Although I can't say I went to school in Leith, when I joined Edinburgh City Police in early 1952, it was 'D' Division (Leith) that I was to serve in once I had finished my Police training. I was supposed to be on the first training course to go to Tulliallan Castle but there were some hold-ups and so I was on the last course to go to Whitburn, West Lothian to the Police Training College there.
Training:
Training was a lot of hard work. All the P.C.'s (and the few W.P.C's that were in all the Forces back then) from every Force in Scotland were tutored there for 3 months before going back to their individual Forces. There were quite a few of us from Edinburgh - I think about 7 or 8 fellows and myself. It was pretty intense training too so we didn't have any time for anything other than studying every night (after tea) right till "lights out" at 11 p.m. Whitburn Police College was made up of all Nissen huts and so it had a sort of "Army training" atmosphere about it. We were marched up and down that Parade ground and roared at (just like the army sergeants do) at the crack of dawn every morning no matter what the weather was like - and there were some chilly mornings too with frosts on the ground!
Polkemmet House (now demolished). On the site of the former Whitburn Police Training College
Once finished our initial training, everyone went to their respective Forces but the Edinburgh members (I expect each Police Force would have had different rules) all had a month to do up at the Central Office H.Q. in the High Street in Edinburgh, learning all the local by-laws. By this time I was officially known as
W.P.C. 13-D Jessie Berry)
Again, there was lots to learn. However after that month, I (by myself) did a few weeks of working with the two Plain Clothes Policewomen (one of who was Jessie Robb, our Woman Inspector) and Helen Webster. This was all to learn a lot of what I would be expected to do as a Policewoman, if necessary, although our duties were the same as a man's. We were given a particular 'beat' for a certain day and you dealt with anything that cropped up on your beat that day.
One of my duties which I really enjoyed was doing the School crossing at Dr. Bell's school in Gt. Junction Street, from Monday to Friday then beat duties the rest of the time when I wasn't on the Crossing. They were great kids and always so obedient (of course I may have put "the fear of death" in to them) but they really were.
Dr Bells as seen from the other side of the crossing Charlotte Street Police Station
I still have pictures of some of these kids in my old picture albums from that time period! I must say I was never called anything other than "Jess, the Policewoman" and I always felt a special 'bond' with most of the Leith folk.
Hi Jess:
Everyone usually said "Hi Jess" as they passed me by. In fact even the Housebreakers called me that! I remember one time being up in Princes St. shopping with my Mum and one "low life" passed us and nodded and say "Hi Jess!" - Mum asked me who that was and I told her he was one of the local well known housebreakers of the day! I think she was 'gobsmacked'!
On another occasion I had to take a very drunk man in for his own good - he was lying out on the pavement at the Foot of the Walk. As this was shortly after noon on a Saturday, I knew he would have been paid his wages that morning so I knew, if I left him there, there would have been no money to take home to his wife that day. Heard later he was saying "he didn't care who it was who had arrested him, he just hoped it wasn't Jess, the Policewoman.!" I suppose that would have been more than his male pride could have taken!
Acceptance:
I have nothing but wonderful memories of my years spent in Leith Police Force. They truly were a wonderful bunch of guys. At that time there were only 2 W.P.C's in Leith and 2 attached to Portobello (which came under Leith Division) and they always treated us with respect (other than one Inspector who ran circles around me) but the other Inspectors and Chief Inspector couldn't have treated us any better. Some of the older P.C's had an 'attitude' towards all Policewomen in general but I think by the time I left to be married, we had overcome that. The older men were retiring and they were younger men who were coming in and they accepted us more readily.
Duties:
We were always required to do duty when any of the Royal family were expected in either Leith or Edinburgh. One year they stayed on the Brittania (which was berthed in Leith then as it is now) so we were kept busy those few days they were in Leith. We were always able to get good views of them.
However we had some terribly wet days and were always required to be posted at our positions (wherever they happened to be) but I remember one time I was right outside St. Andrew's House opposite the Royal High School and the rain couldn't have come down any harder. It was very cold too. We were there from 8 a.m. standing in the cold and rain and they passed by at 11.15 in 10 seconds flat! I couldn't help but think "3 hours standing in the cold and wet for THAT"!
One time I had an illness which didn't prevent me from working but did prevent me from getting any further colds or chills and so it was recommended that I be kept inside for a while in the office typing for the Plain Clothes fellows and the Traffic Dept. These fellows sure kept me busy typing. I had been a school secretary before I joined the Police so had typing and shorthand.
