Superintendent Stephen Jennings ('Inspector Jenks')

[pete9012S]

Its well known that Enid based Inspector/Chief Inspector/Superintendent Jenks on her great friend,real life police officer Stephen Jennings.

Heres a link to the great man in action from times long ago.....

http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/bch/docs/centenary.html

Regards,
Pete

[Lucky Star]

Wow thats interesting. Thanks for the link. Its a pity the pic of Jennings is too small to see his face clearly (at least to my eyes it is) but jolly good all the same.

[pete9012S]

I WONDER IF TONY HAS RECEIVED MY EMAIL REGARDING THE ENCLOSED INFORMATION AND REQUEST FOR AN ARTICLE ON INSPECTOR JENKS AT ALL?
(If not I can re send it?)

Here is some of the conversation from the email I had from from Michael Shaw who is at
<bucksconstable@btinternet.com>


(pete90125 to Michael Shaw)
Hi,
as the inspiration for Enid Blytons Superintendant Jenks,would it be possible to supply any information on Mr Stephen Jennings,(photos,cv,promotion record etc etc,),in fact any info would be really appreciated as we are currently researching the background people and places that inspired Enid to write her popular Five Find Outers Stories on her fan club forum site.

ps. have you read the books?
they are very good reading on these cold dark miserable nights!
Regards
Pete



fromMICHAEL SHAW <bucksconstable@btinternet.com>
toPete



Hi Pete,
Yes, I think I have something on Stephen Jennings and maybe even a picture, I am at work at the moment but I will check my records this evening when I get home and email the details. This is something I did not know, can you tell me more it may make an interesting story for The Thames View (a monthly police newspaper for Thames Valley Police Officers). I will get back to you this evening.
Cheers,
Mick

fromMICHAEL SHAW <bucksconstable@btinternet.com>
toPete

dateTue, Feb 9, 2010 at 4:12 PM
subjectRe: Enid Blytons friend,Superintendant Stephen Jennings
signed-bybtinternet.com

hide details 4:12 PM (35 minutes ago)


Hi Pete,
I have a part record and some photographs.
Could you let me have what you know as I think it would make a great article for the Thames View Newspaper.
Cheers,



Is this something Tony or the Society would be interested in?
Ive told him I would inform the society in his interest,and that maybe Tony could contact Michael Shaw direct by email to have a chat with him etc..(hope thats ok?)
Regards
Pete90125

ps.
(Michael has emailed me with various photos and other interesting info which I will gladly forward to the society if convenient?)

[Tony Summerfield]

I did get your email Pete and I am sorry that I haven't yet got round to answering it, but as you have posted much of what you sent me here I might as well respond here also. I was a bit surprised that you seem to have volunteered me without my knowledge to write an article for a police paper, or at least provide the information for the article.

The main problem is that I know absolutely nothing about Enid's relationship with Stephen Jennings other than the brief bits that I have read in biographies. Enid mentioned him in The Story of My Life, but shortly after this came out he moved away from Beaconsfield anyway, so it is unlikely that they had much contact after 1953. I certainly would not be able to write an article or even provide information for one as it would all be guesswork.

[Anita Bensoussane]

As Tony says, we don't know much about Enid Blyton's relationship with Stephen Jennings. In The Story of My Life, Enid describes him as being "as broad and burly, and kindly and shrewd and trustable as Inspector Jenks is in the Mysteries." Jennings was apparently "rather tickled" to be put into a series of books and enjoyed reading them, promising to tell Enid Blyton if anything was wrong concerning police procedure. Each time Jennings went up in rank, so did Inspector Jenks.

Barbara Stoney tells us in her Biography that Stephen Jennings first came into contact with Hugh Pollock during the organisation of the Beaconsfield Home Guard, and was introduced to Enid. Barbara adds, "His only criticism to her of the stories was that he felt she had rather 'overdone' her portrayal of the other, entirely fictitious, policeman involved - the rather pompous and stupid Mr. Goon - all too often outwitted and sneered at by the 'Five Findouters': Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets."

Imogen Smallwood refers to him in her article for Journal 6 (Summer 1998), mistakenly calling him Stephen Jenkins. She says, "I can remember Enid talking about the real Inspector and her view - that he was a benevolent authority who was also a partner in her mystery writing - was just like the children's view - that he was a benevolent authority who was also a partner in their mystery solving. Sometimes I find it hard to remember which inspector came first."

[pete9012S]

Dear Tony,many apologies for any confusion I may have caused over the email that was sent to you.

I emailed Mr Michael Shaw asking if he had any further information on Mr Stephen Jennings with the intention of sharing anything that he was able to provide with other forum members.

