Jam Sandwich

The sketch above is of Shortland Farm near Druidstone where we tend to camp when down that way. No amenities other than a tap and a toilet. Fantastic views though across St Brides Bay. Plenty to sketch and draw.

The nickname for a police patrol car used to be a jam sandwich because of the red reflective stripe around it. Jam sandwich has another meaning for me. I have previously mentioned that when I was in the police in the early 1970’s I was quite short of funds. Well occasionally I was sent to work in the lock-up in Steelhouse Lane.

The lock-up was the police cellblock for prisoners waiting to go to court. They could be held over a weekend or merely overnight. When I worked outside the City Centre I was occasionally sent to the lock-up to sit with a high-risk prisoner (someone arrested for rape or murder). I was also sent to work there on overtime when they were short of officers.

One of my duties would be to make the prisoners meals and feed them. This is absolutely true, for breakfast they had a choice of a strawberry jam sandwich and a mug of tea or nothing.
For dinner they had the choice of a strawberry jam sandwich and tea or nothing.
For tea they had the choice of a strawberry jam sandwich and a mug of tea or nothing.
I still recall the piles of white sliced bread, tubs of spread and the catering size tins of strawberry jam.

I have to add that I too always joined them and was very grateful for a strawberry jam sandwich for breakfast dinner and tea.

I would like to say it put me off strawberry jam sandwiches but actually I still like them!