Home Office memo concerning Anderson's resignation, 1901

[caz]

...Mr Anderson has accepted and acted on your decision...

...Write to the Receiver that Mr Anderson having at the request of the SYS. for the purpose of facilitating changes in the staff and organisation of the Metropolitan Police which in the opinion of the SYS was required in the public interest, tendered his resignation to take effect on his attaining the age of 60...

Excellent stuff, Chris P and Chris S. I can hardly read a bloody word of the original.

My own imagined continuation of the memo (posted on JtR Forums earlier today) was not too far away from this then.

Interesting that Anderson had been expecting to go on to 65 when he got the request to quit at 60, effectively giving him three months' notice.

Love,

Caz
X

[Chris]

Here's my attempt at a transcription. It differs in a few places from Chris's, though I have adopted a couple of his readings where they seemed better than mine. In some cases it's really more a matter of guessing at what the writer intended, rather than transcribing.
_____________________________________________

Mr Ritchie.

About 3 months ago you requested Mr. Anderson to send in his resignation as Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police. You were led to take this step in consequence of the necessity which in your opinion had arisen for [?]alterations in the staff and organization of the Metropolitan Police, which made it desirable for a new appointment to be made to the post held by Mr. Anderson. You were particularly conscious that [having regard to the [?]approaching retirement of the Commissioner - deleted] a fresh appointment should be made to the headship of the Criminal Investigation Department, [of a person - interlined] who should serve for a considerable time under Sir Edward Bradford, and for this purpose you have arranged [for an extension - interlined] [for a prolongation - deleted] of the limit of Sir Edward Bradfords period of service which would otherwise have expired in the course of [?]this Summer. Mr. Anderson of [?]course accepted and acted on your decision, but made strong representations as to the hardship and serious pecuniary loss which he would sustain, if he were not compensated to some extent for the loss of an office which he expected and had made arrangements to hold for another five years in the ordinary course. You recognized the force of these representations and after carefully considering all the circumstances of the case [and the services rendered by Mr. Anderson to the [?]Govt in many important [?]emergencies, - interlined] decided that it would be fair and reasonable that Mr. Anderson should receive [compensation - deleted] from the Police Fund [a sum of money both by way of compensation for his pecuniary loss and in recognition of his services - interlined] and you fixed the amount [of the compensation - deleted] at £1000.

A precedent for the grant of compensation under somewhat similar circumstances [[?]is ???? - deleted] [[?]respect - interlined and deleted] to be found in Mr. Asquith's decision in Mr. Mills case A56739.

Write to the Receiver that M. Anderson having at the request of the S of S, for the purpose of facilitating changes in the staff and organisation of the Metropolitan Police which in the opinion of the S of S were required in the public interest tendered his resignation to take effect on his attaining the age of 60 the S of S has taken into consideration the serious pecuniary loss which Mr. A. would sustain by retiring five years earlier than he had expected and intended. In view of these circumstances, and also having regard to the high state of efficiency [attained - deleted] maintained by the Criminal Investigation Department during Mr. Anderson's headship of that Department, and also his long services in dealing with crimes [?]promoted by secret organizations, the S of S feels justified in authorising and directing the Receiver to pay to Mr. Anderson, on his retirement, out of the M. P. fund the sum of one thousand pounds.

K. E. D. May 22, 1901
?? 23.5
Wrote Receiver 23.5.01

[Chris Scott]

Hi Chris
I think we got there between us:-)

Simon
many thanks for the S of S note

Chris S

[Chris]

I also photographed some other documents in the same file as the memo about Anderson's resignation, dating from 1888 and earlier. I've summarised their contents below. Most of them relate to technicalities concerning Anderson's appointment, which had later implications for the amount of his pension, but one that sheds a little light on conditions in 1888 is a request on 1 October for the approval of funding for "telegraphic communication to be established between the Commissioner's Office & the residence of Mr. Anderson in Linden Gardens, Notting Hill", at a cost of £21.10.0 a year.
___________________________________

HO 144/588/

B5005/6
17 Novr 88
Asst Comr Anderson
Returns Warrant of Appt which accompd H.O. letter of the 29th August & Acks receipt of the Warrant under the Act of 1884.
[Minutes.]
[Letter from R. Anderson to the Under Secretary of State, Home Office, expressing surprise at his letter of the 16th. The request contained in Anderson's latter

of 2th ultimo [below] is one which he thought himself entitled to press and the reply places his appointment upon a footing entirely different from that one

which he accepted it in August. But Anderson returns the Warrant which accompanied the letter of 29th August, and definitely accepts the appointment of third

Assistant Commissioner of Police, vice Mr. A. C. Bruce, promoted to the position of second Assistant Commissioner, vacant by Mr. Monro's resignation.]

B5005/5
26 Octr 99
Asst Comr Anderson
Submits observations with respect to H.O. letter asking him to return Warrant of Appointment.
[Minutes.]
[November 1888. Correspondence about the pension implications of Anderson's appointment.]

