Name/Title
City of London Police whistle 1930sEntry/Object ID
955Description
Nickel silver police whistle. Marked "The Metropolitan, London City Police, J. Hudson and Co. Barr Street Hockley Birmingham".Use
For police officers to raise the alarm and summon the assistance of other officers.Context
The use of the whistle by police to replace the rattle as a means of raising the alarm, only became widespread after 1884, when whistles were adopted by the Metropolitan Police in London. Joesph Hudson and Co. supplied these whistles to the Met. and the "Metropolitan" trademark was registered to reflect this, the connection being used heavily in the company's marketing.
To begin with a number of Birmingham based companies produced whistles for the police but Hudsons soon became the largest manufacturer. The company was formed in 1870 and is still in existence as The Acme Whistle Company. Whilst most famous for producing whistles, Hudson and Co. also manufactured other items of police equipment until the 1950's.
This particular whistle was made for The City of London Police between 1922 and 1939. The City Force, is just responsible for what is known as the "Square Mile", the area of the original City of London, in the centre of the modern city. The rest of London is policed by the Metropolitan Police.
Though no longer attached, this whistle would have had a whistle chain and button hook, which uniquely for the City of London Police, would not have been nickel or chrome plated. Instead it would have been in a brass finish to match the brass/gold coloured uniform buttons and numbers used by the City force.