A pair of Hastings Police chief constables bullion rank insignia 1942 - 1952
Name/Title
A pair of Hastings Police chief constables bullion rank insignia 1942 - 1952
Entry/Object ID
2564
Description
A pair of bullion silver wire chief constables tunic epaulette insignia, consisting of wreaths with crossed tip staves surmounted by a King's Crown, with highlights in red, green and blue fabric/stitching. These badges comprised of a separate wreath and crown, but the were clearly intended to go together.
Use
For use on a chief constable's tunic to show rank
Context
In police use a wreath containing tip staves surmounted by a crown is the rank insignia of a chief constable. These badges belonged to Angus Cargill who was the chief constable of Hastings from 1942 until 1954, and could have only been used by him at Hastings as he was previously an inspector when serving in Liverpool Police. The use of a King's Crown shows that the date from before Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, after which Queen's style crowns would have been worn. These are made with silver thread or bullion and originally would have been more silver coloured. By today's standards they are quite small. The museum also has one of Angus Cargill's tunics where the rank insignia has been removed and it is likely that these badges were originally sewn onto that tunic.
