FEATURE
Violet Schembri THE STORY OF VIOLET BUCHANAN ONE OF THE FIRST FOUR POLICEWOMEN WHO PATROLLED OUR STREETS IN THE MID SIXTIES HAS DONE THE ROUNDS IN THE LOCAL PRESS LATELY BUT WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT SHE HAS BEEN A LIFELONG FRIEND FROM WITHAM’S ROAD AND THAT BEING AN EX WPC DOES NOT REALLY DEFINE HER? PRECISELY BECAUSE SHE IS A FRIEND I HAD INTENDED TO BOW OUT FROM THE MEDIA FRENZY BUT MY DEAR COLLEAGUE JEAN KING AT ‘INSIGHT MAGAZINE’ SHUNTED THE PROPOSED ARTICLE ABOUT HER ON ME AFTER A FEW PHONE CALLS THUS SAVING ME HAVING TO ASK VIOLET FOR THIS INTERVIEW. IT FELL ON MY LAP-AND SO WE MET FOR AN EXTENDED COFFEE AND CHAT WHICH HAD TO START WITH HOW SHE APPLIED TO BECOME A POLICE OFFICER. IT TURNS OUT THAT SHE WAS ALMOST PUSHED INTO IT BY A MUTUAL FRIEND. “We were strolling past the old Police Station and my friend Janet told me that applications had been invited for Police women (something new for Gibraltar then) and since I had just come back from UK and was job hunting I should apply, so I was nudged into the office and filled in the form. I was nineteen at the time and that very afternoon the phone rang inviting me for a test, a written exam almost like a general knowledge test. Anyway two days later after a quick interview with the Commissioner I was in. There were only four of us but you have to remember that in those days it was an all male force so local girls were very shy coming forward.” “After leaving school I had gone to live in England with my sister and after three years there I came back and I had suddenly found myself landing a uniformed job. Just imagine that-but it was no career move though, they just wanted a body and I was it. I don’t think they even did a background check on me as they would do nowadays. I spoke good English as I was fresh back from UK so I fitted in with what they were looking for. They said that after training our duties would be the same as the policemen except that we would not be doing night shifts. It would be a day job but we would have the same status as our male counterparts.” Four women and two male recruits completed the eight week training course throughout which the girls were still considered a novelty. They got measured for police uniforms which were made by Ellicott the English tailors by the Church of Scotland. The hats and shoes were UK issue and
the girls had to learn marching and drill just like the men. “I used to hate marching but I loved the uniform, although at first walking down to town along ‘La Bateria’ (Rosia Road) I felt self-conscious and also proud to be a police woman. At first we girls felt that the men had been told to be on their best behaviour and indeed they were on their toes. We were highly respected and can only praise them for it.” “We were quite protected and almost handled with kid gloves but we each got assigned to different departments. I went to the Traffic section and I immediately loved it there. Every month we were rotated and probably assessed too, but it was great fun and always a new challenge. I loved Traffic so I was a Traffic girl and remember that in those days there were no traffic lights. You had to be on point duty directing traffic by hand signals. The bigger the intersection the more I liked it as a challenge, so the Trafalgar intersection was my favourite as it was the busiest.” “Memories of those days still come back and I remember that the ‘cats eyes’ road reflectors had just come on stream at the time. I also remember the Traffic section chief inspector Mr. Ellis who used to live at the bottom of Witham’s Road at the old Jumper’s Building police quarters. To me he was a man ahead of his time. I don’t think people realized how smart he was. He was well read and on the ball and I remember that I used to get lifts from him going down to the station. I was only in the police force for four years but they were very happy times for me. I was the last woman to
WORDS BY JOE ADAMBERRY 26
SEPTEMBER 2021
GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM
