Incident
On 6th June 1904, Sergeant Hale, a non-swimmer, was found drowned in the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal near Hempsted Bridge, six days after going missing while on foot patrol.
It was believed that he had tripped over one of the mooring rings and fallen in. Frederick was last seen as he dismissed an officer from his duty at midnight on 31st May but he failed to meet another officer at 1:00am as arranged.
The first Constable said he met Sergeant Hale near The Avenue Hotel and they walked together as far as the Bristol Road Sub-Station, where Frederick remarked “It is 12 o’clock now and you can go home”.
The location where Frederick’s body was discovered was considered to be very dangerous due to the ropes and chains on the embankment and had he shouted for help nobody would have heard him.
Frederick had served for almost twenty-two years, having joined the force on 8th June 1882. He was promoted to Sergeant on 1st June 1901.
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BO-GB-GLC-5ADA9168- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Hale served with the Gloucestershire Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Hale.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Frederick Hale 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 Gloucestershire Constabulary, 8 of 18 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frederick Hale's cause is highlighted.
How Frederick Hale Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frederick Hale is highlighted in Jun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.


