Herts and Essex Observer Saturday 25/6/1921 reported:
'Special Constables' Roll of Honour. Interesting Presentations at Saffron Walden. At a special sitting of the Saffron Walden Borough Magistrates on Tuesday —when there were present the Mayor (Mr D. Miller), the Deputy-Mayor (Mr R. A. Williams), Messrs H. G. Brown, J. Gilling, W. Robson and C. W. Rolfe —Assistant Chief Constable G. W. Page, on behalf of Captain J. A. Unett, D.S.O., Chief Constable of Essex, presented to the Borough Magistrates a Roll of Honour recording the names of the Special Constables who served in the borough during the war. The scroll was beautifully designed and executed by Mr Baskett, of the Chelmsford School of Art, and framed in ebony, similar to those which have been presented to other Police Divisions in the county. Assistant Chief Constable Page, addressing the Bench, said he was present that morning on behalf of the Chief Constable of Essex, to ask their acceptance of this roll of honour of the special constables who did duty in that borough during the war. As they were aware, the duties of the regular police force increased greatly and they felt that some assistance was needed to carry out those duties efficiently. An appeal was made and a large number of special constables came to their assistance. They carried out their duties in a most efficient way, and the Chief Constable felt that some record should be made of their services and he asked the Magistrates to accept this roll of honour to be hung in the Court. The MAYOR (who was Inspector in the special constables) in reply, said he thanked the Assistant Chief Constable very much for the kind words he had spoken with reference to the work the special constables did during the period of the war. As they were well aware, some of them on account of age and infirmities were not able to take the severe part which many were called upon to perform; but they found their duty, and it was a pleasure to them to rally to the call of their country in the time of her need and serve in the special constabulary. During that period the work was carried on in that borough, he was pleased to say, with the greatest harmony possible existing between the standing force and the special constables. There was no friction whatever in this part of the division. He was also conscious of the fact that the special constabulary did a very great amount of work, which was greatly appreciated by the majority of the people, inasmuch as it was said by many that they rested far more secure in their beds when they realised that the special constables, in addition to the standing force, were patrolling the streets ready in case of emergency to give warning of danger; and he was sure it was a great pleasure that morning to the Justices of that borough to accept from the county that recognition of the service the " specials " did. The roll of honour would be hung in that Court room in a suitable place, which would be selected in two or three days; and it would not only remind them of the critical times through which they passed but would also remind those who followed after them of the work the special constabulary did and of the answer to the call of duty which they made during the period of the war. On behalf of the Borough Justices he thanked the Chief Constable for this recognition of their services.
Walden Petty Sessional Division. At the Saffron Walden County Petty Sessions, held immediately after the sitting of the Borough Magistrates, Assistant Chief Constable Page presented four similar scrolls, framed and inscribed with the names of the special constables who served in the four sub-districts of the Walden Petty Sessional Division. The Magistrates in attendance were Mr F. S. H. Judd (chairman), the Rev. H. G. B. Smith, Lieut-Colonel A. W. Stanley, Messrs S. W. Crawley, W. Foot Mitchell, W. P. Cowell and W. Waterhouse. Assistant Chief Constable Page, on behalf of the Chief Constable, in a speech similar to that above, asked the Magistrates to accept these rolls of honour of the special constables who served in the County Petty Sessional Division, with a view to their being hung upon the walls of the Court. The CHAIRMAN said that on behalf of the Bench he thanked the Chief Constable very much for these rolls of honour. It would be a record which, he was sure, would be valued by those who served, and he could only reiterate what the Assistant Chief Constable had said, when he hoped that the necessity of special constables being enrolled would not occur again in their lifetime, and that if it did he felt quite sure there would be the same hearty response by all those who were able to give the time. He could not help saying that he thought the movement of enrolling special constables during the war was a very excellent one. Although perhaps the actual work they did was not very apparent, yet he believed the fact that the roads and the villages had special constables constantly patrolling them gave a certain amount of assurance to the people living in those districts, and it also helped to prevent crime, the object of the Police Force being to prevent crime as well as to detect it when it had been committed'.
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