Keyse Family

Martin Tom Keyse was a well respected Police officer in Tewkesbury. He joined Gloucestershire Constabulary in 1885 and rose to the rank of Inspector.

He and his wife Mary Jane were married in 1890 and they had 7 children, Mary Jane died in 1905  and Tom married his second wife  Rosetta in 1908.

Martin Tom died in 1909 following a long illness. Newspapers at the time say that he had been in poor health since taking over at Tewkesbury in 1906

Funeral of Inspector Martin Tom Keyse in Tewkesbury on 10-11-1909.
(Gloucestershire Police Archives URN 9848)

Funeral of Inspector Martin Tom Keyse in Tewkesbury on 10-11-1909.
(Gloucestershire Police Archives URN 3486)

Following the death of Inspector Keyse we know that two of his children Reggie and Stanley were sent to live in the Police Orphanage in Reigate.

Reggie joined the orphanage in December 1909 at the age of 11  and according to the orphanage records was at some time living and working in Canada. Stanley joined him in the orphanage during April 1910 at the age of 6.

It is not clear how long the boys stayed at the orphanage but Gloucestershire Constabulary records show that Stanley was not put off the police life and in 1922 he joined the force as a Police Constable.

From the Collar numbers read the officers are thought to be.
Back row from left; 175 William Moss, 143 Fitzroy Frederick Taylor, 299 Walter Lee, 289 Charlie Holmes, 158 Horace Winstone, 4 Walter Fry, 215 Walter Williams, 18 William Fry, 201 Harold Morgan, 276 Victor Isaac James 372 Oliver Mince.
Front row from left; 20 Stanley Keyse, 235 Herbert Newman, 216 Percy Swaffield, 351 Edgar Carew, 353 Sydney Dobbs.
(Gloucestershire Police Archives URN 8972)

Before that we know thatReggie was working  for the constabulary as an orderly at Headquarters in 1920. on his police application form his occupation is given as stenographer.

Headquarters staff in 1920 outside New Court Police Headquarters, Lansdown Rd. Cheltenham.
Back Row left to right; Police Constables Crouch, Jotcham, Orderly Keyse, Police Constables Lippett, Wynniatt.
Middle row left to right: Miss Watts, Police Constables Williams, Large, Woman Police Constable Hagley, Police Constables Wakefield, Birchard, Miss Stowell.
Seated left to right: Police Sergeant T.A. James, Inspector J Evans, Superintendent J.B. Biggs, Chief Superintendent Cooke, Inspector A. Sainsbury,Police Sergeants J.A. Price, G. Pugh.
(Gloucestershire Police Archive URN 116)

In 1923 Stanley left Gloucestershire Constabulary to join the Shanghai police. It was in 1936 when he was travelling home from Shanghai that it was presumed that he had died in mysterious circumstances.

Newspaper report into the disappearance of Stanley Keyse.
(Gloucestershire Police Archives URN 8050)