Anyway there was no shortage of work and it was great to be inside (especially on cold and wet days) sitting rattling the typewriter keys beside a lovely warm, coal fire! Thefellows always told me I would type for them to my heart's content but would always stop for a cup of Tea.
In fact one of the Traffic fellows who was always a bit of a poet made up a 24 verse poem for me just before I left to be married. He brought in all the stories that had somehow got around about some of my 'escapades' and the last line of every 4 line verse was always "but she'd always stop for a cup of tea"!!
I have that poem yet and still read it occasionally which always gives me a great chuckle. I think most of these fellows have all passed on now - they were a great bunch of guys.
Marriage:
When I left to be married to Malcolm, policewomen in Scotland (only) could not remain on the job. We HAD to resign on marriage. Yet the W.P.C's in England, Ireland and Wales were all allowed to remain on the job (until such time as they became pregnant) but it was many years later before they could even take leave to have their families and still return to the job. Had this been the case when we got married I doubt very much whether we would have gone to Canada. I loved my job and would happily have stayed on and had the best of both worlds! I have no idea why this law would only have applied to Scotland back in those days (the 50's) as we were doing the same work as the girls in the other parts of the U.K. were doing. This has always puzzled me. Perhaps if someone reading this can throw some light on this, I would be pleased to hear of it.
Malcolm and Jessie at a ball in the Malcolm and Jessie with their Grandson, Eric
Assembly Rooms, George Street after his Christening
Perks:
There was this baker's shop (Nairns) in Junction St. and in the back room there were 3 small tables for anyone wanting a cuppa and a cake. Believe me that place was a haven for me on the cold, wintery days (especially after you had stood at the corner of Dr. Bell's school for at least half an hour and were frozen). I could thaw out with a hot cup of tea many a morning and believe me it was so very appreciated too. I kept in touch with the Manageress after we came out to Canada and wrote her every Christmas until she died. I am sure she knew how much I appreciated having a "howff" (as the P.C's called these places) to go to.
And of course there was Stoddart, the Undertaker. Never knew his first name (on second thoughts it may have been Alex) but he never passed me by when I was waiting outside Dr. Bell's school for the kids to come out and would stand and chat but the lads always maintained he was "sizing me up" ....just in case!....always on the lookout for business was Mr. Stoddart!!
How about R.S. McColl (at the Fit o the Walk as you entered Gt. Junction St. from Leith Walk) where, when I was on late shift (particularly if Lex McLean was playing that particular week at the 'Gaiety', I would buy a bag of chocolate gingers? Store them in my Burberry pocket to enjoy while standing at the back watching the show (sorry - making sure there was nothing going on there that wasn't quite right!).
If you timed your nightly visit (and that was one of our official duties believe it or not,) to make it 15 minutes later each night, you could catch the whole show by week's end. Loved Lex MacLean. I think he was one of Scotland's great comedians. He and Ricky Fulton were the great ones I think. Have never forgotten Lex playing "Daft Jimmy" in Burke and Hare - he was truly amazing that man.
Also you can add this bit John for Alec's benefit:-
And for your information, Alec Wallace, I never did try to throw you in front of a No. 5 bus or steal your pkt. of Woodbines!! Haha! Got you Alec!!
Well I Never:
THE DAY A POLICEWOMAN'S POCKET WAS PICKED; The Policewomen in Edinburgh had to take weekly turns once a month doing escort duty. This usually involved going out to Saughton in the Police Paddy wagon to pick up a female prisoner to take them to court in the Higb Street. Then after sentencing,
they were usually taken back out to Saughton Prison.
Wherever a female was involved there was always a Policewoman there too. Well one day I am doing
escort duty and we had been waiting in the cells in the High St. H.Q. and by the time we left with both male and female prisoners (there was always a P.C. there to see to the males) anyway that particular day we were sitting in the wagon packed like herring in a barrel.
Now I was a smoker and back then cigarettes were always kept in a cigarette case and my case was a nice silver one (which had been a parting gift from one of the offices I had worked in before joining the Police).
Once the prisoners got to Saughton to begin their sentence, they did not get cigarettes (I don't know what the situation is now of course - no doubt they will probably get an allowance) so they were always in high demand. Now on our way out to Saughton I had been sitting close to a male prisoner but I never felt him picking the pocket of my burberry.
He must have seen his chance as we got up to climb out the back of the wagon! I got back to Leith station in time to sign off for the day and wind my way home. The first I knew something was wrong was
seeing one of the Police drivers in the van keeping up alongside the tram I was on and frantically signalling to me to come off. When I joined him at the next stop, he asked me "did I still have my cigarettes" and of course when I put my hand in my coat pocket, the case had gone. So we "hot footed
it" back to Saughton where one of the warders took me to the office to identify my case - sure enough it was mine.
They had found it on this one prisoner when he was searched on admission to the Jail. It took me many a
long day to live that one down amongst the lads I can tell you. They didn't let me forget it in a hurry!
SURVEILLANCE:
We used to have to go round Pawn shops frequently to check for stolen goods and especially the local scrap yards.
There was a large Scrap Yard up Easter Road and so every Friday night myself and one other member
would stand in the stair opposite this scrap yard and as soon as a fellow came down carrying some type of metal (more often than not it had been stolen) on his shoulder we would just have to cut across Easter Road and "nab him" in the transaction. It never seemed to deter any of them however
and it was the same story every Friday night.
Also we occasionally we had to act as a 'decoy' - in an area where there had been a few sexual assaults having taken place but there were always 2 of the plain clothes officers a good distance behind me. Never was lucky enough to catch one of them though.
New Life In Canada:
With daughter, Jane at son Callum`s
badge presentation graduation
In Vancouver Police usually when a member completes his Police training, they have a small ceremony usually in one of the rooms at H.Q. and normally it is the Chief Constable who presents them with their Police Badge. However the year he completed his training was the 100th anniversary of the Vancouver Police so a big occasion was made of the event. It was held in one of the large facilities down there and it was a great night - like a concert really - there were Pipe bands, Brass bands, several Male voice choirs, and various departments of the Force - Motor Bikes, Horses, Dogs, etc. etc. all putting on displays. It was a great night and the whole place was packed out to capacity (there were many thousands there).
Anyway a few weeks before all this took place the recruits were asked if they wanted the Chief of Police to present them with their badge or did they have a relative (which would normally have been their father, or grandfather or even perhaps as Uncle). When our son was asked, he said he wanted his MOTHER to present him with his badge!! A woman! Horror of horrors!! - this was completely unheard of. I guess it was well "talked over" with the 'higher ups' and still the answer was negative. However one of them also thought it would be "good P.R." for the Dept., and so he was given permission for his mother to do this. I must say now this was a GREAT honour for me and I was thrilled when he asked me to do this. I still get "choked up" when I think about it. I went down to the auditorium for the Presentation and the cheers which erupted had to be heard.! After the ceremony I was interviewed for some radio stations (never did hear any of these) but it was also on several broadcasts the next day on the main T.V. station so we taped it and it is good to look back on this. Of course the T.V. tape was quite brief but it did give a good "overview" of the evening and what a great night it was. It is lovely for us to have this. The story was also in the Vancouver newspapers the following day too. I must say now that Callum has always enjoyed working in the Police and is presently in the Forensics department. In fact he told me recently that he could never imagine ever doing anything else for a living as he, I have always felt, is a "born Policeman".
Footnote:
Outside Charlotte Street in the early 1950s
While I was working in Leith Division I moved to a flat at 294 Easter Road - and what was a mess it was to start with - a lot of the P.C's in Leith all worked putting this flat to rights. One had been a stone mason, and he pulled out the monstrosity of a huge filthy black range which sat in the middle of the floor for weeks. These were all guys who were working most of the time and had homes of their own too, and could only fit in doing bits and pieces to help me out whenever it was possible for them.
No 294 Easter RoadLooking north on Easter Road
Newlands flat was 2nd from top above car Jessie`s daily walk towards Charlotte Street
Eventually a lovely fireplace was installed, and another fellow who had been an Electrician put in extra plugs and wall lights; another painted and wallpapered it for me. Before you could say "Jack Robinson" that place was a wee 'palace' .
Then I met Malcolm so all he had to do was "pull his chair in" when we got married (just wait till he reads this!!). We stayed there when our son was brought home from the hospital until the following year when we emigrated to Canada. Now I see these same flats are costing almost £200,000 to buy (I only rented it) so we left behind a nice flat for someone.
However, I must say, we have never regretted coming out here although the 'pull' of home is always with me but Canada has been good to us all.
Jessie Newlands
15 August 2006
