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Birmingham City Police 1839 - 1974

At last I have been able to access the site and add my comments about PC Ken Blakeman. I served on the A division for a while with Ken. I remember distinctly the day he died helping to push a broken down vehicle. I was in Erdington and was advised of the tragedy by PC Griffin. It was a blow to everyone who knew Ken. He was a delight to know. A friend to all, always in good humour. In fact ken was too nice to be a copper!! They say the best go first. His relatives can be proud of him. Ex A83 Noel G Nelson.
 
Graham Kent. I am taking a flyer at this one. Was he at Harborne on a vespa? If so then I knew him. I was in single mens at Harborne nick before they got rid of me. Ex C152 Noel Nelson. (previously A83)
 
Graham Kent, 'The Duke', did work at Harborne and ride the Velocette before transfering to Traffic ('R' Div.) and was a motorcyclist there. A keen member of the Birmingham City Police Tug-of-War team and was in the T-O-W team that won the Police Nationals in 1968. He left the force after his father died, to run the family hotel, The Stanmore, in Penzance, if my memory is correct. He has had a few health problems recently, but still lives in Cornwall with his wife, Lil.
 
Does anyone remember Detective Sergeant Bill McDonald served at Sheldon and Steelhouse Lane?
 
John M Weoley Castle said:
I think he had an unshakable faith that he would win "Spot the ball". I do hope he managed it. Yes, remember him well. J.
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Thanks for responding J, yes he was an optimist also that he would win the pools, but never won either. I am his son and he died 1986, his song was "I did it my way" he certainly did, his body packed up.
 
Saw Graham & Lil Kent a few days ago and they are both looking great.......... in the rudest of rude health, bless them............ lovely people :love_heart:
 
pamela floyd said:
can any one remember Harry Rhodes he was a sergant at erdington, and my friends father,...
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Hello Pam,

I well remember Harry Rhodes. He was my sergeant at Victoria Road, Aston before he moved up to Erdington. He was known as Dusty Rhodes and was quite a character.

Old Boy.
 
Reading through posts reminded me of Green Lane baths, 2301307229_73400b00d0_z.jpg every Tuesday night (I think) it was for Police and their families. I remember the victorian interior with the changing rooms around the pool. My sister and I used to catch the bus from our Police house in Sheldon and after got chips and a pickled onion from the chippie down the road before catching the bus back, early 60's. I remember watching the Police water polo matches of which my Dad was a player, I learnt to swim there, its a real shame the interior was not protected as a "listed interior". Its now a mosque now I believe?
 
Pam, I remember Dusty Rhodes.
I knew many of the Erdington, police officers.
We lived in Marsh Lane and our house had a blue telephone box on the front wall, below my bedroom window, with a direct link to Erdington station.In the days before police radios all beat officers had to meet at an alloted time with their sergeant and our front garden was one of those places so there was a lot of 'traffic' in and out our front gate.
I think the sergeant then telephoned in to say that they were 'all correct'

If my memory is correct Dad was D203 and he was definitely R261 when he was on the bikes.
 
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Re: picture house Erdington

I remember the police house very well in marsh lane I even remember some of the coppers jimmy james c I d oc 101 Williams mr bunn an his son we ysed to pkay on the tip at the back an next to the clinic the last council house on the left b4 the clinic lived Johnny Harvey bro les an hus sister name I x4 get jyst below lived ray hall all x moor end laners


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Hi Blake
Did you ever know Lou brown c division covering thorn hill road and key on street lady wood or Keith cotterill from duke street
He started is carrier at cantubiry red Aston where he met is wife whom is still a serving officer and now based at queens red Keith retired many years ago
Keith was a special car driver for the force involving the big crimms of the day and the gangs of test years whom you would be aware of the big time gangs
I presume you would know what I am speaking about best wishes astonian
 
Hi guys


When I was a little kid and I used to trot down the red to my grandparents business at 235 and237 park lane which was the chippie and the cafe and there
Whole sale provisions for all there coffee shops across the Birmingham my grand father used to have a big office desk and when I used to stand by him whilst he was doing his office work I used to look up upon the wall on the side of and there I spotted a long shaped picture and on this picture it was photograph of a load of police officers it looked like about a couple of lined benches and they was all in uniform I would have said about thirty of them but at that time I never really thought much about it but as I got older in life and done my home work I learnt he was a copper from Gloucestershire and he came to digbeth and steel house lane
And also he was at piddock street Smethwick and he lived down the road from there in those early years so he was on that picture of coppers that's why my grand father had it on the wall it was my grand mothers father William Hinton and many years ago I spoke with two senior retired detectives as they seen my mother and stopped to speak to her they recalled her straight away and spoke to me and told me about him just like the stories my mother told me
But a couple of nights ago I picked up on Google his name and his address and the road and I learnt that all his years of service he ended up as a superintendent
At piddock street I thought it was great news so all the story from my mother bears fruit to me unfortunately in 1969 grand father Ernest held and business as fell by the wayside and during that time one of is brothers whom I will not state went in and surprise to have taken care of all his business effects
And cleaned out the safe and disposed of all his stock which was silver cutlery as well ASD cut glass but most of all to me the picture had gone
But as I was thinking about it my two grand parents and grand parents was involved with the Birmingham city courts and the council and the police departments in more way than none but it makes me smile because all the back land of 235 and 237 and the frontage of Aston red north belonged to the jelfs
And now they have built the west midland motor way police department and offices all over the very land there father bought way back in the early 1900s
And through to the seventies they did have two large two story high ware house and a garage repairs shop in that plot of land a Mrs Mac was one of there first tenants to rent there one up and one down house before selling to the halfords family of honeybourne word
But I thought to myself they achieved some think in there life compared to mine still that's life they say guys
But I thought I would just say that my grand father was a old time copper when they guys got court they would say okay guv its a fair cop but today its an hard and dangerous job andi thank those guys whom protect us against the matters out there today even today's drug dealers they will kill a coppert because they get the same amount of time just for being court sorry if I went on habit as usual best wishes astonian
 
