Name/Title
West Sussex Constabulary or Sussex Constabulary male uniform trousers c1965 - 1970Entry/Object ID
14.2Description
A pair of black heavy woollen police male uniform trousers, with front pleats, two side pockets, two rear pockets with button fastened flaps and a 4 button fly opening. There is a small front pocket and a truncheon pocket, both on the right. There are adjusters on each side and buttons inside the waste for attaching braces. Inside there are the remains of a typed paper label with various sizes on it. It is also marked with "Station" and what appears to be "Horsham", as well as "Name" and what appears to be "Towes L.A."Use
For a male officer to wear.Context
Throughout most of the 20th century male police officers in the UK wore wool smart style uniform trousers, with only minor differences over time. They usually had the common features of a concealed truncheon pocket on the right hand side and a small pocket at the front also on the right. Such black woollen trousers were still being used in Sussex Police until 2010, with the introduction of the more utilitarian uniform which included cargo style trousers.
These particular trousers are made of a heavyweight wool and they do not have belt loops. The label inside suggests that they were issued to an officer from Horsham, in West Sussex. The small front pocket was intended for carrying a pocket watch, and this feature was retained on trousers used in Sussex until cargo styles were introduced in 2010. Records show that a Leslie Arthur Towes, joined West Sussex Constabulary on 14th December 1965, and these were almost certainly his trousers, and could date from his time in the West Sussex force or his subsequent service in Sussex Constabulary. They appear to be of a different fabric to Sussex Constabulary tunics, which may suggest they were West Sussex Constabulary issue.
These trousers are currently exhibited with an open necked Sussex Police tunic from the 1970s, which is made of a different fabric.