It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Colin Sinclair. He died peacefully on the evening of Thursday 17th November 2022.
Colin was a founder member and former Committee Member of the BTP History Group, joining in 2009, and elected to the committee at the March 2012 Annual General Meeting. Eventually ill health forced him to leave the committee, but he remained a valued member of the Research Group. It was as part of these researches that Colin set out to record the history and current whereabouts of both the Whitbread Shield and the Keith Winter Cup (Project page).
Colin was also an active member of Facebook, and made many history related posts. One of his last entries was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his joining the BTP (see below).
He was also a former committee member of the National Association of Retired British Transport Police Officers, and was for many years the editor of their newsletter – Retired Lines.
Colin joined the BTP at Victoria in November 1972, and subsequently served at East Croydon, Bricklayers Arms and London Bridge, before transferring to the LT as a Temporary Detective Constable in July 1977. His stay at Baker Street was a short one, however, as promotion to Uniform Sergeant at Liverpool Street came in March 1978.
He moved north to Leeds in March 1980. A change from uniform beckoned in 1986, when he became the Divisional Crime Prevention Officer at Leeds DHQ. He then became the Area CPO at York AHQ from 1992 until retirement in June 1996.
Colin won the PMAS Book Prize during his recruit course at Dishforth PTC, and was also awarded the above mentioned Keith Winter Cup for the highest aggregate exam marks during probation training.
Colin’s recent post on the Retired Lives (BTP related) Facebook group:
“50 years ago today, a rather nervous me reported to the BTP office in Hudsons Place, at London Victoria.
Over the next week, I was sent to Glasgow to be fitted for a uniform (this involved getting the Glasgow sleeper from Euston, collecting my uniform, killing time in Glasgow until I caught the sleeper back to London).
Back at Vic, I was told to go home and spend the day fitting my divisional numbers (162S) to my tunic, gaberdine mac etc.
On Friday I was taken to Bow Street Mags Crt to be sworn in. That afternoon I donned my uniform for the first time – but only to walk across the station to find a Photo-Me booth and get a photo for my warrant card.
And that was it: I was now a police officer- like my dad (Ramsgate Boro/Kent County) and grandfather (East Sussex) before me!”
RIP Colin.
