Need explanation of occupation

[stanmapstone]

When did the @ sign come into use? 

See http://www.atsymbol.com/history.htm

Stan

[PrueM]

I think it's a capital O. There's another one in the surname Oldfield a couple of pages further on, and it looks exactly the same.  My opinion is that it should read "O Survey" for Ordnance Survey, but whoever wrote it got it wrong.

[Gadget]

Strange change of occupation though - to policeman (1891 and 1901)!

Definitely same person - name, age and place of birth.

[stanmapstone]

I wonder if it is a mistake by the enumerator copying from, possibly bad handwriting, for "Civil assistant O Survey". There are a number in the 1881 Census, for example;

[syljun]

Thanks everyone, Sounds quite important but why change to being a Policeman. He goes on to be a storekeeper in Electric fitting Manufacturers on next Census  but probably retired from Police.
Thank you for clearing that up. syljun

[MargP]

Hi

I think that there is a site were you can get the Police records???

Margp

I think that this is the site

http://www.met.police.uk/information/historical_enquiries.htm

[PrueM]

...why change to being a Policeman.

Well, why not?    My husband's ancestor went from being a railway signalman to a policeman in London in the 1860s.  I myself changed career in my late 20s...etc. 

[Gadget]

I think the OP's query is why there was a change to being a policeman, not that it didn't ever happen.

Given that he is down as a civil engineer, implying  qualifications, it would be unusual for him to change to a lesser status job.  However, I think Stan's explanation is the most likely and he was an assistant, probably on a short term contract.

[stanmapstone]

If he worked for the Ordnance Survey, then Civil could mean not military, and if he was an assistant then he was probably just a general worker with no particular qualification. As the original schedule no longer exists it can only be a guess as to what it means, but as brevitas points out he was unlikely to be a qualified civil engineer.

Stan