Auxiliary Service, and the Women Patrols of the National Union of Women Workers of Great Britain and Ireland. Because of the fact that the present day women police movement in the British Empire owes its origin primarily to these two groups of women workers, the history of their work constitutes the early beginnings of the actual movement, and as such, deserves a rather careful study. The present official women police are largely a direct continuation of the women patrols. For this reason, its early history is placed last in order to conserve continuity. THE WOMEN POLICE VOLUNTEERS The Women Police Volunteers had in its beginning two sponsors, Miss Nina Boyle, Secretary of the Women's Freedom League and Miss Margaret Damer-Dawson, a member of the Criminal Law Amendment Committee who was familiar with police systems and the work in the suppression of the traffic in women and children. In August, 1914, Miss Damer-Dawson (905) organized a small group of women with motor cars to meet trains bringing refugees from Belgium. In the beginning there were 10 cars in use. A Committee of "Chelsea People" whose object it was to provide lodging for the vast number of Belgian refugees was organized by Lady Lytleton, Miss St. John Partridge and Miss Dawson. The latter remained head of the transport department and the work in the stations. At first the workers wore neither uniform nor in signia. The need for a body of trained women grew naturally out of conditions which were constantly encountered. For instance, Miss Dawson because of her experience in work dealing with traffic in women and children, recognized certain symptoms which indicated its existence in the London railway stations. One woman changed the color of her hair and her dress three times in the same evening and was intercepted in the act of taking away two refugee girls who were being convoyed by Miss Dawson herself. This was late in August or early in September. Miss Dawson discussed these facts, with the committee and pointed out the apparent need of trained, uniformed women. She then received a visit (907) from Miss Constance Maude, a writer, who told her that the same idea was held by Miss Boyle whom Miss Dawson immediately consulted. They found that together they could raise about 40 women. Miss Dawson secured the approval of Sir Edward Henry, the Police Commissioner, for the formation of a corps of women and for the proposed uniform, designed by herself, and the hat, chosen by Miss St. John Partridge. The avowed object of the Association was to train and supply a force of efficient women police "which shall prove by its work and reliability that there is a permanent sphere for policewomen in every county, city and borough throughout the United Kingdom." From the very very beginning they "eschewed voluntary service and have demanded the recognition of the truth that 'the labourer is worthy of his hire.'''' Until the latter part of November, 1914, the Women Police Volunteers worked in the London railway stations. The Commissioner of Police, Sir Edward Henry, suggested the names of several text books for use in their training and they attended various police and children's courts. The recruits were trained by a police drill sergeant who also gave them instruction in police duties. The plan of procedure in the installation of the women police was as follows: In the County of London, wherever a society agreed to raise money to pay two women police for any Metropolitan borough, Commandant Dawson notified the Commissioner of Police who then gave a letter to the superintendent who was visited by Miss Dawson and a working schedule was arranged. Captain Kensington, brother-in-law of Miss Dawson, who was then stationed at Grantham as staff captain of the 11th Division, informed Miss Dawson of the conditions in that small city of 20,000 people, unaccustomed to military occupation, and with 25,000 men in uniform stationed just outside the city limits. Through Captain Kensington the authorities invited Miss Dawson to a conference which resulted in the formation of a committee by the Hon. Lady Thorold. Enough funds were raised 7 Women Police Service Report, 1918-1919. to start the work of women police who were attached to the Provost Marshal under the chief constable." On November 27, 1914, Miss Dawson and two women police, Miss Mary S. Allen and Miss Harburn, went to work in Grantham. From the beginning they faced especially difficult situations. The General in command had issued an order prohibiting all women from going on the streets from 8 P.M. to 7 A.M., an order which had raised a strong protest on the part of some women's organizations who criticized the Women Police Volunteers for working in a town where such restrictions existed. Miss Dawson's attitude was that, if the restriction was a mistake, the Women Police Volunteers could easily point it out and secure its repeal. As a matter of fact they did this within a month. By virtue of an old military order which the General resurrected the women police volunteers were authorized to enter houses within a given radius from a central point. They found that women, prohibited from going on the streets in search of men were procuring liquor in large quantities and entertaining men inside their houses. They literally turned out hundreds of girls and soldiers from these houses and reported the fact to the Chief Constable. The restriction was removed. The women police then turned their attention to clearing lanes and dealing with drunken crowds. By day they visited the families of girls whom they had encountered on the streets at night. When, in December, 1915, the private funds were exhausted the Town Council continued the two women who were paid from the regular police appropriation. They retained the uniforms of the Women Police Volunteers but exchanged the cap badge for the arms of Grantham. The formal swearing in by the magistrate marked the introduction of women police into the trained uniformed police forces of England. This incident raised a legal question as to whether the swearing in was of any value and the Home Office at that time decided that it could not be considered legal, for women, under the Act of 1890, were not "persons" for the purposes of the police. (908) WOMEN POLICE SERVICE In February, 1915, Miss Boyle, Deputy Chief of the corps of Women Police Volunteers and a strong feminist, considering that Miss Dawson had endangered women's interests in permitting women police to enforce a restrictive order affecting only women, asked her to resign her position. Miss Dawson called a meeting of the entire corps, about 50 in number, and laid the matter before them— with the exception of Miss Boyle and one other all approved her action. Nevertheless Miss Dawson resigned from the Women Police Volunteers leaving the name and legal papers to Miss Boyle. She then 8 Little more is heard of the Women Police Volunteers except that "they were regarded with disfavor (A-29) ** by the Police ** Numbers in parentheses preceded by A refer to paragraphs or |