Coates Cambridgeshire Policeman death

[dmcr]

Hi all,

I have been trying to find information on my great grandfather's involvement in the Cambridgeshire police for some time now so I am hoping someone with more experience may be able to help.

My great grandfather was John Bishop born C1867 Littleport Cambridgeshire. He is listed on the 1901 Census as a policeman. I have a photo of him in police uniform. It has part of some numbers on his collar _23 on right & 23_ on left.
I believe he may have served with the Coates police.

Tragically he died in April 1904 and I am told he was buried 24th April 1904 at Coates Churchyard. Death registered at Peterborough. Family has told me they thought he died of pneumonia. Family thinks he did or was trying to apprehend salmon poachers at the time he became ill.

So far I have not been able to locate a funeral or obituary notice in a newspaper or any police record for him. It must be out there somewhere.

I have tried policememorial.org.uk, cambs.pnn.police.uk with a comment of too busy from the former and no reply from the latter.

Hoping someone can help

DMCR from Australia

[dmcr]

Hi again,

I need to correct my post slightly as I believe my great grandfather may have been part of the Isle of Ely constabulary.

I had in the past contacted a site who had listed him as deceased 1904 with the wording "Death Notice" written beside his name but again no luck with a response.

Hope this may help everyone.

DMCR Australia

[Jan1954]

Hi there,

The Isle of Ely had its own Constabulary from 1841. It included four districts - Ely, Wisbech, Whittlesey and Chatteris, each of which were self-contained and independent from one another. As Coates is almost on the doorstep of Whittlesey, that might be the force on which to concentrate.

[Geoffers]

The Isle of Ely had its own Constabulary from 1841. It included four districts - Ely, Wisbech, Whittlesey and Chatteris, each of which were self-contained and independent from one another. As Coates is almost on the doorstep of Whittlesey, that might be the force on which to concentrate.

..........especially as in 1901 he was living in Stretham (RG13/1543 f8 p67), which is north of the Ouse.

I suspect that the records of the Isle of Ely Constabulary were combined with the other forces that amalgamated into the Mid-Anglia Force in 1965 and then went to Cambridgeshrie in 1974.......However, how much has survived the eyars is another question. Some forces, following reorganisation in the 60s and 70s were quite ruthless in discarding old records.

I could not find anything obvious on the Cambridgeshire Archives web-site catalogue. Very little turns up searching Access to Archives. So what does survive may still be with the present day force.

[dmcr]

Hi again all,

I have again made contact with the only web site I know had listed my great grandfather. This time I have had a reply but unfortunately Alan was unable to help further. He indeed had my grandfather listed as "PC Bishop of Ely force, death notice, 1904" but unfortunately could not help with a copy and could not remember where he had gained the information.

Whilst comparing my great grandfather's picture to others Alan had on his side of Ely force members through time I compared the uniform and helmet badge. Although the badge is not clear on my photo it looks quite like the Ely badge.

The only puzzling thing is my grandfather appears to have stripes on the arm of his uniform similar to that displayed on a photo of a sergeant. Would these stripes indicate rank and if so then why would he be listed as PC Bishop?

Thanks "Jan1954" & "Geoffers" for your input. Any idea where I go from here? As I am not in England I am at a loss especially as I have tried contacting the Cambridgeshire Constabulary a couple of times with no reply. It appears they are too busy to answer my query.

I cannot access local newspapers from here in my town in Australia so also have no chance of finding a funeral notice or obituary for John Bishop although I know his burial was at Coates 24 April 1904.

Hoping someone can still help.

DMCR

[Geoffers]

The only puzzling thing is my grandfather appears to have stripes on the arm of his uniform similar to that displayed on a photo of a sergeant. Would these stripes indicate rank and if so then why would he be listed as PC Bishop?

He may have been an Acting Sergeant - a temporary promotion to fill a vacancy - but then not actually promoted to the substantive rank.

If the stripes are by the wrist of the left arm, it may be a duty band to show he was at work.

Or are the stripes quite short and on the forearm?

As I am not in England I am at a loss especially as I have tried contacting the Cambridgeshire Constabulary a couple of times with no reply. It appears they are too busy to answer my query.

I think you're best bet at the moment is to persist with the police force unless someone knows better what happened to historic records of the force. The surviving records will not be online. As a young cadet in the early 70s I remember carting off sackloads of old records to the incinerator - that was in another force, but it would not surprise me if few Cambridgeshire records survive.

I cannot access local newspapers from here in my town in Australia so also have no chance of finding a funeral notice or obituary for John Bishop although I know his burial was at Coates 24 April 1904.

Some libraries/record offices have access to Gale Group newspapers, which include lots of local newspapers. Other than that the British Library Newspaper Collection (Colindale Library) can provide newspapers on film, but there is a substantial cost.

[ddqpm]

Try the Cambridgeshire Family History Society website at cfhs.org.uk This has a wide range of indices available.Also Google ' Wisbech Newspapers ',which couldprove of assistance.

[ddqpm]

You may have referred to this photograph already but if you Google Isle of Ely Police and then go to theera.free-online.co.uk/pages/isle-of-ely.htm you will find photographs of early I of E Constabulary men,including one depicting two men,one of whom wears the collar numeral 23,he is also wearing the ' duty armband' on his left lower arm.

[SueNSW]

Whilst it may not clarify his police service and I can appreciate this is your primary aim at the moment - you should at least be able to confirm his cause of death by ordering a death certificate. British ones don't give anywhere near as much information as Australian ones though - but with the high flying Aussie dollar rate at the moment - they are considerably cheaper

Presume you know how to go about this- if not just yell out

Cheers
Sue

[steve-fuff]

Hi all,

My great grandfather was John Bishop born C1867 Littleport Cambridgeshire.

DMCR from Australia

From the Cambridge records online:
http://www2.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/db...F?opendocument

Surname: BISHOP
Forename: John
Middle Initial:
Year of Birth: 1866
Reference: 332/B-LIT14/247
District: ELY (the Registration District in which the birth took place)

Hope that helps for the beginning of his life.