VE Day: 80 years
On Thursday, 8 May 2025, the nation celebrates 80 years since the end of World War II in Europe.
We want to take this opportunity to give an insight into the life of Essex police officers during the Second World War and honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe.
291 police officers left to serve in the armed forces. Tragically, 32 officers from the Essex, Colchester, and Southend police forces were killed in military service.
Two more lost their lives when the Essex Police headquarters in Chelmsford was bombed.
As World War II raged, Essex Police officers continued their vital work to protect the county. But with every shift they faced new challenges and an increased risk of danger. Now officers were dealing with air raid precautions and ration fraud, not to mention dealing with captured enemies. All this alongside their usual work of responding to emergencies, investigating crime and catching criminals.
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Essex Police officers responded to a downed German aircraft in Baddow Court Chelmsford -
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Sometimes officers helped in the response to the falling of bombs like this one in Witham. -
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The Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps (WAPCs) performed office and switchboard duties, and occasionally street patrols, though they had no police powers. Their uniform, similar to male officers, featured unique hats, skirts instead of trousers, and belted tunics. -
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Special Constables played a valuable role keeping the county safe with 272 recruited for full-time duties. -
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Two Southend-On-Sea officers on guard duty during World War II -
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n 1942, local police families came together to celebrate Christmas with a party in the Constabulary’s gym.
The bombing of Essex Police HQ
Essex Police headquarters in Chelmsford was bombed twice during World War II. First on 19 August 1940 and again on 16 November.
During the first bombing, three people died at a nearby house.
In the second bombing, Detective Maurice Lee, 27, and PC Alexander Scott, 26, were killed when a bomb landed in front of the main entrance at headquarters.
The building was protected by sandbags, which prevented major damage, but the roof, windows, and ceilings were still badly damaged. A clock inside stopped at 7:17 pm, the exact time of the blast.
A second bomb landed in the Chief Constable’s garden, near the room where Chief Captain Jonathan Peel and his wife were having dinner. They were not seriously hurt, but the house was badly damaged.
During the cleanup, many pieces of shrapnel and debris were collected and displayed on the lawn at HQ. The display showed the different types of bombs dropped in the area, including smaller incendiary bombs and larger bombs with parachutes.
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Alexander Scott (left) and Maurice 'Dixie' Lee (right) -
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The damage HQ building caused by the bomb. -
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The back of the Chief Constable's House shows a lot of damage and debris after the bomb hit. -
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The left side of the bombed HQ is in better condition than the right side because of the sandbags. -
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Shrapnel and debris recovered in the clean up of a bombing raid.
VE Day at HQ
The VE Day celebrations were some of the happiest memories for local children.
Judith Tomalin, the daughter of Essex Police officer Inspector Harold Tomalin, remembers:
"Well that was a very happy time...on V.E. night there was a huge bonfire put in the middle of the skid pan and we all went down to it.
“Instead of Guy Fawkes on the top Hitler was on the top and as you had walked down to the skid pan there was a huge hut, an army hut, where all the police stores were kept and from the roof of that on a wire they let down a huge model, I think it must have been something that the Luftwaffe used to fly over here and I can’t remember the name of the plane but anyway it came down in flames into the bonfire and it was a very happy occasion!"
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The skid pan was used to train officers to drive safely in dangerous and slippery conditions. During World War II it was repurposed for air raid precautions training. -
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When the victory in Europe was announced the skid pan was repurposed again. This time the whole HQ community came together and created a huge bonfire to celebrate. -
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The Luftwaffe aircraft descends and lights the bonfire.
Want to know more?
If you're interested in learning more about life at Essex Police during the Second World War or other historical periods, our virtual museum offers a fantastic collection of stories and articles.