Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas William Parish Labalmondière CB (3 June 1815 – 8 March 1893) was the first Assistant Commissioner (Administrative) of the London Metropolitan Police and acted as

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

for three months in 1868–1869. Born at the family home at 18 Pulteney Street in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, Labalmondière was descended from an aristocratic French family who had established

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

, where he passed out at the head of the list with exceptional honours, and was commissioned an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

into the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot (later the Royal Irish Rifles). He served in

the Canadas The Canadas is the collective name for the provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada, two British colonization of the Americas, historical British colonies in present-day Canada. The two colonies were formed in 1791, when the British Parliament ...

, 1837–1838, carried dispatches during Mackenzie's Rebellion and Papineau's Rebellion, and was promoted lieutenant. He was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1844. In 1846–1849, he served in Ireland during the Great Famine, as temporary inspector with special duties under the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

Commissioners. Following closure of the local relief committees in 1847, public testimonials of his endeavours were sent by committees in Castlegregory, Castleisland, Ventry, Tralee and Ballincuslane. Following his order to rejoin his regiment in 1849 in India, he gave evidence to the Select Committee on Poor Laws (Ireland) on 20 March 1849 and on 23 March 1849. Whilst in India with his regiment, he was appointed to the Metropolitan Police and was permitted to return overland.''London Evening Standard'', 2 April 1850 In 1850, he retired on half pay as a lieutenant-colonel and joined the Metropolitan Police as its second inspecting superintendent, effectively functioning as deputy to the two Joint Commissioners, Sir

Richard Mayne Sir Richard Mayne KCB (27 November 1796 – 26 December 1868) was a barrister and the joint first Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police (1829–1868). With an incumbency of 39 years, he rem ...

and Captain William Hay (who had been his predecessor as inspecting superintendent). He was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

(CB) for his services in policing the

Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

in 1851 and in 1855 was selected to attend

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in Paris. In 1856, after Hay's death and the reorganisation of the police, Labalmondière was appointed Assistant Commissioner (Administrative). He was responsible for administration and discipline, with the Assistant Commissioner (Executive), Captain W. C. Harris, being responsible for supplies, buildings and other such business. Mayne was now the sole Commissioner. One of Labalmondière's duties was to make quarterly inspections of every police station and station house, with every tour of inspection taking nineteen days. After Mayne's death on 26 December 1868, Labalmondière acted as Commissioner until the appointment of Colonel Edmund Henderson three months later. He continued to serve Henderson and his successor, Sir

Charles Warren Sir Charles Warren (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his military ...

, as Assistant Commissioner until his retirement in 1888.

Footnotes

References

*''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' *Martin Fido & Keith Skinner, ''The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard'' (Virgin Books, London:1999)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Labalmondiere, Douglas 1815 births 1893 deaths 19th-century police officers 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot officers English people of French descent Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis People educated at Eton College Upper Canada Rebellion people Military personnel from Bath, Somerset