Douglas Labalmondière

Douglas Labalmondiere by Camille Silvy, 1861.

Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas William Parish Labalmondière CB (1815 – 8 March 1893) was the first Assistant Commissioner (Administrative) of the London Metropolitan Police and acted as Commissioner for three months in 1868–1869.

Labalmondière was descended from an aristocratic French family who had established sugarcane plantations in the West Indies. He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he passed out at the head of the list with exceptional honours, and was commissioned an ensign into the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot (later the Royal Irish Rifles). He served in the Canadas, 1837–1838, carried dispatches during Mackenzie's Rebellion and Papineau's Rebellion, and was promoted lieutenant. He was promoted captain in 1844. In 1846–1849, he served in Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine, as temporary inspector with special duties under the Poor Law Commissioners. Following closure of the local relief committees in 1846, public testimonials of his endeavours were sent by committees in Castlegregory,<ref>Kerry Evening Post 29th Sept 1847/<ref> Castleisland, Castlemain, Killarney, Ventry, Tralee and Ballincuslane.

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 and Captain William Hay (who had been his predecessor as inspecting superintendent). He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his services in policing the Great Exhibition in 1851 and in 1855 was selected to attend Queen Victoria 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, as Assistant Commissioner until his retirement in 1888.

References

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