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British Legion
Volunteer Police Force 1938 |
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The British
Legion Volunteer Police 1938
 Reprinted
by kind permission of George Murgatroyd
Vice President West Yorkshire County
No your eyes are not deceiving you, it is the
British Legion Volunteer Police Force. It must
surely be the shortest lived Police Force of
modern times.. However it did have its moment or
should say ten days of glory on the
International Scene, during the crucial months
which led up to the outbreak of the second world
war.
The Force was formed on the 6th October 1938,
and was entitled THE BRITISH LEGION VOLUNTEER
POLICE FORCE (BLVPF) It was disbanded on the
15th October 1938 some ten days later.
To set the formation of the BLVPF into context
it is necessary to briefly mention the
International affairs on the go at the time. The
Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia was about to the
claimed and annexed by the German Chancellor
Adolf Hitler and to this end Hitler had demanded
the withdrawal of all Czech troops and Police by
the 1st October 1938 this alarmed the other
European countries and after discussion Hitler
agreed to a Plebiscite controlled by an
International Commission. Several plans were put
forward which ended by the British Government
authorising the British Legion in agreement with
Hitler to organise a force of Legionaries to
Supervise the voting, and its anticipated
transfer of the territory to Germany.
 So on the 25th September 1938 The British Legion
HQ in London began preparations to form what
was described as a "Volunteer Police Force " to
police the plebiscite area. Personnel had to be
found equipped and prepared for overseas travel.
It was suggested that 1000 members of the Legion
would be required and a further 200 would be
required for transport and support tasks.
Legion HQ. Circulated all ten Area Branches
asking for lists of men who would be prepared to
serve in the new Police Force, and the first two
floor of Olympia in London were taken over to
provide a mobilisation centre. Where the
Volunteers would enrol on the 6th October.
The BLVPF Commander was named as Major Sir
Francis Fetherston — Godley OBE. DL The then
National Chairman of the British Legion. The
volunteers were to be paid £3.15 shillings per
week for married men and £3 per week for single
men. By the 7th October 1938 all 1200 personnel
had been sworn in and for the next week they
were quartered in Olympia, where they were
instructed as to their expected duties.
 The British Ambassador in Berlin had stated that
it was essential that all
personnel should be uniformly dressed in :— For
example, blue suits with armbands, and
commissioner ( sic) hats. The Force was issued
with its own Uniform which consisted of Police
blue peaked caps and greatcoats which were
provided by the London Metropolitan Police, and
dark blue three piece suits as worn by Civilian
Municipal employees of the time. They were
issued with white soft collar Shirts, two pairs
of boots and a kit bag. Ties were either
Regimental or British Legion pattern. A special
British Legion cap badge was produced for the
force with lapel, shoulder of epaulette badges
for wear with a greatcoat. An armband in the
Legion colours of blue and gold was also issued.
 Thus equipped the BLVPF was a scheduled to
proceed to the Sudetenland on the 12th October
1938. They were taken to Tilbury Dock where they
embarked on two ships, The MS Naldera and the MS
Dunera to sail to Bremen. Where they were to be
conveyed by train to the Sudetenland. The boats
anchored off Southend to await further
instruction.
On the 13th October. Hitler's representative on
the International Commission openly declared
against a plebiscite. The Czechs having always
opposed the idea, concurred and the plebiscite
was formally abandoned. On the following day the
British Government gave instructions, that its
services being no longer required. The BLVPF
Should be disbanded. The two ships returned to
Tilbury and the Legionaries disembarked and
dispersed to their homes on the 15th October
1938. On disbandment the men handed in their
caps, overcoats and kit bags. They were however
allowed to keep their other items including
their badges.
The BLVPF cap badge comprised the British Legion
silver and enamelled lapel badge emblem
superimposed on a gilding metal star Surmounted
by a Victorian Crown. The badge had a very long
narrow slider fitted on the back. For the
greatcoat a very much smaller version of the cap
badge was designed and had for some inexplicable
reason a Kings Crown atop the star with loop
fittings on the back. The normal British Legion
membership emblem was worn in the left lapel
button hole.
A version of the cap badge was produced after
the second world war for use by British Legion
members employed as Commissionaires Car park
attendants etc. But the central device on this
badge is much smaller than the version used by
the BLVPF, and the slider fitting is wider.
The volunteers received much praise for their
sense of duty, public spiritedness and
disciplined bearing. The German Government
expressed their thanks for their contribution
towards the settlement of the Sudetenland
question and expressed the hope that the
volunteers would make a holiday visit to Germany
as guests of the German Ex Servicemen's
Association sometime during 1939.
Quite few volunteers did visit Germany over the
next six or seven years, through NOT ON HOLIDAY!
Just for the record three members of the BLVPF
did reach Czechoslovakia. They were the advance
party who flew out to the Continent whilst the
rest of the force mobilised at Olympia, By luck
they changed planes en route at Brussels, for
their original plane Later crashed killing
twenty passengers.
And so ended the shortest reign of a Police
Force in Modern times.
Information for this article was taken from the
Police Insignia Collectors Magazine and an
article by R.J. Porter. Further information was
obtained from the official history of the Royal
British Legion.
Reprinted by kind permission of George
Murgatroyd Vice President West Yorkshire
County
See British Legion
Cap Badge, Collar Dogs and Shoulder Titles
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