Frank Louis Dumbell Elliott CB (11 September 1874 – 26 March 1939) was an Assistant Commissioner of the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

from 1914 to 1931. Elliott was born in Nynee Tal, British India,''India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786–1947'' the son of Sir Charles Elliott, former

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, and Louisa Jane Dumbell of

Onchan Onchan (; glv, Kione Droghad) is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Administratively a district, it has the second largest population of settlements on the island, after Douglas, with wh ...

, Isle of Man, daughter of George Dumbell. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

from 1888 and won a scholarship to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1892, obtaining a first class degree in

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

in 1896. In 1898, he joined the Home Office. In 1899, he married Mabel Murray; they had a daughter and a son (who became a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

). He rose through the ranks of the Home Office and was appointed an Assistant Secretary in 1913. During this time, he served as private secretary to both Thomas Cochrane (1903–1905) and

Herbert Samuel Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935. He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to beco ...

(1905–1908) when they were Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State at the Home Office. In 1911, he was appointed secretary of the Isle of Man Constitution Committee. An early motorist, from 1908 to 1913 he served as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the Army Motor Reserve of Officers. He was also an enthusiastic

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and member of the Alpine Club. On 11 March 1914, Elliott was appointed Assistant Commissioner "A" of the Metropolitan Police, in charge of administration and uniformed policing. In 1918, he was appointed Assistant Commissioner "B" and became solely responsible for traffic, which was becoming an increasing problem in London. Elliott introduced one-way streets and traffic lights. He was appointed

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) in the 1920 New Year Honours. On 6 November 1922, Elliott and his colleague, Assistant Commissioner Trevor Bigham, were sent a box of chocolate éclairs poisoned with arsenic. Luckily, they were suspicious and did not eat them, and Walter Tatam, who had a history of mental problems, was later found guilty of attempted

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

. By 1931, Elliott's health had begun to fail (he was especially experiencing heart problems) and he retired early. On 19 July 1932, Elliott, by then living at Camp View, near Wimbledon Common, was appointed a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 27 March 1939 {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Frank Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis 1874 births 1939 deaths Civil servants in the Home Office Private secretaries in the British Civil Service People educated at Harrow School Companions of the Order of the Bath Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army General List officers