Frederick Wodehouse

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Major Sir Edwin Frederick Wodehouse KCB KCVO (c.1850–1 April 1934), known as Sir Frederick Wodehouse, was a senior British police officer, serving as Assistant Commissioner of both the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police.

Wodehouse was the son of Colonel Edwin Wodehouse of the Royal Artillery. He also joined the Royal Artillery, passing out from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich as a Lieutenant on 8 January 1870.[1] He served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878–1880, fighting at the Battle of Ali Musjid. He was promoted Captain on 29 May 1880,[2], and on 9 June 1881 he was appointed Adjutant of the Suffolk Artillery Militia (later the 3rd Brigade, Eastern Division, Royal Artillery Militia),[3] holding the position until he was promoted Major on 24 November 1885.[4][5]

In 1890, Wodehouse joined the City of London Police as Assistant Commissioner. In March 1902 he narrowly lost the election (by 95 votes to 100) of the Court of Common Council to replace Sir Henry Smith as Commissioner, although he had been Acting Commissioner since Smith's retirement at Christmas 1901.[6] He initially agreed to stay as deputy to the new Commissioner, Captain William Nott-Bower, but on 1 October 1902 he transferred to the Metropolitan Police as Assistant Commissioner (Executive), responsible for executive business, supplies and buildings.[7] This post became known as Assistant Commissioner "B" after a fourth Assistant Commissioner was appointed in 1909. Wodehouse retired on 31 October 1918.[8]

Wodehouse was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the June 1909 Birthday Honours,[9] was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the Coronation Honours of June 1911,[10] and was raised to Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) in the King's Birthday Honours of June 1917.[11]

Wodehouse married Margaret Repington in 1881. She died in 1927. They had one daughter.

Police appointments
Preceded by
Colonel Bowman		 Assistant Commissioner, City of London Police
1890–1902		 Succeeded by
David Bremner
Preceded by
Sir Charles Howard		 Assistant Commissioner "B", Metropolitan Police
1902–1918		 Succeeded by
Frank Elliott

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ London Gazette: no. 23575, page 133, 7 January 1870. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  2. ^ London Gazette: no. 24863, page 3930, 13 July 1880. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  3. ^ London Gazette: no. 25005, page 4241, 16 August 1881. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  4. ^ London Gazette: no. 25537, page 5935, 8 December 1885. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  5. ^ London Gazette: no. 25558, page 684, 12 February 1886. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  6. ^ "The New Commissioner of City Police", The Times, 22 March 1902
  7. ^ London Gazette: no. 27479, page 6273, 3 October 1902. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  8. ^ J. F. Moylan, Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police, 1929
  9. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28263, page 4855, 22 June 1909. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  10. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28505, page 4595, 16 June 1911. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  11. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30111, page 5456, 1 June 1917. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.

[edit] References