Name/Title
Police type General Service whistle, used by Brighton Borough Police 1911Entry/Object ID
2273.2Description
Chrome plated "police type" general service whistle with chrome plated chain and button hook and attached key. Marked "Hudson and Co. 13 Barr St. Birmingham 1911 Hudson's Patent", also with indistinct mark "Patent" to top. The key is marked "A. Kenrick & Sons West Bromwich" and stamped "22".Use
For police officers and others to raise the alarm and summon assistance.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.
The correct name for a police type whistle is a General Service Whistle or GWS, as they were not only used by the police, and after 1884 they became popular not just with police but with all manner of other institutions as well as with the general public.
This particular whistle has the date 1911 stamped on it which shows the actual year of manufacture. This year date identifies this as a whistle made for the UK military, such whistles in the past always having the year they were made stamped on them. It would originally have had a plain nickel finish but at some time has been chrome plated, probably after the 1930s. This whistle came to the museum, still in the breast pocket of a Sussex Constabulary tunic (item 2273.1) dated 1968-74, along with a pocket notebook belonging to the same officer as the tunic was issued too. Consequently this whistle is thought to have been officially issued to the officer and the key is believed to be for a police box, most likely in Brighton, as the officer concerned, PC A862 Aucott was a Brighton Borough Police officer who went onto serve in Sussex Constabulary in 1968. The use of this whistle is interesting as it shows both the re-use by police, most likely Brighton Borough Police, of old military surplus whistles, and evidence of how long whistles stayed in use within police forces. At some time it has been chrome plated, possibly whenever it was pressed into police service and a chain added, as it would probably have had a leather button strap originally as was normal for military examples.