AFTER an excellent lunch on May 10, we were entertained with a talk on Constabulary Tales by Alan Benjamin.

Alan, or Benji as he is known, was a community policeman at Henley-in-Arden, is married and has two sons, was involved in children's activities, village meddlars of Temple Grafton, Morris dancing and entertaining people.

We were told how he was sent to boarding school at the age of 11 and that when he was 16 thought about joining the police force. He was accepted as a police cadet, took his entrance exam at Astwood Bank police station and went to Worcester for his medical and told us an amusing tale about what happened there.

At the end of his training he was given a posting to Redditch.

Alan told us what it was like as a young constable on the beat alone for the first time, they had no radios then. Having to do a certain beat returning every hour to the start which was usually by a telephone box so that they could contact the station if they needed to do so.

He was school liaison officer at St Benedict's School in Alcester and became conductor of the school orchestra.

His last concert was held in Worcester Cathedral, as he came out at the end of the concert looked across the road and saw the place where he took his medical at the start of his training, thereby going full circle.

Alan finished off his talk by showing us his long service medal for 22 years' service. The vote of thanks were given by Betty Bullock for a very amusing look into the life of a police constable.