LONDON BOBBIES IN SOCIETY

Shannon News, 5 November 1926, Page 2

LONDON BOBBIES IN SOCIETY

SOME OF THE FRESH RECRUITS. SONS OF ADMIRAL AND EARL. English society was recently surprised to hear that Arthur Galloway, son of the late Admiral Galloway, had joined the London police force and become a constable on point duty, attached to the Bow Street Police Station. But young Galloway, fresh from an exclusive public school, and turning to "The Force" as second choice when failure to pass the naval : eyesight .tests barred him from following his father's calling, was not the pioneer fashionable "bobby." There was already a little nucleus of "gentlemen" policemen. Lieutenant 'Noble, for instance, had been a policeman almost ever since the demobilisation and has gathered a number of his brother officers around him. "The Force" even boastfe at least one war V.C. recruit in "Sergeant" Bye. Now it is whispered, an earl's son and an impoverished young gentleman who bears a title in his own right will be among the nevt batch of probationers sworn in. There is no feeling against such men among the police rank and file. On the other hand, there is no trace of feeling that they are doing the force any honour by choosing it. The force" rather does them the honour It dos. all men by accepting their candidates. For getting into, the London police is almost as hard as getting through the eye of the proverbial needle. "It is not that would-b policemen are scarce," one of the chiefs at "The Yard" recently remarked, apropos the shortage of police recruits "but that the numerous volunteers do noe come up to the standard." Sometimes those who, pass th c Preliminary physical tests—height sft yin minimum chest measurement 36 inches —fail to pass the subsequent medical . examination. But more often it is lack of education that Is the stumbling block. ; • Hard Examinations. . .Those who are ambitious to graduate eventually into "The Yard" itself —to become C. I. D. detectives, and perhaps seek promotion to the ranks of the big chiefs —have sebsequently to pass hard examinations and to go through a fairly stiff, preliminary training in the art of detecting crim* inais. The police force offers smj cxwlltfii career to mo.r. ot fjl «,UJ,se>s, but it Is the educated man, or the man who sets out to improve his education, who will get .on. This is the view of another of th e powers that be at Scotland Yard. A certain amount of pre-war friction and discontent came to a head about 1920, and started a new policy of promotion. Formerly tlie rank to which an ordinary member of the police force might was in practice, if not in .theory, strictly limited. The higher posts, even In | the C.I.D. (Criminal " Investigation [ Department) were filled by men —"gentlemn-born" usually— fitted for them by education and outlook, but sometimes not by experience—for they had never been policemen. Now it will be possible for any memberof the force to' rise to any position of importance. "When the Duke of York arrives hi Auckland in February next his guard of honour will be composed of picked men from the First Battalion, Auckland Regiment, which is commanded, by Colonel E. G. Fraser. The battalion will go into camp at Hopuhopu, Ngaruawnhia, at the beginning of February, when there will be keen competition among the men for selection for the guard. A medallion is to be struck, a copy of which will be given to every lucky man chosen for thc guard of honour. Colonel Fraser has been connected with the guards of honour of three consecutive visits of Royalty to New Zealand. He was escort of the colours when King George arrived here, he was officer in charge of the guard provided for the present Prince of Wales when he landed in Auckland, and now he has charge of similar arrangements for thc Duke of York.

A Wianganui reporter and a friend while motoring to Ratana on Tuesday morning, were stopped by an old man on the Wangaehu bridge'. "Could you give an old fellow a lift?" he asked. "Certainly," said the scribe. "Hop in." "I am 72 years of age," said the old man, "and I have been offered a job at Palmerston, and I am on my way there. I prayed to God this morning before I left Wanganui to give me a lift to Palmerston, and first of all he gave mo a ride to Wangaehu. A good man at the hotel there gave me a drink of beer and a bottle to put in my pocket for the road, and here God has given me another ride." "Well, it will be a .short one this time," replied the reporter, "for we are only going a mile or two along the road."' "Never mind," said the veteran of great faith, "God will find a \Vay to get me to Palmerston to-day." The last the reporter saw of the old fellow was when he toddled along "the road with several cars passing him and sending up clouds of dust." '