Thomas Shorter
Police Constable

Thomas Shorter

Felonious
End of Watch December 11, 1876
Age 24
The Vigil Panel 212 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Bludgeoned to death when he was set upon by two poachers while on patrol in the late evening, as he approached Folly Crossroads near Hungerford, where he had planned to meet Inspector Joseph Drewett, who also died after being shot in the neck and beaten.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-GB-BEC-30DC566E
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

150 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Constable Shorter served with the Berkshire Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location ENG
Platform Identity bco.oxf.eng.gb.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 11, 1876
Age 24
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Homicide - Beaten

Police Constable Thomas Shorter is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In ENG, 702 of 2,827 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Berkshire Constabulary, 5 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.

Berkshire Constabulary
5
of 12 officers
41.7% Felonious
ENG — Statewide
702
of 2,827 officers
24.8% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Shorter's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Thomas Shorter Compares

Age at Death
24
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Shorter is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909