Copies of Letters to the Commr of Police & Mr Vincent:
1 September 1888
[Letter from E. Leigh Pemberton to the Commissioner informing him that on the retirement of Mr Monro on the 31st ult. Mr A. Carmichael Bruce becomes one of the

Senior Assistant Commissioners of Police; details of salary and allowances follow. Mr Robert Anderson will from this day's date inclusive be placed in charge of

the Criminal Investigation Department as (Junior) Assistant Commissioner; details of salary and allowances follow.]
7 July 1884
[Letter from A. F. O. Liddell to the Commissioner informing him that Mr. James Monro has been appointed by Her Majesty an Assistant Commissioner of Police for

the Metropolis, such appointment to date from the 2nd instant.]
23rd July 1884
[Letter from Godfrey Lushington to the Commissioner informing him of the appointment of Mr. James Monro to be Assistant Commissioner of Police, and conveying the

decisions of Sir William Harcourt on his salary and the salaries to be paid to the Assistant Commissioners of Police generally in future.]
22 April 1878
[Letter from A. F. O. Liddell to C. E. Howard Vincent Esq, informing him that he has been appointed to an Office in the Metropolitan Police Force to be called

the Office of the Director of Criminal Investigations ... to have control over the Detective Division of the Metropolitan Police Force reconstructed as that

Division will be by the amalgamation into one body of all the Detective Officers in the Metropolitan Police; salary payable from 4 March last.]
26th October 1888
[Letter from R. Anderson to the Under Secretary of State, Home Office, referring to his letter of the 19th instant asking him to return to him his appointment as

Assistant Commissioner of Police under the Metropolitan Police Act of 1856, with a view to a Warrant under the Act of 1884 being substituted for it, and requests

him to lay before the Secretary of State considerations related to the implications for his pension, and appeals for Mr Matthews to cause this matter to be

investigated and to give an assurance that the amount of the pension will in no circumstances and in no degree be prejudiced by the change.]

B5005/4
1 Octr 1888
Receiver of Police
Fds requisn for telegraphic comn to be estabd between the Comr's Office & the residence of Mr. Anderson in Linden Gardens, Notting Hill; & reqts authn for the

expenditure of £21.10.0. [Red:] Pressing
[Minutes.]
[Letter from Edwin Mills for the Receiver to the Under Secretary of State, submitting for the approval of the Secretary of State a Requisition from the

Commissioner for establishing telegraphic communication between his Office and the residence of Mr. Anderson in Linden Gardens Notting Hill. The annual cost of

the necessary wire will be £21.10.0.]

B5005/3
24 Septr 88
Bank of England. (Western Branch)
Appointment of R. Anderson Esq: to be Assistant Commr of Police. Ackgs Notification of Appointment.

B5005/2
6 Sept 1888
Receiver of Police
Asks that instructions be given to the Bank of England to honour the counter signature of Mr. Robert Anderson to Police Cheques vice Mr. Monro

B5005
Aug. 1888
H.O. Memo
The Queen has approved of the appointment of Robert Anderson, Esq., as Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in the room of J. Monro, Esq., C.B.,

resigned.
[Note 10/9/88 that Mr. Anderson's appointment was made under the Act of 1856.
- Strictly speaking, according to Mr. Hibbert's Minute in (34,478/31), Mr. Bruce, it would seem, ought to have been appointed to the 2nd Assistt

Commissionership, "vice Mr. Monro", - and Mr. Anderson to the third Assistant Commrship, unde the Act of 1884, vice Mr. Bruce.
- Mr. Sandars, however, is of opinion that matters may stand as they are; seeing that in the eye of the law, the three Assistant Commissioners are all on an

Equality, & there is accordingly no promotion among them; and also, because it was intended that Mr. Anderson shd be appointed vice Mr. Monro, qua the Criminal

Investigation work. Further correspondence follows.]

Pressing
[SECRETARY OF STATE HOME DEPARTMENT]
Mr Sanders
Should Mr. Anderson be appointed Assistant Commr - vice Mr. Monro? - or, an additional Commissioner, vice Mr. Bruce, promoted to be Assistant Commr in the place

of Mr. Monro? In the former case, Mr. A. shd be appointed, it seems, under the Act of 1856; in the latter, under the Act of 1884 (47 & 48 Vic. C. 17.).
See papers herewith [which please return to me] as to corresponding appointments of Mr. Monro & Mr. Bruce (vice Labalmondiere) in 1884.
C.D.
31/8/88.
Can you leave me instructions as to this? Or a memo; as you will be away, I hear, tomorrow?
T.O.
Turn
Mr. Deffell
It will be enough for the purposes of the moment for H.O. to acquaint The Commissioner of Met Police that Mr. Anderson has been appointed Asst. Commissioner -

if necessary reciting language of Mr. Anderson's Warrant - & in specifying the emoluments of the office make no allusion to the Dock Yard allowance.
This letter should not be delayed. I shall be glad to see you on Monday about any questions which you may raise on this.
[?]JSS
31/8/8

Official 30/8/8
[SECRETARY OF STATE HOME DEPARTMENT]
29th Augt 1888
Sir
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of today enclosing the Royal Warrant appointing me Assistant Commissioner of Police of the

Metropolis.
I am
Sir
Your obedient servant
R. Anderson
E. Leigh Pemberton Esq
&c &c
Home Office

0039:

[SECRETARY OF STATE HOME DEPARTMENT]
[Stamped] HOME OFFICE 22 AUG 88
[?]Appd [????]
Mr Henry Matthews, with his humble duty to Your Majesty, has the honour to recommend that Robert Anderson Esqe. be appointed Assistant Commissioner of the

Metropolitan Police in the room of J. Monro Esqe. C.B. resigned.
Whitehall
18th August 1888.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for posting this fascinating array of memos.

Regards,

Simon

[Chris]

If anyone is particularly keen to have copies of any of the documents, they should send me a private message.