Calling WPC Crockford: The Story of a 1950s Police Woman

 When 21-year-old Gwendoline Crockford signed up to join the Berkshire Constabulary in 1951, she had little idea of what she was getting herself into. Whether carrying a human skeleton out of the woods, finding a missing child, investigating thefts, or chasing an escaped zebra, every day brought fresh adventures. In this nostalgic, tender and honest account of post-war British society, we follow a bright, determined woman navigating a man’s world, serving as many people as she can. From performing traffic duties to unravelling a dark secret at the heart of an impoverished family, WPC Crockford’s career was full of joy, thrills – and heartbreak. Written by her daughter Ruth, this is the story of a real-life woman police constable as she embarks on her police career.

Ruth D'Alessandro was born and brought up in Shinfield, Berkshire, UK, mid-way between Reading and Wokingham, the daughter of police parents. She studied Modern Arabic at Durham University, and worked for eleven years for Librairie du Liban (the Middle East's largest reference publisher). After having her daughters, Ruth worked as a freelance educational writer, and built her business up as a successful commercial digital content writer. Calling WPC Crockfordis her debut, and she hopes to follow it up with two more police memoirs, Calling WDC Crockford and Calling WPS Crockford.