An example of the police/community interaction and relationship that existed in earlier years.
The document shown here is an entitlement certificate for the Poor Children’s Boot & Shoe Fund, dated 1941.
A stamped card would enable a family to go, in this case, to W Gillespie & Son (1934) Ltd to be supplied with a pair of boots and stockings.
The history of the Fund goes back to 1884 when it was set up by Alderman Isaac Black. During the war years, it was administered by the Chief Constable of Tynemouth Police. Tynemouth police officers were obliged to report to the Chief Constable any cases of hardship they encountered during their everyday duties.