A Copper's lot

Sydney Miller Born Earls Barton 1933

Mum was a native of Finedon and her maiden name was Gertrude Stapleton. She was born in one of the two cottages where Jim Gray lived in Well Street. There are two sisters living in Earls Barton Doris and Doreen. Mum was a machinist in a shoe factory and sadly dad died when I was six.

I joined the Army in 1952 aged nineteen and was a regular for three years in the Coldstream Guards. I was first stationed at the Guards Depot as Caterham, Surrey, for initial training, and during that time met my wife, June. Upon completion of training, I joined the 1st Battalion which was stationed at Windsor. The Battalion was sent to do a tour of duty in the Egypt Canal Zone, and later returned to Windsor. I took part in the Trooping of the Colour as well as the Opening of Parliament and so saw all the Royalty.

When the time came to get de-mobbed I decided to go on a pre-release course visiting Metropolitan Police, Home Guards, and a Mortuary before deciding to become a policeman. I joined the Northamptonshire Police Force in April 1955 and went to Wooton Hall, Northampton to be interviewed by the Chief Constable. There were six of us at the interview, one of them being John Dunkley of Finedon. We went to Mill Meece near Stafford for thirteen weeks training before passing out and then I was stationed at Rushden for two years. After my initial police training I was under close supervision for two years before becoming a fully fledged policeman. I wore a uniform with a dog collar; no fancy gear then no radios just a bike. Every hour we were instructed to go to what was called a “conference point”, such as a local telephone kiosk or police box and be there for five minutes. This way we were visible to the public and contactable. I saw Rushden as a fairly quiet place.
When they filmed the police series Hunters Walk in Rushden quite a few of the police took on the roles of extras although I did not do this myself. I next went from Rushden to Kettering as a beat bobby and worked the Kettering Town Centre in 1958. We lived in a house that overlooked the Railway in Sussex Road which also looked onto Wicksteed’s Park. There is a tale of a policeman, not myself, who following his patrol of Wicksteeds for night duty was caught out when his handcuffs were found round the top of a slide in the park. We got married the first of June 1957 at a church in Croydon, Surrey. Joy and Stephen were born at Kettering and Stuart and Jane at Isebrook Hospital Wellingborough. The sister at the hospital at the time was Nurse Dunkley of Finedon.

Bert Hurst got promoted and moved to my house in Kettering in 1962 and I came to the police house attached to the Police Station in Finedon. At the time there was a Sergeant Watkins who lived in the other house attached to the Police Station. P.C.Lane and P.C. Dunford lived in two houses on the corner of Sibley Road and Tower Close. We worked a series of three shifts which were 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm, 10pm-6am. When one man was on rest day, the others worked to cover the shifts. If only one man was on (due to rest day and leave) the shift would be 7am-11amplus 7pm-11pm, a real nightmare. We would have to do a Refresher Course every two years as well as quarterly training when everyone in the Division went to Wellingborough Police Station where we were marched to the cattle market for a monthly drill parade. Later, Panda cars were used by the Force instead of push bikes, and we had one in Finedon. This was a step away from the public irrespective of what anyone thought-people were used to seeing policemen about and could report anything suspicious or talk over any problems. One evening I parked my Panda car in Wellingborough Road and my little blue flashing light on the top was pinched but it turned up a week later; god knows where that went. I also had to do administration work on my typewriter at home in off-duty time. When I joined the service there were six to seven hundred men in the force in Northamptonshire and there are well over a thousand now. I was also responsible for contagious diseases and issuing movement Licences for Animals, issuing of Firearm Certificates; all these things are now done by civilians. We also worked as Traffic Wardens, did Road Safety work in local schools talking to the children and also testing their cycle proficiency. At one time I became an honorary member of the Tufty Club which involved visiting groups of pre-school age children in respect of Road Safety.

I have been Chairman of the Old Folks Treat group, Chairman of the Cricket Club for nine years, and a Local Councillor, but now take life easier. I enjoy going on holidays with my family as well as gardening and stamp collecting. I retired from the Police after thirty years and became a self-employed Bailiff for some years. I have now completely retired and reside in the house in Millers Close which my family and friends constructed in 1974. I am often asked if I own Millers Close or if it was named after me. The answer to both is ‘No’ unfortunately.
Characters from Finedon I recall a fellow, who would ring the doorbell until someone answered it, wandered into our house and sit and play the piano. He always played ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon round the Old Oak Tree’ asked how we were and then left
Another character was a chap at the old pits, now the Nature Park, digging lead cable from the ground and broke his spade handle, and then he left without his spade handle or the lead. On his way home, he got thirsty and broke into the Cricket Club for a drink. A quick arrest was made as the spade he left behind had his name on it.

A comical instance was when a car left the Thrapston Road near the Round House and ended up in a ditch. A friend of the driver arrived at the accident and being a bit nosey went to look at the car. He went to close to the ditch and slipped in up to his thighs in slurry. We pulled him out and he went back to his car, unlocked the boot, took off his trousers, put them in the boot and shut it. He went to get his car and found that he had left the keys in the pocket of his trousers. There he was stuck on the A510 road in his underpants.
I will always remember the biscuit warehouse fire which went straight across the A6 Road, and jumped to Blackthorn Lodge. There were eleven fire engines in attendance, one from as far away as Newport Pagnell.

First Finedon Boys Brigade Parade Day Wellingborough Road 1980 approx.