Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Dear Friends,

I recently visited the RAF Davidstow Moor airfield museum near Bodmin Moor in Cornwall and in speaking to the curator he told me that he has a WW2 Police Record Book that records all 'aviation' related matters for Cornwall , Devon and part of Somerset, which was saved from destruction some years ago.

This Police Record Book records all the crashes in the area, both allied and axis and even the fact that a few WAFs drowned off the beaches during their leave.

I have not heard of such Police records before but it might prove of use to researchers.

http://davidstowmemorialmuseum.co.uk/

It also begs the question - what about other areas of the UK? What happened to their Police Records?

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Sussex's records were obtained many moons ago by the late Pat Burgess I believe

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Hi
cornish police war diaries used to be in the cornwall record office truro
south west civil defence diaries moved in the 70's to taunton record office
devon police war diaries are either lost or destroyed,
although i have been told one page existed in the D&C police museum in 1980's
cheers
jerry

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Chris, do you know what became of the Sussex records?

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

I have quite a number but would expect Andy Saunders to have copies

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Thanks

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

I managed to obtain copies of police reports concerning the crash of an Avro Manchester on the Hamps / Wilts border in 1942 from the Hampshire Constabulary History Society. Very helpful chaps.

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

Such records do exist, I know Northern Constabulary's records were retained at archives in Inverness and up into Sutherland. North Yorkshire's records are in Nothallerton. Each force I try around my patch hasn't kept anything and neither have the respective archives. They are Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Derbyshire & Staffordshire.

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

This research resource is new to me and I guess others too, who perhaps have only looked at the TNA for the ORBs etc. So perhaps we all should start asking in our local area to see what is in the archives!

It was only when the curator at Davidstow Moor explained the significance of the Cornwall & Devon Police 'Aviation Incident Log' was it saved.

I'm sure he would gladly look up entries for anyone not local to Bodmin Moor.

http://davidstowmemorialmuseum.co.uk/

We need more Police 'Incident Logs' from WW2 to add to the list

Re: Police Records of aviation related activity in WW2
 

I am sure that like Pat Burgess, the early researchers have tracked these down. I tried Hampshire's but apart from a few mentions, nothing