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At the age of 22 Harold Taylor joined the police force shortly after the Second World War, having served with the Merchant Navy. He takes us back to some of the events which took place in the force during the late 40's/early 50's.
One incident was in a late summer month when I was on early turn, 6.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. As we paraded for duty three others and I were whisked off to Storrington where it transpired the previous evening a local coach driver had taken a group of people out for an evening drive.
When it came to going home time, one old lady had failed to return. We raised the alarm but little could be done that night due to darkness and it was arranged that a search party would be organised at daybreak the next day.
We were the first on the scene, although this was not our division. We started by making a search of the edges of all roads in the village looking for traces of discarded clothing or belongings. Next we four were sent to the top of a hill to walk down through the bracken looking for any trace.
This was all right except for frequent notices warning of the presence of adders in the area. Our only consolation was that it was so cold and damp that they were unlikely to be up and about.
By this time somewhere around 50 policemen had been assembled from the division to make wide searches. This we did in each field until lunchtime when the local Superintendent, Harry Catt arranged for us to have a meal in relays at the local pub in the centre of the town.
After this we resumed our mass searches and around 5 o'clock we had just settled by a stream's edge to prepare for our next move, which we in our group thought should be to our right along the stream.
Powers that be decided that we should discontinue our search in that area and we from Worthing who had been on the scene since first light were told we could go home. Harry Catt drove us. What time the search was called off I do not know, but nothing was found that day.
The following day a local reported finding the body of a woman in the stream 50 yards from where we had ceased our search and in the direction that we had asked to go.
It appears she must have got hot and tired and had taken off her socks and shoes to soak them in the stream. I do not recall whether I ever knew if she had died of a heart attack or exposure.
Another search for a missing person happened on a day when I was due to take part in one of my sports day races and I maintain was the cause of me not winning.
A person had gone missing; I do not know under what circumstances, but PC Vincent and myself were sent to search the marshy area in East Worthing, which now comprises the Brooklands recreational area.
In those days it was waterlogged with grasses over seven feet high. We searched and searched and eventually gave up to knock off on time, although this gave me no time to get home, have a meal and get to the arena for my sports event.
I got to the track just in time and was beaten into second place by a new comer to the race, PC Dawkins. At the end of the afternoon it was announced that the body of this person had been found on allotments the other side of town.
That afternoon was the one and only time I met Lord Woolton, the Minister for Food, and I found him to be a most congenial person.
I was also handicapped from winning my event the following years due to being at court in the morning. An earlier case dragged on and on. I had the same experience of racing to get home, racing to the track and was still in the process of changing when they were calling for competitors.
Again I came in second to someone who was on a start of something like 600 yards, a PC Laker.
One of the more amusing incidents was when I was sent off in a van to the Long Furlong Road where a vehicle had shed its load. There was already a motorcycle cop there, PC Penfold.
This was a long straight road, and fortunately the incident happened at a point where there was a Y shaped junction to a farm entrance. The whole road was blocked with the vehicle and its load of wheat, which was in 2 ΒΌ cwt sacks.
It was 6 o'clock in the morning and there was little traffic about. Penfold went when I put in an appearance and was supposed to arrange breakdown equipment. I had suggested the Southdown bus wagon owing to the size of the vehicle.
The driver had obviously driven through the night and fallen asleep and driven off the road into a ditch, which had ripped the front wheels off the lorry.
When the driver reported to his employer that he had ripped them off, he would not believe him. He said, 'You can't rip the wheels off of a Foden.' Seeing the size of the bolts I can imagine his disbelief.
I was fortunate with the farm entrance because I was able the direct all the traffic round the Y shape and it was a delightful sunny morning to be out in the country.
The grain had been on its way from the north of England to a Ministry grain store on the Duke of Richmond's Estate at Goodwood. Animal feeds were still in very short supply and on allocation.
Several farmers had come to me asking what was going to be done with the grain, and I told them I had no idea, but I expected it would be collected, although some of it was damaged as the lorries batteries had spilled acid over it.
Later one farmer came back and asked if he could have some but I told him it was not up to me, and pointed out that there was a lot of loose stuff lying about the other side of the lorry that was out of my sight.
He drove his ex-army 15cwt there and after a while drove off. When later I got round to going that way again I saw two bags had gone and there was a ten bob note under a stone.
Early afternoon and a small breakdown wagon arrived. It was a converted army vehicle that used to draw the Radio Location units and the Bofors gun. This was far short of being adequate for the job. They were able to right the vehicle after they had removed all the sacks.
Then they were able to lift the front of the lorry with difficulty. Every time they tried to move, the front of the lorry went down and the front of the breakdown wagon went up.
It was a comical affair and there was not a hope in hell of them shifting it until I suggested that they put some bags of wheat on the hauling vehicle's bonnet.
They managed to get two on the bonnet and still leave room for the driver to see out. This seemed to give it sufficient counterweight to haul the lorry, but it was a funny sight to see as it progressed slowly down the road with the front of the lorry swaying most precariously from side to side.
So with the trouble out of the way and the wheat still lying in the road I made my way back to Worthing, my cycle having been brought out with me earlier in the day.
Harold Taylor, West Sussex, 2001
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