X Cheshire Police Officer's WIGGINS and POCOCKDear Steve, (if I may be so bold)Thank you for your enquiry, this particularincident has plagued me for a number of years, inas much as trying also to find the exact locationof where the event took place. When I started tocompile the officer's database in 2002; I cameacross their entry for being awarded the B.E.M.for Gallantry in 1941 and this is all that it saidin their records, and to explain a little as towhy.In essence the Cheshire Constabulary was formed in1857, and you will appreciate that many thousandsof records are held, the vast majority of them bythe County Record Office at Chester. However,these records are slowly being extracted andrecorded in the Museum of Policing database. TheMuseum is still in its infancy stages and althoughwe have over 11000 individual officers names, notall of them have had their full personal detailsrecorded, in particular those officers who servedpost 1920. However firstly this is what is knownabout the officersWarrant Number 573 Sgt. Ernest William POCOCK,Born 29 July 1914, Cheshire. Died October 2002,Birkenhead, Merseyside (this entry will berecorded in Register Number E13C, Entry Number 97of the Registrar's Office covering Birkenhead) hewas aged 88 years on death. Joined CheshireConstabulary 31 August 1930 and retired on pensionon the 31 August 1966. Apart from his B.E.M. hewas awarded his Police Long Service and GoodConduct Medal in 1958. It appears that he wasstationed for most of his service in theDukinfield area. He married Aileen Eithne O'Toole,aged 22, Spinster, Parlour Maid, on the 14 August1940, at St. Margaret's Church, Dunham Massey,Cheshire. At this time she was resident at TheWhite House, Suffolk Road, Altrincham. Ernest wasresident at 103 Victoria Road, Dukinfield,Cheshire.Warrant Number 182 PC Frank Douglas WIGGINS, Born07 July 1907, Cheshire. Died 08 February 1998,South Cheshire (this entry will be recorded inRegister Number D13A, Entry Number 1 at theRegistrar's Office at Crewe, Cheshire.) he wasaged 90 years on death. He joined the CheshireConstabulary on the 26 February 1930 and retiredon pension on the 07 September 1958. Apart fromhis B.E.M. he was awarded his Police Long Serviceand Good Conduct Medal in 1952. He married AliceMiriam Wardle, Aged 27 years, Spinster, on the 11June 1932, at St.John's Church, Crewe, Cheshire.At this time she was resident at 17 WestminsterStreet, Crewe, Frank was resident at 14 OldfieldRoad, Sale, Cheshire. Frank at this time wasstationed in Altrincham Division.As I said before we have no idea where theaeroplane crashed, if you go to the Museum Websiteand look at the history of the CheshireConstabulary which is under the drop down menumarked History, "To the Best of Our Skill andKnowledge" Chapter 15 mentions the event but againnot the location. I have also attached a copy ofwhat was stated in the General Orders of the day,but again no location was given. Both officerswere incidentally stationed within the DukinfieldDivision as was, but they were on mobile patrol sothe event could have been anywhere within theirunknown patrol area. I have also attached theLondon Gazette entry for their award.The Museum would dearly love to be able to shedmore light on this event and ask you to share whatyou have found out as to the aircraft details andthe names of the crew, naturally anything else weget, as I have asked another member of thecommittee to research the event again, we willshare with you.With best wishesJim Talbot(Trustee and Researcher for the Museum of Policingin Cheshire)JimJust to tie up a loose detail in the BarrageBalloon unit records I sent you. They gave thecrash site as Bournes Farm which isn't on any mapsof any age. I went to Bradifeld Green churchgraveyard and straight away found the grave of Mrand Mrs Bourne which says "of Dairy Farm, MinshullVernon". He died 1952 aged 71 so would have been60 at the time of the crash and of an age to bethe established farmer there. So with the distancegiven by the signaller and the direction I wasgiven by the old woman I spoke to a couple ofyears ago it all comes to down tow here I thought,the field south of Larch Wood.Steve----- Original Message -----Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 3:57 PMSubject: RE: Frank Wiggins/Ernest Pocock wartimeair crash> Thanks again Steve, incidentally with regard toPC Frank Marshall, well> the> man I mentioned before from Crewe that wascompiling the PC's killed in WW> has in fact discovered that Frank Marshall isnot buried at the Crewe> Municipal Cemetery, as all officialdocumentation states including the> Commonwealth War Graves Site, but he is buriedin a Family Grave at St.