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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: MeeToo on Monday 02 February 15 15:24 GMT (UK)

Title: Military Police
Post by: MeeToo on Monday 02 February 15 15:24 GMT (UK)

Can anyone give me some advice please on how to go about finding out about someone who served in the Military Police in Penang?

My great grandfather Robert Fiddes served in what I think was the Military Police in Penang in the 1890s.  His wife accompanied him to Penang and three of their children were born there.

MeeToo

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: GrahamSimons on Monday 02 February 15 15:48 GMT (UK)

There is good advice on military personnel generally at the TNA website:
http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/britisharmysoldierupto1913.htm

You might find the museum helpful - if you go to the Research page it'll tell you what they can do for you.
http://www.rhqrmp.org/rmp_museum.html

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: MeeToo on Monday 02 February 15 16:07 GMT (UK)

Thank you  :)
MeeToo

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: ShaunJ on Monday 02 February 15 16:10 GMT (UK)

There was an Inspector Fiddes with the civil police in Penang at that time:

 http://tinyurl.com/kopdee8

http://tinyurl.com/kt8gppr

http://tinyurl.com/mth3d9p

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: ShaunJ on Monday 02 February 15 16:14 GMT (UK)

Here's a nice one : "Inspector Fiddes is a smart police officer ..."


http://tinyurl.com/odrypj9

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: MeeToo on Monday 02 February 15 17:19 GMT (UK)

Thank you so much for these links ShaunJ.  I've only managed to look at one so far as my old pc is struggling to load them.  Seeing 'Policeman Murdered' as the title scared me - even though I knew he died in Scotland in 1904!

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: ShaunJ on Monday 02 February 15 21:16 GMT (UK)

Apart from the free stuff on Singapore's wonderful NLB newspaper database, it seems that the pay site newspaperarchive.com has a few mentions of him too, including some from a slightly earlier period in his career with the Straits Settlements Police when he was at Bukit Mertajam before being posted to Penang. Just google "inspector fiddes" and you will get a good selection from both websites.

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: MeeToo on Tuesday 03 February 15 01:41 GMT (UK)

Thanks again for that - I've been sitting here all night reading articles about him.  I'm having difficulty imagining how a farm labourer from rural Aberdeenshire in 1882 becomes an Inspector of Police in Malaysia by 1891, especially in a civil rather than military force.

MeeToo

Title: Re: Military Police
Post by: ShaunJ on Tuesday 03 February 15 09:25 GMT (UK)

Possibly he joined a Scottish police force in the 1880's and volunteered for the Straits Settlements Police.

I have seen references to recruitment from both the Glasgow Police and the Royal Irish Constabulary.