Title:
Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police
Level: Category
Sound Archive
Level: Fonds
ESSEX POLICE: 'SWORN TO SERVE' ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS
Level: Series
Interviews by Maureen Scollan
Scope and Content:
Interview with Clifford Hymas of Braintree at his daughter's house in Hatfield Peverel by Inspector Maureen Scollan on Sunday 7 April 1991.

SIDE A - During World War I worked on a farm; after the war trained in bricklaying; joining the police force - examinations, selection and training, then sworn in at Shire Hall in Chelmsford; during General Strike [1926] was among police sent to Grays to escort a cargo from the docks, were pelted with stones and other missiles, later dockers apologised because they had thought the cargo was being escorted by Special Constables rather than the regular police; posted to Clacton until 1927; acted as a police motorcyclist when the military requested assistance with manoeuvres, used his own Rudge motorcycle; describes point duty (directing traffic); hours worked in each shift; police uniform; posted to Kirby Cross, 1930; beat duty, had to visit all unoccupied buildings and try every door on the street; suicide of pub landlady; received commendation for discovering a case where two lorries were being used with the same licence plates; commended again for a case involving a brand new 1930 Rudge motorcycle; Captain of the first police motorcycle team to take part in service trials; posted to Police Headquarters in Chelmsford to join the motor patrol.

SIDE B - sent to mobile branch at Brentwood where he looked after 22 horsepower Ford V8s; police driving school at Witham; describes work of motor patrols; police cars, forced to have signs apparently because the Duke of Edinburgh kept getting caught; posted to Clacton where he was in charge of the cars, he had to keep them all in working condition; World War II - had to escort military convoys because there were no road signs, also secret jobs which involved driving people to various locations, once escorted Winston Churchill to Walton, had to know every petrol pump in the Clacton sub-division and had sealed instructions as to how to destroy the infrastructure in the event of an invasion, always carried a loaded revolver; lists and describes all the Superintendents he served under; influence of freemasons in police force; incident of aeroplane crashing in Clacton on 30 April 1940 which he says claimed the first civilian casualties of the war; police wages and pension; subscriptions to police widows prior to formation of the National Health Service; after retiring became a driving instructor and examiner.
Dates of Creation:
7 April 1991
Extent:
90 minutes
Creator Name:
Maureen Scollan
Admin History:
Herbert Edward Clifford Hymas was born 12 August 1904 at Hockley. He joined the Essex Constabulary on 19 March 1926. He retired as Sergeant 76 on 23 September 1952.
Physical Characteristics:
1 cassette
Related Unit of Description:
A transcript of this recording is available. Reference: SA 25/1/3/3

Key terms

TypeKey termsDescription
Subjects Bricklayers Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, trained as bricklayer after World War I
Subjects Cars Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes work with police cars
Subjects Cars Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes work with police cars
Subjects Docks Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including trouble with Grays dockers during General Strike, 1926
Subjects Farms Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, worked on farm during World War I
Subjects First World War Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, worked on farm during World War I
Subjects First World War Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, worked on farm during World War I
Subjects Freemasonry Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including influence of freemasons in police
Subjects Fuel Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including duties relating to fuel during World War II
Subjects General Strike Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes policing during General Strike, 1926
Subjects Guns Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, carried loaded revolver during World War II
Subjects Motor cycling Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including work as police motorcyclist
Subjects Police Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Subjects Second World War Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including police work during World War II
Subjects Strikes Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes policing during General Strike, 1926
Subjects Suicide Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes suicide of pub landlady
Personal Names Philip Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including claim that police were required to have signs because the Duke of Edinburgh kept getting caught speeding
Personal Names Clifford
Hymas 		Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Personal Names Sir
Winston Leonard Spencer
Churchill 		Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including escorting Winston Churchill to Walton
Place Names Brentwood Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including work in police mobile branch in Brentwood
Place Names Clacton Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including work as policeman in Clacton, 1926-1927
Place Names Grays Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes trouble with dockers at Grays during General Strike, 1926
Place Names Kirby Cross Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes work as policeman in Kirby Cross, 1930
Place Names Walton-le-Soken, Walton-on-the-Naze Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including escorting Winston Churchill to Walton
Place Names Witham Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including work at police driving school at Witham
Place Names Tindal Square
Shire Hall
Chelmsford 		Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, sworn in at Shire Hall
Document Types Sound recording Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Institutions Ford Motor Company Ltd Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, including work looking after Ford V8 police cars
Institutions Rudge Motorcycles Interview with Clifford Hymas, former Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes case involving brand new 1930 Rudge