Frank come
master brummie
I have a police whistle made about 1905 by Joseph Hudson of Barr Street. The whistle has been stamped C202. Enquiries with the West Midlands Police Museum show the collar number C202 was allocated to John Lake. John was born 1877 and lived in the Glebe Farm/Lea hall area. In 1897 he joined Staffordshire Police and was stationed at Rugeley and Burton on Trent. He transferred to Birmingham City Police in 1911. He retired in 1922. His only indiscretion appears to have been in 1921 when he went into the Station Inn in Booth Street and consumed a pint of beer. He told his Inspector he had gone in to use the urinals. His pay was reduced for 1 year. He married Annie Pugh and they lived in Woodbine Villas, Lea Hall.
A spin off to this story is that when John was 4 years old he lived with his parents at The Reddings Farm, Glebe Farm where his father, Abraham, was the Farm manager for the owner Mr Walter Graham who owned the nearby Stechford Stud Farm. The Lakes had two or three Irish lodgers. In December 1880 one of them, John Gately went to the Gardeners Arms in Solihull High Street where he met up with some other Irish men. They went to the back of the pub where John was shot and later died. A man named Duff was later found guilty of his murder. To cut a long short it was all to do with Irish republicanism and guns and ammunition stolen from Kynoch Works in Witton.
John Lake had a brother, Abraham who was also in the Police.
I would like to know of any existing relatives of the Lake family.
A spin off to this story is that when John was 4 years old he lived with his parents at The Reddings Farm, Glebe Farm where his father, Abraham, was the Farm manager for the owner Mr Walter Graham who owned the nearby Stechford Stud Farm. The Lakes had two or three Irish lodgers. In December 1880 one of them, John Gately went to the Gardeners Arms in Solihull High Street where he met up with some other Irish men. They went to the back of the pub where John was shot and later died. A man named Duff was later found guilty of his murder. To cut a long short it was all to do with Irish republicanism and guns and ammunition stolen from Kynoch Works in Witton.
John Lake had a brother, Abraham who was also in the Police.
I would like to know of any existing relatives of the Lake family.