Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Harvey had told his wife he’d be home for their evening meal but he did not return at all that night. He was last seen about 7:30pm, after meeting one of his Constables at Lamb Corner, Dedham.
About 8:00am the following morning, near the ‘Live and Let Live’ Beer House in Dedham, John’s body was found head-first down a well. The officer’s watch had stopped at 8:21 and it was determined that he had tripped on the low brick wall around the well the previous evening as there was no disturbance in the snow that had fallen overnight.
Sergeant Harvey joined the force on 30th November 1885, having previously served with the West Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary.
He had been stationed at Ardleigh after transferring there on 4th January 1886, exactly eight years before his death. For several years he served as an Acting Sergeant and was promoted to Sergeant on 1st October 1891, being regarded by his superiors as one of the best men in the division.
John left a widow, who was pregnant at the time, and three young children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-GB-ESC-9E76B2FE- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
132 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sergeant Harvey served with the Essex Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant John Harvey is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ENG, 1,349 of 2,827 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.7% of this state's fallen. That is 16.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Essex Constabulary, 11 of 20 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Harvey's cause is highlighted.
How John Harvey Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Harvey is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
19 officers from Essex Constabulary are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