> Johns Church, Knutsford Road, Wilmslow. Jim.>> -----Original Message-----> From: STEVE BRATT> Sent: 25 May 2010 14:47> To: Jim Talbot> Subject: Re: Frank Wiggins/Ernest Pocock wartimeair crash>> And with regard to your wartime photos 2573.JPGand 2574.JPG, I've just> found an old county council document in Crewelibrary that gives the> location of the locomotive hit in Crewe a fewhours before the raid when> PC> Marshall was killed. It is the old North Shedswhich is now covered by the> signalling centre and main station carpark. Thedriver was a Wigan man> called Frank Mayor who was killed instantly,drivers usually stayed with> their engines during raids as steam boilers canexplode if left> unattended,> they'd get under the coal tender if they heard abomb coming close as 10> tons of coal is actually a good blast defence aslong as you don't get a> direct hit.>>> Steve>>>>> ----- Original Message -----> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 11:43 AM> Subject: RE: Frank Wiggins/Ernest Pocock wartimeair crash>>>> Hi Steve thanks very much for remembering me,you should have been the>> Detective. I will print it out and add it tothe file of Wiggins and>> Pocock.>> It is only through people like your good selfthat supply us with>> information that we can build a bigger picturefor police retention of>> records is appalling. Several months ago awoman walked into Warrington>> Police Station and produced a photograph albumof all the War Time Bomb>> damage in Cheshire, she would not give her nameetc. But said she thought>> that we should have it. The reason why shewould not give her details is>> because the photographs had of course beentaken illegally, as war time>> restrictions prohibited this. In the end aftera little research we trace>> the photographs and they had been taken by aSuperintendent (naughty>> senior>> officer of the day eh!), and the lady whobrought them was connected to>> him.>> It just shows what is out there in peoplesattics etc. Another gentlemen>> a>> Crewe happen to request some details from aname on Crewe Memorial, he>> stated he was also a policeman, cut a longstory short this man at Crewe>> now>> is compiling a very helpful Index on all thoseofficers of Cheshire>> Constabulary that were killed in both WW, sopeople like him and yourself>> we>> are grateful to. Thanks again Steve, Bestwishes Jim.>>>> -----Original Message----->> From: STEVE BRATT>> Sent: 25 May 2010 10:29>> Subject: Frank Wiggins/Ernest Pocock wartimeaircrash>>>> Jim>>>>>> I've been in touch with a guy who does wartimeaircrash investigation as>> a>> hobby and he's getting interested in the Crewearea. He's been to the>> National Archives and dug out the unit recordsfor the barrage balloon>> squad>> and come up with some detail about the crashwhere Frank and Ernest tried>> to>> save the crew. He's compiled the attached filefrom text taken from the>> micro film. Not only does it give good detailabout the event but shows>> that>> afterwards somone was trying to find out justhow big a problem these>> "fly>> throughs" at Crewe were (answer:very big!) andalso shows that the>> problem>> continued with at least 4 more RAF planesbrought down. Throughout the>> war>> there was only one recorded instance of aLuftwaffe plane hitting the>> wires>> and it carried on!>>>>>> A DPL is an explosive device to detach thecable from the balloon and>> deploy>> a parachute at the top end of the cable, theidea being that once hit the>> cable would drift down on the parachute or snagonto the plane whilst the>> ballon would deflate and come down locallyrather than drift off>> uncontrolled. It's possibly the bangs OliveMoore heard and thought were>> anti aircraft were some of the DPLs going off.>>>>>> These records don't mention police action butdo confirm the location as>> where I'd worked out.>>>>>>