Title:
Interview with Kenneth Alston, former Assistant Chief Constable with Essex Police, by Inspector Maureen Scollan
Level: Category
Sound Archive
Level: Fonds
ESSEX POLICE: 'SWORN TO SERVE' ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS
Level: Series
Interviews by Maureen Scollan
Scope and Content:
TAPE 1: SIDE A - Joined police in 1934; training at Headquarters in Chelmsford; posted to Clacton; MO Department set up at Headquarters to record the methods used by criminals; work of the Chief Constable's Office; memory of Bill Elles, a saddler in the High Street in Billericay, who looked after the stray dogs in the area, and also tended the graves of German Zeppelin airmen buried at Great Burstead church; first course for prospective senior officers at police training college at Ryton-on-Dunsmore [Warwickshire], 1948; trouble with barrow boys from Romford market; trouble caused by Teddy Boys at cinema in South Street, Romford; Rolling Stones performance at another cinema; Inspector at Harwich, 1949 to 1953; old borough customs still observed; smuggling, particularly by the soldiers being transported to and from Germany through Harwich; recalls having to recover bodies of seamen killed when one of the boilers on the troopship SS Vienna exploded; story of a goat, which was a regimental mascot, being seized by customs officials, much to the annoyance of the regiment's commanding officer.

TAPE 1: SIDE B - 1953 floods at Harwich, capsizing of the ferry 'Princess Victoria', and capsizing of a fishing boat, assistance from HMS Ganges (the boys training college) with boats used to rescue stranded people, homeless taken to army embarkation establishment in Harwich; details of postings and promotion; changes brought about by the London Government Act 1963, Romford Division transferred to Metropolitan Police, effects on staff, details of police station buildings handed over; amalgamation of county constabulary with Southend-on-Sea Constabulary, opposed strongly by Southend.

TAPE 2: SIDE A - memories of Chief Constable Sir John Nightingale; case of PC who was late for duty so often that he had to appear before the Chief Constable, but telephoned to say that he would be late for the appointment; details of Police Mobile Column set up for civil defence purposes in the 1960s, designed to be able to survive and take care of itself in the event of a nuclear war; involvement in a dispute with the Inland Revenue who were attempting to claim tax on police property; robbery at Meakers, a gentlemen's outfitters in Romford; case of woman who appeared to have committed suicide using a gas oven but was later found to have been strangled.

TAPE 2: SIDE B - Blank
Dates of Creation:
c.1990-1991
Extent:
115 minutes
Creator Name:
Maureen Scollan
Admin History:
Kenneth Frank Alston was born 2 September 1911 and died in June 1993.
Access:
Copyright transferred to ERO in 2014.
Copyright:
Copyright transferred to ERO in 2014.
Physical Characteristics:
2 cassettes
Related Unit of Description:
A transcript of this recording is available. Reference: SA 25/1/1/3

Key terms

TypeKey termsDescription
Subjects Animals Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes story of a goat as a regimental mascot
Subjects Army Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories relating to soldiers transported through Harwich
Subjects Civil Defence Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes details of Police Mobile Column
Subjects Crime Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Subjects Floods Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of 1953 floods
Subjects Murders Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of case of woman who appeared to have committed suicide using a gas oven but was later found to have been strangled.
Subjects Murders Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of case of woman who appeared to have committed suicide using a gas oven but was later found to have been strangled.
Subjects Nuclear weapons Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes details of Police Mobile Column designed to survive nuclear war
Subjects Police Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Subjects Ships Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of capsizing of ferry 'Princess Victoria' and explosion on SS Vienna at Harwich
Subjects Suicide Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of case of a woman who appeared to have committed suicide using a gas oven but was later found to have been strangled
Subjects Youth Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of trouble caused by Teddy Boys at cinema in South Street, Romford
Subjects Zeppelins Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of Bill Elles who tended the graves of german Zeppelin airmen buried at Great Burstead church
Personal Names Bill
Elles 		Memories of Bill Elles, a saddler in the High Street in Billericay, who looked after the stray dogs in the area, and also tended the graves of german Zeppelin airmen buried at Great Burstead church
Personal Names Kenneth
Alston 		Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Personal Names Sir
John
Nightingale 		Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of
Place Names Billericay Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Billericay Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Chelmsford Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Clacton Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Europe, Germany Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Great Burstead Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Harwich Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Romford Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Southend-on-Sea Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Place Names Police Training College
Warwickshire, Ryton-on-Dunsmore 		Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Document Types Sound recording Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991
Institutions Inland Revenue Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of dispute with
Institutions Meakers Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of robbery at Meakers, a gentleman's outfitters in Romford
Institutions Metropolitan Police Interview with Kenneth Alston, former assistant chief constable with Essex Police, c.1990-1991, includes memories of transfer of Romford Division to Metropolitan Police