Mel Bray is looking for pictures or any information at all on his great grandfather, William Bray, who retired from the Nottinghamshire County Force in 1914 with 32 years service. Mel still has the retirement presentation silver teapot, pictured at the bottom of this page, and sugar bowl - but virtually nothing else.

William was stationed at South Clifton in 1891, Sutton in 1901 and his 1914 retirement inscription reads from "the officers and men of the Retford division". Mel doubts very much if anybody alive will actually remember him, but there may be pictures and documents around. In addition to his great-grandfather, Mel's grandfather, godfather and great uncle were all officers in the Nottinghamshire Constabulary. His other godfather and grandfather were officers in Kent Constabulary. Somehow, Mel didn't fall in to the net by following in all those splendid footsteps.

One day, in the early 1930s, not having had a telephone all that long at Radcliffe on Trent Police Station, the phone rang. Unfortunately, Fred's wife was quite deaf and there was a lot of controversy as to whether she should be given the great responsibility of answering the police telephone. Her deafness was a combination of the effects of a widespread flu epidemic in the early 1920s and also from verbal abuse as a policeman's wife from miners' wives. This came about from when her husband served amongst the mining community of Mansfield and Collingham. So on this day it would appear to have been lucky that the caller shouted loud enough down the phone for Mrs Bray to hear and relay the call for help to Fred.... Apparently a car had hit a bridge parapet. The car turned out to be quite a powerful open top sporting vehicle and caught fire in the crash.

We are not quite sure who, but either the passenger or the driver was missing. Sgt Fred Bray concluded that they may well have been thrown up and forward into the river. Half the village turned up to watch him fish for the body. The photo shows Fred and his son Jack (Mel's father) beside him - still wearing his school cap.

Throughout his 32 years service from 1882 to 1914, William remained a PC unlike his sons who became sergeant and inspector. Still.........nice teapot!!!