Military Foot Police records

[EmmaS]

Good afternoon.

I'm trying to locate records relating to my Grandfather Francis Eli Parsons who served as a Lance Corporal in the Military Foot Police, number P1528. 

Before (and after) the war he was in the Metropolitan Police, having joined in May 1910. 

I have located a medal index card that says in entered Theatre of War (France) on 5/7/1915 but have been unable to track down any further records.

Are there any specific records for MFP available that I might be able to access?

With thanks

[Matlock1418]

1 hour ago, EmmaS said:

I have located a medal index card that says in entered Theatre of War (France) on 5/7/1915 but have been unable to track down any further records.

Might be worth looking at the two Medal Rolls [especially the BWM & VM one] - just in case other/pre-overseas unit(s) are possibly included.

M

[Toontraveller]

Hi, EmmaS,
I will have a look when home tomorrow at any records for Francis Eli Parsons.

Both myself (from a Metropolitan Police perspective  ) and Provost ( on behalf of the Royal Military Police Museum)  are currently sharing information to identify all the Metropolitan Police Officers who served in the Military Foot Police and the Military Mounted Police during WW1. 
I will email Provost to let him know of this post.

[EmmaS]

21 minutes ago, Toontraveller said:

Hi, EmmaS,
I will have a look when home tomorrow at any records for Francis Eli Parsons.

Both myself (from a Metropolitan Police perspective  ) and Provost ( on behalf of the Royal Military Police Museum)  are currently sharing information to identify all the Metropolitan Police Officers who served in the Military Foot Police and the Military Mounted Police during WW1. 
I will email Provost to let him know of this post.

Many thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Best wishes, Emma

[EmmaS]

43 minutes ago, Toontraveller said:

Hi, EmmaS,
I will have a look when home tomorrow at any records for Francis Eli Parsons.

Both myself (from a Metropolitan Police perspective  ) and Provost ( on behalf of the Royal Military Police Museum)  are currently sharing information to identify all the Metropolitan Police Officers who served in the Military Foot Police and the Military Mounted Police during WW1. 
I will email Provost to let him know of this post.

I meant to say, I have two photos of Francis Eli when in the MFP - as attached.

[Toontraveller]

EmmaS,

thank you for posting the pictures, its always great to have a picture of the soldier to go with the name.

The role of the Military Foot Police (MFP) and Military Mounted Police (MMP)  has been reported on several times and you can search for past posts to explain their role, by using the  search box of the GWF.

It will be difficult to trace his service and location during WW1 as the MFP and MMP were attached to various HQ staff, Divisional HQ, Bases, Depot's in small numbers.  There is no specific war Diary available for the MFP to check dates and locations but they might be mentioned in the HQ or Divisional Diaries, just difficult to know which one. 

There are no centralised personnel records for Metropolitan Police Officers who served during WW1 and in order to identify them,  information had been obtained from various sources including the National Archives, Metropolitan Police Orders, online research, individual family's  and projects with other Museums such as the Royal Military Police Museum .  So far between the Royal Military Police Museum and the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre we have  identified approximately 250 Metropolitan Police Officers who served in the MFP and MMP. We still have a lot more research to complete the project.

I have looked this morning and can see that Francis Eli Parsons  joined the Metropolitan Police on 10th January 1910 as a Police Constable allocated warrant number 98345 and retired to pension as a Police Constable R Division  on the 17th May 1936.

The warrant number is unique to him and where ever he served as a Metropolitan Police Officer it would remain the same, his collar number or shoulder number would change if he transferred to another Division or was promoted in the Metropolitan Police Area.

In the 1911 Census he is serving as a Police Constable at Shooter's Hill Police Station , Well Hall Road J/W Shooters Hill Road, S.E 18 , within the  Borough of Greenwich. This was  on R Division of the Metropolitan Police Area and he would have worked between Blackheath, Eltham, Woolwich and Welling. Somewhere I know well having worked out of there myself on numerous occasions, the Police Station  was sold in 2007 and is now flats.

The Police Station was very near the area of the Woolwich Barracks and The Brook Military Hospital, at that time there would have been a lot of soldiers based and training in the area, enough to be kept busy. 

From Metropolitan Police Orders dated 12th June 1915 Francis Eli Parsons Police Constable 263 R Division (W/N 98345)  left to join the Army . Previous  to this the vast majority of Armed Services  Reservists from within the Metropolitan Police had been called up on the  to re-join the Navy (MP Police Order dated 5th August 1914) or their Regiments . (MP Police Order dated 8th August 1914) 

In early 1915 there had been an appeal for Police Officers to join the MFP or MMP . I am not sure if your great Grandfather had any previous military service but suspect if was a Reservist  he would have joined up earlier. I believe he would have volunteered for service at that time in May/June 1915 possibly with the intention of joining the Military Foot Police. He was allocated service number P/1528 and the rank of L/Corporal. 

His Medal Index Card (MIC) indicated he travelled to France on the 5th July 1915. According to the Victory Medal and British War Medal Roll available on ancetry.co.uk he served in France from that date until the 11th November 1918. I believe he continued to serve in the Military Foot Police after the War as he is noted in Metropolitan Police orders as re-joining  on the 20th September 1919.  The Royal Military Police Museum may have a few nuggets more and I have emailed Provost to inform him of the post.

If you have any more information about his Police Service can you let me know by messaging me as this service would be outside the remit of the Great War Forum. If you are happy to share I will submit to the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre . 

Edited 15 June , 2022 by Toontraveller
Change of retirement details.

