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The Thames River Police

August 13, 2026 · 30 min

Show notes

"a clear reach of the river" [SIGN] Once again, a listener has inquired about a trifling topic that we hadn't given much thought to. And as the reference only appears in one place in the Canon, we were concerned there might not be enough to cover. He wondered about the Thames River police force as mentioned in The Sign of Four. There's not much else to go on in the stories, but we found plenty from the historical record that gave us a sense as to what Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Athelney Jones were working with. And it's just a Trifle. If you have a question for us, please email us at [email protected]. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift. Our Merch Store is open: Trifles mugs, notepads, and oval stickers can be yours (or someone else's, if you'd like to make it a gift). Start shopping today. "Trifling Trifles" is back — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This time, "Lomax" emerges from the sub-library. Make sure you're signed up so you don't miss this is exclusive benefit for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack). Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts Links Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

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