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Did anyone know my dad PC D110 Jim Davies D division stationed at Wilton Road Erdington.Lived in police houses in Marsh Lane.He was badly injured on duty in the early 60 s
 
Astonian said:
Hi Blake
Did you ever know Lou brown c division covering thorn hill road and key on street lady wood or Keith cotterill from duke street
He started is carrier at cantubiry red Aston where he met is wife whom is still a serving officer and now based at queens red Keith retired many years ago
Keith was a special car driver for the force involving the big crimms of the day and the gangs of test years whom you would be aware of the big time gangs
I presume you would know what I am speaking about best wishes astonian
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Hi Alan,

I knew Lou Brown reasonably well. I met his wife but never knew she was a police oficer. She cannot possibly still be a police officer because I retired 29 years ago and Lou retired just before me. He and his wife moved to Tewkesbury where Lou passed away some years ago.

Chris Beresford (Old Boy)
 
Hi Chris
Many thanks for coming back to the thread and speaking of our dear old friend Lou'
He was very good in is job and he always solved the crime with his side kick Mr Blake
And they was true gentlemen both of them and they got there man and there evidence stack up against there man
And I can tell you they was well respected by there division ,and by the criminals they knew from petty to the hardened ones
And they did have some nasty characters in there patch I can tel you
Keith retired from the force took early retirement but is wife is at Aston nick still serving ,Keith is in the computor and technology business now
We speak often and see each other often , Chris I never got to know Louis wife to be honest
Any way Chris ,I hope you are well and looking after your self ,did you know old Ernie Robinson he was a big guy blonde hair and his opoe
They took over Lou a d blakeys manner., take care old boy astonian,,,,
 
My father retired from the force in '67, worked D div; Erdington, Perry Barr, and latterly, Kingstanding. Think he was known as 'tipper' Sinclair to a lot of the men.
My young years were spent living in the police house next door to Kingstanding nick. Names that stand out in my memory are sgt Williams who used to work the front desk and put many a plaster on my boyhood cuts and grazes. Mrs Riches, the station cook, who helped out with 'baby sitting' and feeding my sister and I after our mum passed away. And a PC whose name I think was Frank Saunders(?) who used to sing "I'll take you home again Kathleen" to the blushes of my sister Kathleen, and made my ear sting a few times with a flick of his leather gloves when I was being 'a little naughty'.
Does the name Chief Inspector Thomas Sinclair still bring fear into any of you.......?
Ian Sinclair
 
Hello Ian,

Welcome to the Forum. I knew your dad Tomy Sinclair (Tipper as you say). I worked on "D" Division but mainly at Aston so I never had need to be frightened of him. I do not think that anyone was frightened of him really. One story I did hear of him however is that one Sunday the Salvation Army band was parading around Aston. Marching in front proudly carrying the banner was Tipper Sinclair. I did not witness this myself so do not know if it is true. Perhaps you can confirm for me. Of course there is absolutely no reason why he should not have been in the Salvation Army. It was just a talking point at the time.

Old Boy
 
Hello Old Boy,
As a kid he frightened me !! The story you heard was correct. Father was the flag bearer for sometime, and also played in the band until his police duties demanded more and more time. (shifts, etc). He did remain a 'soldier' of the Sally Army, attending services every sunday until he passed away in 2002.
He had a lot of respect from his rank and sally army, but I found it difficult as his love of the cigarettes and booze (hence the tipper nickname) were totally in contradiction to sally army beliefs, along with the very strict upbringing we had, not strangers to his drink and temper. My sister and I always felt that our relationship with Father was more senior copper to constable, rather than father to son/daughter, but hey ho, that was life back in the 50's and 60's.
I know I was a proper little tyke during the period between my first moms death when I was 7, and father remarrying when I was 11, and I earned many clips round the ear, and remember being dragged by the ear into my fathers office many times. Life's experiences !!

In my first post I mentioned a PC, Frank Saunders. Further brain searching makes me think it was Summers, or Sumners, not Saunders.

Ian
 
Hi Ian,

Thanks for your reply. Reading between the lines it does not seem that your childhood was very happy. I hope that everything has been better since. Going back to Kingstanding Police Station T cannot recall a Frank Saunders, Summers or Sumner. However every station had a personality and the one at Kingstanding was Charlie Manners who got into all kinds of scrapes but carried on being a first rate copper. Do you remember him by any chance?.

Chris Beresford (old Boy)
 
Hi Chris,
We never wanted for anything as children, but sometimes he was unable to separate home life from Police life, but it was the 50's and thankfully the world has moved on.
Your name rings a bell, did I contact you after father passed away regarding some old photos to donate to the museum or history dept ?
The name Charlie Manners does ring a very distant bell. If I'm thinking of the right person he was quite a jolly sort, bit of a joker, not particularly tall, and not particularly slim, how does one say it, a bit stout? The only other names that I can recall are Neill Galbraith, Jack(?) Clements, and ??? Marten or Martin, the later two being my Fathers superior's if I remember correctly. Aye, times of happy memories, and some not so happy.
I remember not having many friends at school because the other kids knew my father was a copper. I hope that stigma has fizzled out as time has gone by for todays kids.

Ian
 
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