside, Ilford, Islington and
Kings Cross Road Police Stations.
Behind the Blue Lamp is co-authored by Peter Kennison.
Peter Kennison is a lecturer in
Criminology at Middlesex University. He is module leader for Policing and
Community Safety in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. He retired from
the Metropolitan Police as Inspector in 1996 having served at six of the police
stations mentioned in this book.
