Name/Title
Chief constable's ceremonial tunic c1930sEntry/Object ID
2180Description
Dark blue wool three quarter length single breasted closed high collar dress tunic, with eight large buttons to the front and six to the rear, three each side of ven. All buttons are silver plated and marked with a King's crown inside a laurel wreath and marked to the rear "Firmin London"". There is silver coloured braiding around the collar, on the cuffs, and around the rear vent. Each cuff is also finished in velvet. On each shoulder is an ornate epaulette made of silver cord. Inside at the collar is a label embroidered "James Smith & Co. Limited Derby". On the left side is a hook for a belt but there is not one on the right or any sign that there ever was one.Use
For the chief constable to wear on ceremonial occasionsContext
Before the Second World War it was common for chief constables to have elaborate uniforms to wear on ceremonial occasions. From examples in the museum, these appear to have followed a basic style, being pocketless rather long tunics, embellished with silver braiding and corded epaulettes. They did not have force specific buttons but generic chief officer silver plated ones decorated with a crown inside a laurel wreath. Photographs show that these were usually worn in conjunction with bi-corn hats, which also followed a generic style.
Unlike the other chief constable's tunics in the museum, this example does not have a name inside it. It came from Sussex Police, so would have been worn by the chief constable of one of the old Sussex police forces, and in the 1930s, those of Eastbourne, West Sussex and Brighton are all known to have worn similar tunics, and those of the other Sussex forces may have as well. These tunics were often worn with a sword on a belt which probably explains the presence of only one belt hook on the left hand side of the tunic. it is probably contemporary with the other two dated examples, in which case it is from the 1930s.