MILITARY POLICE
SPEED CHECKS
THE ABOVE NEWS PAPER CLIP WAS FOUND IN THE ALDERSHOT
TOWN NEWS DATE 3 JULY 1917
THE ARTICLE BELOW CAN BE FOUND IN THE ALDERSHOT NEWS DATED 16 FEBRUARY 1917
Camp Speed Limit.
Sidney Geo. Coombe was summoned for exceeding the speed limit on War Department Lands.
Lance Corporal McLean, Military Foot Police, said the defendant drove a motor car through a quarter mile control in Queen’s Avenue in 39 seconds, equal to a speed of 23 miles 135 yards per hour. When stopped he said “I thought I was only doing 12 miles.”
The defendant was fined 21s.
Harry Now was similarly summoned.
Lce. Corporal McLean said the defendant drove a motorcycle and sidecar through the control in 37 seconds, a speed of 24 ½ miles per hour. When stopped he said “I know there is a limit, but I had my speedometer off.”
A fine of 15s. was imposed.
Albert Victor Boyes was similarly summoned.
Lce. Corporal McLean said the defendant drove a motor mail van through the control in 47 seconds, a speed of 19 miles 260 yards per hour. When stopped he said “I did not know I was exceeding the limit.”
Defendant, who said he had only been in the district three weeks, was ordered to pay 5s. 6d costs.
There was a similar summons against Albert George Smith.
Sgt. Cox, Military Foot Police said the defendant drove a motor car through the control in 38 seconds, a speed of 23 miles 120 yards per hour.
Fined 21s.
There was a similar summons against Dr. Wright.
Lce. Corporal McLean said the defendant drove a motor car through the control in 39 seconds, a speed of 23 miles 135 yards per hour. When stopped the defendant said his car would not go more than 20 miles an hour, and he was going to see a patient in Farnborough.
Under the circumstances the magistrates order the defendant to pay the costs, 5s 6d.
THE ARTICLE BELOW CAN BE FOUND IN THE ALDERSHOT NEWS DATED 13 JULY 1917.
Camp Speed Limit.
Jas. Charles Archer was summoned for exceeding the speed limit on War Department Lands.
Colour Sergeant Cox, Military Foot Police, said the defendant drove a motor car through a quarter mile control in Queen’s Avenue in 39 seconds, equal to a speed of 23 miles 135 yards per hour. When stopped he said, “What do you make it ? Witness told him and he drove off.
The magistrates imposed a fine of 21s.
There was a similar summons against Jas. Wm. George.
Colour Sergeant Cos said the defendant drove a motor car through the control in 42 seconds, a speed of 21 miles 754 yards per hour;. When stopped and informed of the speed, he said, “I did not think I was.”
A fine of 21s. was imposed.
THE ARTICLE BELOW CAN BE FOUND IN THE ALDERSHOT NEWS
19 OCTOBER 1917
Exceeding the Speed Limit.
Private Albert Hesser was summoned for exceeding the speed limit on War Department Lands.
Colour Sergeant Cox, Military Foot Police, said that the defendant drove a motorcycle and sidecar through the quarter-mile control in 40 seconds, equal to a speed of 22 ½ miles per hour. Witness told the defendant he was going over the limit, and the defendant replied that he did not know there was a speed limit.
Lance Corporal McRobbie, Military Foot Police, said he was with Colour Sergeant Cox, and he made the time 39 seconds.
Defendant said he did not know there was a speed limit, and had no speedometer on his machine, which belonged to the government.
The officer who was in the sidecar at the time in question stated that the machine was handed over to them by the Army Service Corps without a speedometer. Defendant was a capable soldier and had not been pulled up before.
The magistrates imposed a fine of 15s,. The Chairman remarked that he thought the Government should be responsible for the fine.
Major A. W. Gale, the Assistant Provost Marshal, said speedometers are not provided on Government machines.
Extract from the Aldershot News
26 October 1917
Camp Speed Limit
Lieut. Merrylees was summoned for exceeding the speed limit on War Department Lands.
Colour Sergeant Cox, Military Foot Police, said the defendant drove a mot car through a quarter mile control in Queens Avenue, in 39 secs., equal to a speed of 23 miles 134 yards per hour. He was stopped by the Corporal, and gave his name and address, and then drove off before the witness could tell him the speed.
Fined 21s.
Lance Corporal Vivian White, Royal Engineers’ despatch rider, was similarly summoned.
Colour Sergeant Cox said the defendant drove a motorcycle through Queen’s Avenue at a speed which he estimated at from 25 to 30 miles per hour, on the 9th October. Witness saw him the next day at Headquarters, and asked why he was travelling so fast, he replied “ I was in a hurry.”
