Name/Title
East Sussex Constabulary whistle and chain 1885Entry/Object ID
528Description
Nickel silver whistle stamped , "The Metropolitan, Patent, East Sussex Police, 5, J.Hudson and Co, 131 Barr Street, Birmingham", attached to a nickel silver chain and button hook.Use
To be used by a police officer to raise the alarm and attract the attention 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. Joseph Hudson and Co. supplied these whistles to the Met. and the "Metropolitan" trademark was registered to reflect this, the connection being use 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 1950s.
This particular whistle can be dated to 1885 by virtue of the use of the "131 Barr Street" address (only used from 1885) and the cast mouthpiece (discontinued in 1886). The East Sussex Constabulary Watch Committee first approved the purchase of whistles on 15th October 1885 (Kyrke 1969) and there is no doubt that this is one of those whistles. The number "5" could be either an asset or an officer's number, and this example retains its' original nickel silver finish. There are versions of exactly the same type of whistle that were chrome plated as a result of a later refurbishment, probably after the 1930s. This later chrome plating is a common feature of all types of East Sussex Constabulary whistles. There are at least 3 other versions of later whistles made for the force, all "Metropolitans", some with numbers stamped on them.
The use of the name "East Sussex Police", the official force title from only 1967, should not confuse dating. It simply reflects that on items of equipment, not always in public view, full official constabulary names were not always used.