ABSTRACT
The author describes himself in his memoirs as ‘a born countryman, and he moved to London as a young man and joined the Metropolitan Police. He was promoted to detective sergeant in 1900 and when he retired in 1908 he held the rank of detective inspector, posted to F Division. In his memoirs, which again show evidence of the way in which the working-class backgrounds of police officers tended to inform their approach to the work, he details the tough life on the beat and streets of London. He notes that ‘detectives have rough work to do and must learn betimes to endure harshness, which can only be learned early and in a rough school’. Also noteworthy is his recognition that, once a working-class individual had embarked upon a career in the police service, he was likely to be viewed with suspicion by former friends and relatives alike.
