Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire: Rare Police Notebooks Detail Their Wartime Duties

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The discovery of rare police records detailing incidents during the war years has shone a spotlight on how the conflict changed the responsibilities of officers in the Hertfordshire town of Bishop’s Stortford. They were found behind a fireplace by builders renovating the old police station. The records show that on top of their normal duties, World War One presented officers with different challenges. These included tackling scrumping (stealing fruit) and protecting livestock when rationing was introduced in 1917. Controlling the behaviour of some billeted soldiers and keeping a check on the welfare of those who had returned from the Western Front also feature in the notebooks. The records are a fascinating account of how WW1 changed life on the home front. Location: Bishop’s Stortford Police Station, Basbow Lane, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertforshire CM23 2NA Image: Bishop’s Stortford Police, courtesy of Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies