Description:Mr S E Peck (Assistant Chief Constable of Staffordshire) is seen presenting a chiming clock to Sergeant George Silvester, at the Staffordshire County Police Annual Dinner and Presentation, Stone Division, held at the Fillybrooks Hotel, Stone. Also in the picture is Superintendent L Hobson.
100 sat down to dinner, including wives and guests, at the annual dinner for the regular and the special constabulary. At the top table were Mr S E Peck, (Assistant Chief Constable) and Mrs Peck, Superintendent L Hobson (in charge of Stone Division) and Mrs Hobson, Inspector and Mrs R Hazell, Mr C Warrilow (Commandant of the Special Constabulary) and Mrs Warrilow and Mr Arthur Swanwick (Chairman of the Stone Urban District Council) and Mrs Swanwick.
A surprise item of the evening was the presentation of a cheque for £50 which was handed by the Superintendent to the Assistant Chief Constable, for the county police benevolent fund. The money represented part of the proceeds of a number of concerts arranged by Inspector Hazell and the men’s chorus. The Superintendent explained that while the choir had always been willing to give their services for any deserving cause, they had also been working for their own charitable fund with this excellent result. Mr Peck said he was sure the Chief Constable and he himself regarded it as a very worthy cause.
Another presentation made during the evening, was that of a chiming clock to Sergeant George Silvester who recently left the Stone Division on promotion. Before asking Mr Peck to make the presentation, the Superintendent said that Sergeant Silvester came to the Division in 1945 and shortly afterwards he took over the running of the sports section, a job he had done very well indeed. Whether it was football, cricket or running, he always had the teams there. Mr Silvester, responding, recalled a number of humorous incidents connected with the sporting side of police work.
Excellent and varied entertainment was provided by the police men’s chorus conducted by Inspector Hazell, Miss Nellie Williams (contralto), Mrs Pat Clarke (piano), Constable R Evans (violin) and Constable L G Darke (comedian).
This article was published in the Stone Guardian on Saturday 14 April 1956.