fflSTORY OF - Hungerford Virtual Museum

fflSTORY
OF
HUNGERFORD
POLICE
MAY 2001

(
The Police Station in Park Street, Hungerford
has been in existence for over 130 years. The
station was built in 1864 and originally consisted
of a station office, two cells and living quarters
for the officer in charge. The exterior of the
building has changed little over the years
although various interior alterations have been
made in line with the needs of our ever changing
system of policing.
Berkshire Constabulary was formed in 1856 and
the first Chief Constable was Col. Fraser, whose
previous post had been as the Governor of the
Middlesex House of Correction.
Hungerford was part-of the South Western
District under the control of Superintendent
Dowde at Newbury and the first recorded
officer in charge at Hungerford was Sergeant
John Barnes. In addition the local area had a
constable stationed in the villages of Kintbury,
Wickham, Peasemore, Inkpen, Boxford,
Shefford, Chaddleworth, Great Fawley and
Lambourn.
The pay scales for officers at this time were:

Sergeants - 23 shillings and Constables 17-21 shillings per week.
In 18156 the Chief Constable issued the following instruction
relation to prisoners.
The expense of conveying prisoners by rail is to be avoided as
much as possible. Where practicable they should be conveyed
by cart the whole distances and when this cannot be effected
they should be marched and passed on from post to post.
» .»
In 1859 the Faringdon and Hungerford Board of Guardians
t
appointed certain police officers as Assistant Relieving Officers
to deal with the ever increasing problems in the area of tramps
and vagrants. Several years later records show that in one year
the Hungerford area dealt with 1,328 tramps.
It is interesting to note that police officers at this time were
permitted, in addition to carrying a staff and handcuffs, to carry
a small cutlass at certain times "A small cutlass may be
supplied to any Constable whose beat is so situated that in the
in
opinion of the two Justices of the County it is necessary for his
personal protection in the performance of his duty.
The cutlass
is only to be worn at night or at times when rioting or serious
public disturbance has actually taken place or is apprehended".
The cutlass remained in being until 1902, when they had all to be
handed in.
It was on the night of 11 December 1876 that two police officers
of the Hungerford area were murdered whilst on duty.
The
murders took place at Folly Crossroads on the A338 Wantage
Road, just north of Hungerford. Inspector Joseph Drewitt had
* 4 .
set out from Hungerford on foot to meet up with PC Thomas
Shorter from Shefford at the turnpike near the crossroads.
Shortly after 10pm another officer, PC Golby set out to meet the
Inspector, and on nearing the crossroads came across the battered
body of PC Shorter.
He ran back to raise the alarm and then
after a further search:the body of the Inspector was found just to
the east of the crossroads. He had been battered and shot in the
neck at close range.
Four local men, all notorious poachers
were arrested by the following morning. At a subsequent trial at

Berkshire Assizes two brothers, Francis and Henry Tidbury were
found guilty of murder and hanged at Reading Prison.
Two
memorial crosses still mark the spots where the officers died at
Folly Crossroads.
In 1879 one officer recorded a typical days duty as working 7am
to 1pm and 7pm to llpm and walked a distance of 14 miles.
The following days duty was recorded at 6.30am to Sam and
1pm to 10pm.
y
In 1889 the Chief Constable issued an order that he expected all
*
officers to attend some place of worship once on each Sunday,
duty permitting, "as it should be remembered that ampngst a
rural population the Constabulary exerts a great influence by
setting a good example".
In 1910 officers at Hungerford had to go to the assistance of their
colleagues at Lambourn when on the night of an election poll for
south Berkshire several local persons set fire to a wagon loaded
1,000 people present in the market square when an effigy of a
prominent minister of state was placed in the burning inferno.
* In 1919 the officers hours of duty were reduced from 9 hours per
i day to 3 hours per day and 5 hours by night.
On the night of 17 March 1923 officers of the Hungerford
Section were faced with a daring burglary when thieves broke
into Benham Park and stole a number of Gainsborough "Old
Masters" by cutting them from their frames. Subsequently the
-4
paintings were traced "to London and four people were arrested.
The ring leader, who was said to be "The worlds most daring
cracksman" was gaoled for eight years.
During the Second World War it is recorded that officers of the
Hungerford area dealt with a crashed German bomber, when a
junkers plane crashed on 1 November 1943 at Coombe Hill.
Several officers from the area also assisted the Southampton
*
Police during air raids on the city.
with wood and straw and covered in tar.
There were about

1 April 1968 saw the amalgamation of tue Berkshire
Constabulary into Thames Valley Constabulary (subsequently
renamed Thames Valley Police). Hungerford Police continued to
be part of the Newbury Police Division and patrols covered
basically the same area that they had done for over 100 years.
On the afternoon of 19 August 1987 PC Roger Brereton was
murdered on duty in Hungerford. Although at the time he was
working as a traffic patrol officer, he had recently been stationed
at Hungerford and knew the area well. He was answering a call
in Hungcrford or indeed the country. A memoriaJ plaque for
Roger Brereton is hung in the foyer of the Police Station.
In 1987 the interior of the police station was cdmpletely redesigned.
The old cell, which had not been used for many years
was removed and the public entrance area was completely redesigned.
In the foyer is a scale matchstick model of the police
station. This was made by a local man, Mr Billy Cox, who has
permitted us to display it on the premises.
to investigate a man seen^ walking up Southview with a gun and
on turning into Southview to investigate he was shot dead in his
car by Michael Ryan, who in total murdered 16 people on that
day. All but one of the victims were killed by Ryan in the town.
The first victim being shot in the Savernake Forest.
„ After
rampaging round the south end of the town he went to ground in
»
the John O'Gaunt School. The school was surrounded by armed
police and in the early evening Michael Ryan shot himself, so
• *
bringing to an end the most tragic event that had ever happened

The station strength is now:
1 Inspector
2 Sergeants
8 Constables
(who make up The Community Policing Teams)
1 Civilian Station Duty Officer
1 part-time Traffic Warden
The Hungerford and Downiands sector, as it is now known,
is responsible for police coverage of not only the town of
Hungerford, but covers the parishes of Lambourn, Great
Shefford, East Garston, Chaddleworth, Boxford, Leckhamstead,
Kintbury, Inkpen, Coombe, Hamstead Marshall, East and
West Ilsley, Catmore, Peasemore, Winterbourne, Beedon,
Chieveley, Hermitage, Fawley, Farnborough, Brightwalton,
Welford and West Woodhay.
In total this is an area of approximately 150 miles. The
population of the area is now approximately 26,000.