Defendant said he was not in the Avenue on the 9th October, and had four witnesses who could prove that.
The Chairman: “Why haven’t you brought them here?” - Because they are on duty.
Major A W Gale, Assistant Provost Marshal: If he had mentioned it to us we would have made arrangements for them to be here.
Defendant denied also that the witness saw him on the day following the alleged offence.
Colour Sergeant Cox: He laughed at me as he passed me.
Lce-corpl. Hilton, Military Foot Police who was with the last witness, estimated the defendant's speed at 30 miles per hour. He was not stopped because there was a lot of traffic in the Avenue and an accident might have been caused.
The witness was emphatic in identifying the defendant, who did not cross-examine him.
At the request of the defendant, the magistrates adjourned the case for a week to enable the defendant to bring his witnesses.
Walter Sims was also summoned for exceeding the speed limit on War Department Lands.
Colour Sergeant Cox said the defendant drove a motorcycle through the control in 32 secs., a speed of 28 miles 220 yards per hour. When informed of the speed he observed: “Was I really?”
A fine of 15s was imposed.
The first person in the UK to be fined for speeding was Mr Walter Arnold who on the 28th January 1896 drove his “horseless carriage” though Paddock Wood, Kent at four times the speed limit, 8 miles per hour. He was pursued by a policeman on a bicycle. He received a fine of £4-07-00 of which 10/- was for speeding.
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I was amazed to see that the Military Foot Police were operating speed traps as early as 1917. I looked online to find when the first speed check was set up and by whom. The only thing I found was a stopwatch used by the Metropolitan Police on speed checks in the 1930s, which was for sale.
I remember operating speed traps outside Little Aden in 1967, you needed two field telephones, telephone wire, two stop watches with a certificate from REME stating that they were accurate, a straight stretch of road marked at 220 yards or 440 yards together with the distance speed table from the Provost Manual. The road in Aden was marked by steel nails driven into the road, so it only had to be measured once. You had to ask the offender if he would like to measure the distance, if he was awkward and said yes we gave him a foot ruler although we did have a large leather- bound surveyors tape measure. The idea was you had an open line on the field telephone to the man at the other end 220 yards or 440 yards, when the offender passed the nails in the road you shouted now and both started their stopwatch going then the NCO at the end shouted stop when the vehicle passed his nails in the road. You then calculated the speed and distance from your table. A bit crude but it did work.
Below are pages from the Provost Training Manual, Part I, Peace, dated 1963 showing how to operate a static speed check.
Section 4 - SPEED CHECKS
379. There are two methods of carrying out speed checks:-
- By mobile speed checks.
- By Static speed checks
Mobile speed checks can be carried out as a normal duty of mobile patrols. Static speed checks are carried out on occasions when speeding has become a prevalent offence.
Mobile Speed Checks
380. The patrol vehicle will follow a speeding vehicle at a distance of about thirty yards. The passenger in the patrol will note the maximum and minimum speeds of the offending vehicle over a given distance of not less than half a mile. If the speed is excessive in relation to W.D regulations or speed limits the vehicle will be overtaken, stopped and the driver’s particulars having been taken, he will be informed that he will be reported.
381. It must be noted that a military police vehicle has no authority to exceed the speed limit itself in a restricted area. In such circumstances, if the offending vehicle does not slow down, thereby giving the patrol the opportunity of speech, the number of the vehicle will be noted and a report submitted.
382. For the evidence of speeding to be of any value it is necessary that the speedometer of the patrol vehicle is inspected monthly by REME and certified as being correct. A note should be made of the name of the person carrying out the inspection in order that he will be available to be called as a witness if necessary.
383. In case of a mobile patrol on motorcycles, the speeds of the offending vehicle should be noted on the speedometers of both motorcycles.
384. An example of a statement of evidence in connection with a mobile speed check is given in Appendix L.
Static Speed Checks
385. A static speed check is operated over a measured distance of straight road, either 220 yards or 440 yards in length, which is free of any road junctions. The one-way speed check is used. The organisation and operation of a check is as follows:
- Composition
(i) NCO i/c static speed check 1
(ii) NCO with stopwatches 2
(iii) Tent pegs 2
(iv) Field Telephones with cables 3
(v) Ready reckoner 1
(c) Choice of site
Any straight level road outside town board limits, bounded by hedges, walls or other cover for NCO’s operating the stop watches. The distance must be measured and marked at start and finish by tent pegs
(d) Diagrammatic layout.
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