z.. Wattle of ie Uni orms HM ae

Inside story of how long-suffering Victoria policemen at last rebelled at role
of keystone comedy cops under the guise of tourism

... and won a memorable battle .

“ALAS, POOR YORICK, I knew
him well,’’—and the immortal lines
of Shakespeare,—adapted to so many
occasions which write finish to a
chapter, are in this instance applied
to the passing of Victoria policemen’s
erstwhile famous helmets.

The last stand on the continent
of the English type of policemen’s
uniform, made particularly striking
by the hard, high heavy distinctive
type of headgear, has disappeared.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE

With tears from tourist-minded
promoters, who did not have to wear
them, and cheers from serious-minded
officers of the law, who did, the hel-
met has been laid to rest.

OLD

NINETEENTH EDITION

“We have lost one of our most
talked-of tourist features.

_ We are losing one of our biggest
bits of the little bit of England we
talk about so much.

“What can we do about our ‘tea
and crumpets like England’ and ‘bob-
bies like those of London’ slogans
we have spent thousands of dollars
to advertise?’’ cried the pro helmet
crowd.

“What can we tell those tourists
who have seen our ‘bobbies’ in our
advertising and come to Victoria
especially to photograph them and
be photographed with them?”

Well, to tell the story chronolog-
ically, the first time they raised the
argument they won a partial victory.

Round one of the battle went to
the Organization for the Retention of
the English Bobby Helmet on the
Police of Victoria.

The long suffering policemen
rested in their corners.

With smug smiles that belied their
ultimate intentions they accepted
compliments on their civic loyalty
and public spiritedness in the cause
of tourism.

FOR THE SECOND ROUND

Actually they were girding them-
selves for the second round.

So for another year or two they
posed for more and more tourists
with phony smiles beneath sweating
brows and overladen helmeted heads.

About this time the Victoria and
Island Publicity Bureau was receiv-
ing thousands of replies to a ques-
tionnaire to tourists who had visited
Victoria: ‘What were the features
that impressed you most in Vic-
toria?”’

In nearly every reply the tourists
said ‘‘your English bobbies.”

Most of them also had words of
praise for the courtesy and efficiency
of the Victoria policemen.

That is beside the point but it’s
a nice thing to mention.

But in spite of all this the Vic-
toria police fretted, perspired and

. . but the war is still on.

fumed through endless hot summer
days with superfluous pounds weigh-
ing heavily on their heads, tightly
buttoned tunics glittering with silver
buttons encasing their herculean
frames.

The glitter of their buttons was
nothing to the glitter of resentment
that sparked from their eyes as they
discussed the injustice of the helmets
and uniforms among themselves.

THE BATTLE RENEWED

A year later the resentful police-
men renewed the battle.

“These uniforms and helmets are
too hot for summer. They hamper
the free movement necessary for a
policeman. They are freakish, out-

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