Michael Shaw said he would more than happy to provide as much information as he could for us,and added that it was, in his opinion a subject that would also be of interest to the readers of the monthly Thames Paper he produces.(indeed he has sent lots of photos and other background info)

I replied to Michael that his request to feature an article in his monthly paper on this subject would perhaps be best put to yourself directly, as someone much more knowledgable on all things Blyton,and also to see if you would indeed be interested in helping him with background info etc.

I therefore told Michael I would pass his request by email to yourself,and forwarded to you all the emails Michael has sent me.

Michael has been very helpful and was genuinely thrilled to think one of the officers from the Bucks area had been the inspiration for such famous mystery stories.

I hope that clears things up a little,and send my genuine apologies to you that if passing Michaels request and interest on to you has caused offense in any way at all.
Regards
Pete





MICHAEL SHAW <bucksconstable@btinternet.com>

[pete9012S]

Hi All!
Heres some of the information on InspectorJenks/Jennings,that Mr Michael Shaw at bucksconstable@btinternet.com very kindly agreed to send..........

Buckinghamshire Constabulary

Police Officers Record of Service

Full Name. Stephen JENNINGS
Date Appointed. 13th March 1923.
Collar Number. 199
Date of Discharge. Late 1959.
Promotions.
Credited with pay of 84/- per week from 13th March 1930.
Credited with pay of 86/- per week from 13th March 1931.
Credited with pay of 88/- per week from 13th March 1932.
Credited with pay of 90/- per week from 13th March 1933.
Promoted to Sergeant on probation 19th August 1933.
Confirmed in the rank and credited with 102/6 per week from 19th August 1934.
Credited with pay of 110/- per week from 19th August 1937.
Credited with pay of 112/6 per week from 19th August 1938.
Appointed Acting Inspector (Temporary appointment) from the 2nd March 1942.
Credited with pay of £335 per annum from 2nd March 1943.
Credited with pay of £345 per annum from 2nd March 1944.
Credited with pay of £355 per annum from 2nd March 1945.
Promoted to Superintendent 1952.
Postings.
Beaconsfield 1941, 1942, 1943 still there on the 19th March 1945
Posted to Bletchley in 1952.
Remarks
6th February 1937.
Sergeant 199 S. Jennings has passed an examination in Anti- Gas measures held at Chesham on the 2nd February 1937.
Signed T.R.P Warren Colonel, Chief Constable.
18th May 1938.
Sergeant Stephen Jennings has passed the qualifying examination for promotion to the rank of Inspector.
Signed T.R.P. Warren Colonel, Chief Constable.
Bucks Constabulary News Bulletin No. 21 - July 1953.
Awarded Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation Medal................................

Michael has also emailed about half a dozen photos,which I will try to post for anyone else who may be interested in this topic..
Regards pete90125

[Lucky Star]

Yes I'd love to see the photo's Pete.

[pete9012S]

Yes the photos,............

Im not sure if its me, but I dont know how to up load them onto this forum page!

I dont mind emailing them to you direct if you want to provide an email by private message to me on via the society private message facility,and maybe then you could upload them for all the other forum members who may read this forum page if you are able to do so??

regards pete

[Fiona1986]

In order to upload photographs you must first host them online somewhere like photobucket, then take the direct url and instert that like [img]URL[/img].
If thats too complicated for you I'd be happy to post any photos sent to me. You should be able to email me directly via the link under my avatar.

[Fiona1986]

Here are the photos of Stephen Jennings forwarded to me by Pete.

[Fiona1986]

Unfortunately I cannot get the first image to work, the first time I tried I got the 'picture may not be more then 520 pixels wide' error, so I cropped the picture to 515 pixels wide and I still get the same error.

[Fiona1986]

Apparently this website doesn't remeasure images when they are edited!! I renamed the image and tried again and voila here it is. Clearly the site decided as I was trying to upload a photo with the same url as one that had been to big, that it must still be too big. The wonders of modern technology eh?

[Moonraker]

Great atmospheric photographs of how policemen used to look! The sergeant in picture 4 of your first post, Fiona, could easily be Goon! It has always been a source of wonder to me why policemen wore their helmet straps just under their bottom lip. I would have thought that the strap was there to keep the helmet on the head, and so should have been tucked under the chin. I really hope that our good friend Enikyoga does write that follow-up book devoted to the Find-Outers, I would love to know the inspiration behind the many colourful characters in that series.

[Fiona1986]

It has always been a source of wonder to me why policemen wore their helmet straps just under their bottom lip. I would have thought that the strap was there to keep the helmet on the head, and so should have been tucked under the chin.

Perhaps there was a shortage of helmet-strap materials at the time? Or those who went into the police force were just ridiculously long in the face? Or perhaps some policemen were afraid of being choked by a helmet strap under the chin??