Circular from Fishguard Constabulary Officer to Llangynidr Chief of Police, 1919

Description

This document consists of a single sheet of paper, about 8 inches by 6 inches, which has been folded in half across its width, and then folded twice again to make a quadrilateral 3.2in. by 2.8 in. It does not appear to have been sealed. It bears the address 'Chief of Police, Llangunider, Breconshire' and was posted from Fishguard on 14 March 1919. The message inside, from the 'Constabulary Officer, Fishguard' and dated 13th March 1919, reads: 'Sir, Referring to the Circular from this Office dated 28th February last I beg to inform you that Paddy Flynn described therein has been arrested. Thanks for your attention. W. Evans, Supt.' The 'Chief of Police' in the village of Llangynidr at the time was a solitary constable, P.C. Henry Edward Jones, who had been stationed there since 1913. (Later he was the Police Sergeant in Brynmawr for many years.) The document seems to have survived in family papers not because of any particular historical significance but because a recipe for preserving meat was written on the back of it. It raises fascinating questions about the context in which it was written. Did the Fishguard superintendent have to write such letters to constabularies all over South Wales or was there a particular link to Llangynidr? And who was Paddy Flynn?!