[EmmaS]

29 minutes ago, Toontraveller said:

EmmaS,

thank you for posting the pictures, its always great to have a picture of the soldier to go with the name.

The role of the Military Foot Police (MFP) and Military Mounted Police (MMP)  has been reported on several times and you can search for past posts to explain their role, by using the  search box of the GWF.

It will be difficult to trace his service and location during WW1 as the MFP and MMP were attached to various HQ staff, Divisional HQ, Bases, Depot's in small numbers.  There is no specific war Diary available for the MFP to check dates and locations but they might be mentioned in the HQ or Divisional Diaries, just difficult to know which one. 

There are no centralised personnel records for Metropolitan Police Officers who served during WW1 and in order to identify them,  information had been obtained from various sources including the National Archives, Metropolitan Police Orders, online research, individual family's  and projects with other Museums such as the Royal Military Police Museum .  So far between the Royal Military Police Museum and the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre we have  identified approximately 250 Metropolitan Police Officers who served in the MFP and MMP. We still have a lot more research to complete the project.

I have looked this morning and can see that Francis Eli Parsons  joined the Metropolitan Police on 10th January 1910 as a Police Constable allocated warrant number 98345 and retired to pension as a Police Sergeant on K Division (East End of London.) on the 17th May 1936.

The warrant number is unique to him and where ever he served as a Metropolitan Police Officer it would remain the same, his collar number or shoulder number would change if he transferred to another Division or was promoted in the Metropolitan Police Area.

In the 1911 Census he is serving as a Police Constable at Shooter's Hill Police Station , Well Hall Road J/W Shooters Hill Road, S.E 18 , within the  Borough of Greenwich. This was  on R Division of the Metropolitan Police Area and he would have worked between Blackheath, Eltham, Woolwich and Welling. Somewhere I know well having worked out of there myself on numerous occasions, the Police Station  was sold in 2007 and is now flats.

The Police Station was very near the area of the Woolwich Barracks and The Brook Military Hospital, at that time there would have been a lot of soldiers based and training in the area, enough to be kept busy. 

From Metropolitan Police Orders dated 12th June 1915 Francis Eli Parsons Police Constable 263 R Division (W/N 98345)  left to join the Army . Previous  to this the vast majority of Armed Services  Reservists from within the Metropolitan Police had been called up on the  to re-join the Navy (MP Police Order dated 5th August 1914) or their Regiments . (MP Police Order dated 8th August 1914) 

In early 1915 there had been an appeal for Police Officers to join the MFP or MMP . I am not sure if your great Grandfather had any previous military service but suspect if was a Reservist  he would have joined up earlier. I believe he would have volunteered for service at that time in May/June 1915 possibly with the intention of joining the Military Foot Police. He was allocated service number P/1528 and the rank of L/Corporal. 

His Medal Index Card (MIC) indicated he travelled to France on the 5th July 1915. According to the Victory Medal and British War Medal Roll available on ancetry.co.uk he served in France from that date until the 11th November 1918. I believe he continued to serve in the Military Foot Police after the War as he is noted in Metropolitan Police orders as re-joining  on the 20th September 1919.  The Royal Military Police Museum may have a few nuggets more and I have emailed Provost to inform him of the post.

If you have any more information about his Police Service can you let me know by messaging me as this service would be outside the remit of the Great War Forum. If you are happy to share I will submit to the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre . 

Thank you so much for that information, very much appreciated.  I have a little additional info/photos re his Police Service so will message you directly and am happy for you to share with the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre.

With best wishes
Emma

[Toontraveller]

Emma, Thank you, really appreciate it.

I will ask the Heritage Centre to see if they have anything else, somebody else may have submitted information regarding his service. 

[Provost]

Good afternoon Emma,

I have gone through our records, but sadly have not yet found anything else to add to Toontraveller's exhaustive post, save that after leaving the Met, he went straight into the Military Foot Police. Normally, transferees into the Corps of Military Police underwent a probationary period (by 1916 they had to have undertaken MP duties for at least a month before they were considered suitable candidates for transfer). The exceptions appear to have been those joining from the civil police. Of those men who joined the Corps in 1915 (the peak for police enlistment), nearly 1200 were serving policemen (of these, more than 160 served in the Met).

Our main source of information are the Corps Order Books. These detail the day to day activities of the Corps, and list transfers, sickness, disciplinary matters, awards, discharges as well as other occurrences. Sadly, the books covering his enlistment and posting to France are lost. We are currently transcribing the last couple of books, and if I find a reference to him, I'll let you know.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Richard

[EmmaS]

46 minutes ago, Provost said:

Good afternoon Emma,

I have gone through our records, but sadly have not yet found anything else to add to Toontraveller's exhaustive post, save that after leaving the Met, he went straight into the Military Foot Police. Normally, transferees into the Corps of Military Police underwent a probationary period (by 1916 they had to have undertaken MP duties for at least a month before they were considered suitable candidates for transfer). The exceptions appear to have been those joining from the civil police. Of those men who joined the Corps in 1915 (the peak for police enlistment), nearly 1200 were serving policemen (of these, more than 160 served in the Met).

Our main source of information are the Corps Order Books. These detail the day to day activities of the Corps, and list transfers, sickness, disciplinary matters, awards, discharges as well as other occurrences. Sadly, the books covering his enlistment and posting to France are lost. We are currently transcribing the last couple of books, and if I find a reference to him, I'll let you know.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Richard

Many thanks Richard, much appreciated.

Best wishes
Emma

[Coldstreamer]

There is a free online website to search info on military police .

can’t find it off hand though as on phone atm