Wooden Policeman - British Bobby, Hand Carved Wooden Policeman

Policeman, British Bobby - The Bow Street Runners.
Depicted is a limited edition soldier depicting a British Bobby c.1953 a splendid guard for ones front door.

British Bobby

In Britain today all policemen are commonly referred to as ‘Bobbies’! Originally though, they were known as ‘Peelers’ as they were the creation of Sir Robert Peel. The Peelers were the Metropolitan Police Force, which Sir Robert founded when he was Home Secretary in Lord Liverpool’s Tory Cabinet. Sir Robert Peel had already established the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1812, and it had proved to be a great success. It became obvious that something similar to the Irish force was needed in London, so in 1829 the Metropolitan Police Act was passed which provided permanently appointed and paid Constables.

The first thousand of Peel’s police, dressed in blue Tail-coats and top hats, began to patrol the streets of London on 29th September 1829. The uniform was carefully selected to make the ‘Peelers’ look more like ordinary citizens, rather that a red-coated soldier with a helmet.The 'Peelers' were issued with a wooden truncheon carried in a long pocket in the tail of their coat, a pair of handcuffs and a wooden rattle to raise the alarm. By the 1880s this rattle had been replaced by a whistle.

To be a ‘Peeler’ the rules were quite strict. You had to be 6ft tall (or as near as possible), and have no history of any wrong-doings. Early Victorian police worked seven days a week, with only five days unpaid holiday a year for which they received the grand sum of £1 per week. Their lives were strictly controlled; they were not allowed to vote in elections and required permission to get married and even to share a meal with a civilian. To allay the public’s suspicion of being spied upon, officers were required to wear their uniforms both on and off duty.

In spite of the huge success of his ‘Bobbies’, Peel was not a well liked man. Queen Victoria is said to have found him ‘A cold, unfeeling, disagreeable man’. They had many personal conflicts over the years, and when he spoke against awarding her ‘darling’ Prince Albert an annual income of £50,000, he did little to endear himself to the Queen. After a long and distinguished career, Sir Robert came to an unfortunate end …he was thrown from his horse while riding on Constitution Hill in London on 29th June 1850, and died three days later.

His legacy remains however as long as the British ‘Bobbies’ patrol the streets and keep the population safe from wrong-doers and help lost tourists find their way back to the comfort of their hotels!

Strictly Limited Edition Wooden British Bobby - Policeman Figure

Click here for details of the large hand carved wooden Policeman along with our range of Ceremonial Soldiers.

Click here for my 17 inch, trophy sized Policeman - British Bobby Wooden Soldier.

Wooden Soldier Regimental Histories

All of my wooden soldiers are made in strictly limited editions, click here for a regimental history of each soldier.