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who were attracted there by the nearby army base. She received 28 shillings (£1.40) a week. In April 1917 this was raised to £2/10/– (£2.50) a week. This was more than the oldest male police constable in the force due to the fact that her "duties were most onerous", and took into account that she was
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In 1916, PC Smith cautioned 100 wayward girls in larceny cases and also 16 women and 15 girls who had been found to be drunk. Ten prostitutes were convicted, 10 were handed over to their parents and 50 were cautioned. Smith wrote of her time in
Grantham: "The appointment has made such a vast
161:. She was one of six children of nursery and seedman James Smith and his wife Harriet. In 1897 she married stationer and tobacconist William Smith. They had three daughters and a son together. She worked for a time as a sub-postmistress. Her husband died in 1907. The
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where she had worked as a policewoman. Deputy Chief
Constable Heather Roach, of Lincolnshire Police, said: "She spent time getting to know the people in her area and thoroughly understood the concept of 'neighbourhood policing'."
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Smith left the WPS (renamed the Women's
Auxiliary Service after the war) after working seven days a week for a period of two years. She left in 1918 due to chest trouble. Until January 1919, Smith was also the matron nurse at
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was unmarked until two policewomen launched a fundraising campaign to buy a headstone in 2018. She shares the grave with her niece, Marjorie, who died aged two years on the tenth day after Smith's death.
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drives and conducted shorthand classes to raise money. However, there were some local concerns, from individuals who "did not complain about the nurse's work, but about her methods".
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in
England with full power of arrest. Her duties were to deal with cases where women were involved. She was concerned with trying to reduce the number of prostitutes in
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Smith travelled around
Britain giving talks about women's policing at conferences and writing pamphlets. The legitimacy of policewomen was often questioned during the
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189:, who fell out over its anti-prostitution role in London and elsewhere in February 1915, with Boyle leaving the organisation and Dawson reforming it as the
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252:, five years after leaving the force. The coroner returned a verdict that she took her own life while temporarily insane. Her life is commemorated in
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On 16 June 2018 a blue plaque was erected on 18 Palm Hill, Oxton, where she had lived. The plaque was unveiled by her granddaughter
Margaret Smith.
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shows Smith had moved to London and was training to be a midwife. The daughters were at different schools and the son was in an orphanage near
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680:"Council officially launches film celebrating 'Inspirational Women' from Grantham and South Kesteven on International Women's Day"
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193:(WPS) with herself as head. Smith remained with the WPS and in August 1915 she was appointed the first woman police
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difference – the prostitutes have found that it does not pay and the frivolous girls have bowed down."
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306:, Runcorn, on the site of the old almshouses where Edith had been living at the time of her death.
590:"Merseyside Police celebrate the life of Britain's first policewoman on International Women's Day"
381:"Merseyside Police celebrate the life of Britain's first policewoman on International Women's Day"
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to work for a
Nursing Association. Finding it to be low on funds, she gave lectures, organised
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due to their blurred status and limited powers. Their role was left in the hands of individual
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564:"World War One At Home, Grantham, Lincolnshire: First Policewoman With Powers to Arrest"
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654:"Exhibition unveiled at Grantham Museum to commemorate police constable Edith Smith"
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leading to extreme conservatism in some areas and to daring innovations in others.
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604:"Blue Plaque unveiled for Oxton's first woman police officer. | The Oxton Society"
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In March 2023, she was one of a number of notable women with a connection to
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169:. Shortly after this she took up a post as a matron at a nursing home.
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On 8 March 2019 a blue plaque was erected on St Mary's Church Hall,
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181:(WPV) was staffed by volunteers such as Smith. It was founded by
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was unveiled on the wall of the old prison building between the
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opened an exhibit looking at Smith's role in the police force.
629:"Edith Smith, the UK's first Warranted Woman Police Constable"
230:, Dudley Road in Grantham where she worked seven days a week.
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First woman police officer in UK with full powers of arrest
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She died on 26 June 1923 after she took an overdose of
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Knowles, Bob; Courtney, Finn; Sterry, David (2018).
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529:"Women in the police forces in Britain: 1880–1931"
355:Edith Smith Britain's First Warranted policewoman
726:History of law enforcement in the United Kingdom
137:(21 November 1876 – 26 June 1923) was the first
153:Edith Smith was born on 21 November 1876, in
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731:History of women in the United Kingdom
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502:"Honour for WW1 woman police officer"
414:Metropolitan Women Police Association
276:installed in 2018 on Smith's home in
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117:Being the first policewoman in the
474:"Town remembers first policewoman"
256:. Her grave at Halton Cemetery in
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751:Drug-related suicides in England
141:in the United Kingdom with full
439:Kelly, Kay (27 November 2012).
322:South Kesteven District Council
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721:British women police officers
35:Edith Smith in police uniform
536:ASPects à l'Université Paris
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441:"First police women in UK"
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527:Cartron, Audrey (2015).
202:also a qualified nurse.
93:Women's Police Service,
741:British police officers
633:Runcorn History Society
309:In September 2021, the
179:Women Police Volunteers
746:People from Birkenhead
416:. 2012. Archived from
410:"History of Met Women"
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191:Women's Police Service
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187:Margaret Damer Dawson
177:Founded in 1914, the
139:female police officer
57:, Birkenhead, England
736:People from Grantham
221:Later life and death
660:. 24 September 2021
451:on 23 February 2014
228:Lindis Nursing Home
76:, Cheshire, England
420:on 8 February 2012
289:Grantham Guildhall
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85:Constable, midwife
570:. 4 February 2014
508:. 19 October 2014
482:. 13 January 2006
385:Merseyside Police
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233:Smith moved to
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70:(aged 46)
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82:Occupation(s)
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687:. Retrieved
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664:29 September
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103:Lincolnshire
68:(1923-06-26)
66:26 June 1923
716:1923 deaths
711:1876 births
486:11 February
455:11 February
285:blue plaque
283:In 2014, a
274:Blue plaque
163:1911 census
135:Edith Smith
90:Employer(s)
23:Edith Smith
705:Categories
638:3 December
613:3 December
574:3 December
549:2019-12-03
512:3 December
424:3 December
365:3 December
328:References
183:Nina Boyle
159:Birkenhead
149:Early life
47:1876-11-21
195:constable
167:Blackburn
506:BBC News
479:BBC News
318:Grantham
291:and the
239:Cheshire
199:Grantham
125:Children
95:Grantham
689:1 April
391:9 March
258:Runcorn
250:morphia
235:Runcorn
107:England
304:Halton
543:(PDF)
532:(PDF)
359:(PDF)
278:Oxton
243:whist
155:Oxton
55:Oxton
691:2023
666:2021
640:2019
615:2019
576:2019
514:2019
488:2014
457:2014
426:2019
393:2019
367:2019
185:and
63:Died
41:Born
568:BBC
237:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
