5 minute read
13 Meet the Locals
Edward Horne BEM
This month, the subject of ‘Meet the Locals’ is Edward ‘Ted’ Horne BEM who has had a fascinating career as a policeman in Palestine and in the Metropolitan Force. On retiring to New Milton, he became involved in running many local groups for the benefit of the community. He celebrates his 100th birthday on 26th of June this year. Ted was born in 1921 and spent much of his childhood in Eastbourne. He attended the City of London School, which overlooked the Thames. Here he was a member of the Officer Training Corps, which gave him his first taste of military life. As a young man Ted had a great interest in the Middle East and read the most informative books and literature on the region. In 1938 with war clouds looming Ted joined the Territorial Army, serving in the 7th City of London Regiment. When his parents moved to Brighton in 1939, he transferred to a Sussex Royal Artillery Battery which was serving in an anti-aircraft role. His unit saw action during the Battle of Britain helping to defend the coastline from hostile air attack. In 1941 Ted volunteered to join the Palestine Police. He did this partly because of his great interest in the Middle East but also with a view to a future, post war career. Of the one hundred candidates who applied Ted was one of the ten selected. He and his colleagues went out to Palestine via a convoy through U Boat infested waters. Two ships in the convoy were lost. He arrived at the police training school at Mount Scopus in January 1942. His training included legislation, weapons handling, language skills and first aid. On completion in May 1942, he was posted to Haifa District. Ted served in most of the countries in the region. He transferred to the C.I.D. and worked in plain clothes in an intelligence gathering role, often spending weeks in the desert with Bedouin Arabs identifying arms smuggling routes and assessing the tribes who supported the Germany and Vichy French forces. By 1944 Ted was increasingly involved in trying to prevent Jewish terrorism as the Zionist movement gained strength and fought to obtain a separate country. After the end of the Second World War Ted was recalled to the British Army in 1946 and then demobbed. By now his parents had moved to
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Bournemouth. Ted was able to find work as an office manager at a coach company. It was here that he met June who was working as a nurse. They were married in 1950 at St Peters Church in the town. Ted missed the comradeship and life of a police officer. After some discussion with June, he applied to join the Metropolitan Police in London. In 1952 he attended the police training centre at Hendon. After completion of his basic training, he served two years as a probationary constable, in uniform at Tottenham Court Road Police Station. He was on duty at the Coronation on 2nd of June 1953. After his probationary period was over, Ted went on to CID as a detective. After he was fully trained, he was posted to several stations as a divisional detective. He then served on the fraud squad based at New Scotland Yard. Ted was part of a team that investigated extremely complex company frauds. His work took him all over the country in the quest of evidence to help bring the cases to court. In the late 1960s, by now a Detective Sergeant, Ted moved into the world of forensic science. He ran the forensics school at Hendon, training scenes of crime officers for the Metropolitan Police, Constabularies in England and Wales and foreign students from around the world. Ted was an expert lecturer in forensic science. He was highly skill and very respected. When Ted retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1979, he was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Police Forensics. He and June moved to Barton on Sea in 1980 and immediately became involved in local organisations. They trained to become interviewers for the Citizens Advice Bureau. After five years of giving help, advice and guidance to the people of New Milton, Ted became the manager. He was involved in several tribunal cases where his previous experience in the Police was a great asset. He continued to serve in the Bureau until 1990. Ted also became the chairman of the local RNLI branch. He and his colleagues were involved in local fundraising events for the lifeboat service. He proudly recalls that his team managed to raise £3000 in two hours at Barton on Sea one year. After joining the local branch of the Royal British Legion Ted eventually became the branch president. He was for many years involved in running the November 11th commemoration ceremony. Ted is most proud of helping to set up Neighbourcare in New Milton. This is a voluntary service that helps to arrange transport for local residents who have hospital appointments but are unable to use or cannot afford public transport. The service typically handles 6000 requests a year for help. Ted was elected as the president of the local branch and eventually stood down in 2019. In 2002 Ted published a definitive history of the Palestine Police entitled A Job Well Done. He received a letter of thanks from Her Majesty the Queen for the book. In addition, Ted was for many years the President of the Palestine Police Old Comrades Association and editor of their magazine. In 2009 Ted was named the Citizen of the Year by New Milton Town Council. There is a bench in Mallard Court, Station Road with a plaque to commemorate this. This year is Ted’s 100th birthday. He has had a fascinating life and career in two police forces and has made an outstanding contribution to life in our town. It most certainly is ‘A Job Well Done’.
Ted and June 2005 at the last Palestine Police Old Comrades parade
Ted at the Forensic Science N Ni ic ck k S Sa au un nd de er rs s
