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Family History & Genealogy |
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This is not a Family History site, but . . . .
As the 'Home Page' stated, it's a site dedicated to the memory of the Preventive Service of HM Customs & Excise. It covers its History, its Officers and their Work. You may find references to, and some personal details of individuals on the 'Pictures', 'People' & 'Training' pages of the site but,
It is recommended that if you know the name of the individual you are looking for then use the search facility - :: search the site ::
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Reference to some individuals by name - and in some cases personal details - may also be found in the Department's staff magazines and journals which are available on this site. Select the appropriate 'button' on the right or 'Search the Site' with the appropriate main menu 'button'. |
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The Names and Ranks of Staff in Post - Were listed in the various editions of 'Ham's Customs Year Book', the 'Waterguard Green Book' published by the Preventive Staff Association and various other documents. The editions of those documents published on this site are available as PDFs on the 'People' page. Select from the button on the right. |
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The Work of HM Customs & Excise - In 1946 the Commissioners of Customs and Excise produced a booklet to give every new entrant to the department, in whatever capacity, a general idea of the organisation of which he or she had become a member. The description of HM C&E, its structure and its work, given in the booklet remained very similar in general terms until reorganization in 1972. A copy of the booklet can be seen in PDF form by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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The Work of the Waterguard - During the 1950's and 1960's a bound copy of the Waterguard Handbook was given to Assistant Preventive Officers attending the Waterguard Training Centre. This gave an insight into the work of a Waterguard officer. A copy of the Waterguard Handbook from 1966 is reproduced here as a PDF (2.8MB!) - Select from the button on the right. |
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It is NOT the policy of the webmaster or owner of this site to answer specific queries about any living individual or to pass on messages or act as a 'go between'.
Where any living individual is willing to receive e-mails, that is indicated in the reference.
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However, one way or another, this site attracts queries about HM Customs & Excise in general, the Preventive Waterguard and the Waterguard service, as well as queries about the history, the officers and their work. These queries, from casual browsers, researchers and other organisations, can usually be answered by a further, in depth browsing of the site. However, if you can't find the answer you're looking for, fill out and 'SUBMIT' the C&E Enquiry Form available from the 'button' on the right and we'll try to help you as soon as pssible. |
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From the 'History' page of this site it can be seen that the 'Waterguard' evolved from its past. A past that included many changes of name, of management and primary role. Those changes were also reflected in the names given to staff and employees at various times - often duplicated in separate services. At times the separate services had duplicate roles or had more than one Government Department managing different aspects of their work. Tracing an individual officer for your Family History project has to take this into account. The descriptions given to, or recorded by, a census enumerator or other person who was unaware of the specific management structure of the employer can be misleading. The following tables are offered as a rough guide only - they are not exhaustive and some dates may be approximate.
It should also be born in mind that when the UK joined the EEC, Customs policy effectively passed to the EEC Commission, although the control of non-EEC freight and passengers traffic remained with the Customs & Excise officers. Excise duty and certain prohibitions and restrictions, remained with the HM Customs & Excise. Also after 1972 the Preventive functions, once the province of the Waterguard, continued to be carried out by Customs & Excise officers, some of them with ex-Waterguard 'reserved rights'. In 2005 HM Customs & Excise was amalgamated with the Inland Revenue to become HM Revenue & Customs, and from 2008 the UK Border Agency, an agency of the Home Office, assumed the 'preventive' functions of HM Revenue & Customs.