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Glamorgan Policeat War

The

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The police had an enormousresponsibility during the World Wars,helping to withstand enemy attackson the Home Front.

They had to maintain law and order in townsand cities with depleted resources; theiryoungest and fittest members were awayfighting in the armed forces and they had limitedfuel for their cars.

Officers had to work closely with Civil Defenceworkers during and after air raids, as well asprotecting key local installations and monitoringforeigners who were potential spies or saboteurs.

Police also helped to co-ordinate the movement oftroops, prevented looting from bomb damagedbuildings and located and caught escaped prisonersof war.

The police were a symbol of stability and authorityduring a desperate period in world history.

Role of the Glamorgan ConstabularyBy the time World War II broke out in 1939, theGlamorgan Constabulary was an established andwell-respected police force.

Nearly 100 years old, the force was efficient,organised and trusted by the general public.They were no longer the fledgling force of theVictorian era.

The duties that the police were expected to performincreased dramatically during the war, even thoughmore than two thirds of the Glamorgan Constabularywere called up to fight.

The War Reserve Police was set up to fill the breach.

Confidence in the police was vital during this period.

Glamorgan Policeat War

A new job for the police. A police officer blows his whistle asa warning to take cover during an air raid in World War II.

The

Roll of Honour for Glamorgan Policekilled in battle in World War One

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As well as preventing and solving crime, officers wereresponsible for helping people with problems arisingfrom the conflict; collecting and cataloguing materialssuitable for melting down as weapons, and ensuringthat the public were issued with gas masks.

After the devastating effects of gas attacks duringWorld War I, chemical weapons were banned by theGeneva Convention in 1925. However, no onetrusted Hitler.

The police were responsible for distributing and fittinggas masks. They also had to carry out spot checks toensure all gas masks were in good working order andcarried at all times.

Britain never suffered a gas attack in World War II, butthe actions of police ensured that everyone wouldhave been ready if the worst had happened.

The police were also responsible for national security,by monitoring the movement of foreign nationals andenemy agents, and preventing spies from stealingimportant information. All foreign nationals living inBritain were rounded up and interned to prevent apossible security breach.

Air Raids Air raid duties were a crucial part of police duty.

Officers were responsible for sounding the air raidsiren, known as a ‘moaning minny’ because of itsdistinctive whining sound, to warn of impendingattack.

Officers who weren’t on duty had to report for dutyimmediately once the siren had sounded.

It was their job to ensure the Blackout was beingimplemented, and they had to evacuate dangerousareas and guide the public towards their nearest airraid shelter.

Once the air raid wasunderway, the policewould monitor andreport falling bombs,communicating with themap room at the stationvia direct-line policetelephone boxes.

Inspector David Mainwaring (left) and PC 204 David Daviesdelivering a gas mask to a Porth centenarian at thebeginning of World War II.

An example of a National Registration Identity Card.

This photograph shows a crater in a garden at the rearof Oakwood Street in Port Talbot. The AndersonShelter, 3ft away, was unaffected by the blast.

Swansea PoliceTelephone Box

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The position of each bomb would be carefully plottedso decisions could be made about where to deploymen, and to determine the safest routes to use.

Once the raids were over, officers helped to rescuepeople in bombed areas and dealt with casualties,risking their own lives in doing so.

The National Fire Service was not established until 1941and the police had full responsibility for fire fighting.

In an attempt to defeat the Blackout, Germanbombers would drop hundreds of incendiary bombsin the vicinity they wanted to attack. Incendiarybombs did not explode but instead burst into brightflames, telling the bombers where to aim for.

The police would raise the alarm by giving three blastson their whistles. It was vital for them to extinguishthese fires as soon as possible to prevent damage andthe enemy seeing its chosen target from the air.

Large numbers of incendiary bombs were droppednear the Royal Ordnance Factory in Bridgend; the sitewhere South Wales Police Headquarters is locatedtoday.

The Royal Ordinance Factory made weapons for theallies and was the biggest in Europe.

The Germans were determined to destroy it, soBridgend was subjected to regular bombing attacks.

If the factory had been hit, there would have beencatastrophic consequences for the allies, who mayhave been defeated.

The factory was built in a natural hollow that attracteda thick mist, and people believed this mist was asaviour.

Incendiary bombsdropped near St

Athan airfield on20th June 194

Photograph taken from a German Reconnaissance plane inAugust 1940 of the Bridgend munitions factory, the site ofwhich is now occupied by the Industrial Estate. South WalesPolice Headquarters occupies the administrative part of thefactory.

Glamorgan Police at the Map Room During World War II

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Notes

South Wales PoliceSouth Wales Police Headquarters

Cowbridge Road, Bridgend CF31 3SU

Email: info@south-wales.pnn.police.ukTelephone: 01656 869291

Visit our website at www.south-wales.police.uk

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