Mexborough and Swinton Times July 28, 1939

Popular Police Officer Retiringing

Police Sergeant John A. Smith, of the Doncaster West Riding Division, who has been in charge of the Thurnscoe section for the past five years, is to retire at the end of this month, after 28 years’ in the Force.

Sergeant Smith is a native of Norton, near Sheffield. He joined the force in 1911, and after three weeks’ training at headquarters at Wakefield, was sent on patrol duty. As a constable he served at Ossett, Sowerby Bridge and Thorne Moorends, before he became a sergeant in 1934, when he was sent to Thurnscoe.

Sergeant Smith has been one of the best known and most popular officers,in the Doncaster Division. An efficient officer, he has also been an all-round sportsman, winning medals for cricket, football and bowls. He won the West Riding Police individual bowls handicap on two occasions, and has been a member of the West Riding bowls team for’ the past twelve years. He was also interested in horticulture, and while at Thorne he and his son gained many awards, including three cups, for showing rabbits.

Sergeant Smith has befriended many people in the districts in which he has served, and his advice was often sought by persons in difficulty. In court, he always made a practice of stressing the points in a defendant’s favour and his diligence as a police officer and his fairness to the “other side” gained him the firm esteem of his superior officers and the magistrates.

In the detection of crime he applied more than average thoroughness, and on many occasions he was complimented by the magistrates. Once, he was rewarded for stopping a runaway horse in Thorne and he holds the King’s Coronation Police Medal.

Sergeant Smith had the misfortune to fracture his arm in a road accident last May and at the same time he was bereaved of a son who was also a police constable in the West Riding Force, stationed at Walsden. Sergeant Smith will continue to reside at Thurnscoe.