Time Patrol

by Poul Anderson

Release: May 1955
Format: Novelette
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adults
Content: Definite Time Travel
Original Language: English

In the first of a long series of hallowed stories, former military engineer (and noncomformist) Manse Everard is recruited by the Time Patrol to prevent time travelers from making major changes to history. (Don’t worry, history bounces back from the small stuff.)

— Michael Main

If you went back to, I would guess, 1946, and worked to prevent your parents’ marriage in 1947, you would still have existed in that year; you would not go out of existence just because you had influenced events. The same would apply even if you had only been in 1946 one microsecond before shooting the man who would otherwise have become your father.

DEBUT

“Time Patrol,” Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May 1955.

VARIANTS

2 English variants

TRANSLATIONS

Czech translation:
[ex=bare]“Stráž času” | Time guard[/ex], in Stráž času (Talpress, 1997).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Veronika Volhejnová
Dutch translation:
[ex=bare]“De tijdpatrouille” | The timepatrol[/ex], in Avontuur in het verleden (Het Spectrum, 1966).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by P. Groen
French translation:
[ex=bare]“La patrouille du temps” | The patrol of time[/ex], Fiction, March 1956.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Bruno Martin
French translation: Revised translation.
[ex=bare]“La patrouille du temps” | The patrol of time[/ex], in La patrouille du temps ( Le Bélial, February 2005).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Bruno Martin
Pierre-Paul Durastanti
German translation:
[ex=bare]“Die Zeitpolizei” | The timepolice[/ex], in Die Zeitpolizei, edited by René Oth (Luchterhand, August 1985).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Martin Eisele
German translation:
[ex=bare]“Zeitpatrouille” | Timepatrol[/ex], in Die Chroniken der Zeitpatrouille (Heyne, 1997).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Peter Pape
Hungarian translation:
[ex=bare]“Idő-őrjárat” | Time-patrol[/ex], in Időjárőr (Valhalla Páholy, 1994).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Eszter Hoppán
Italian translation:
[ex=bare]“Everard cronodetective” | Everard timedetective[/ex], 3-part serial, Urania #252–254, 26 March to 23 April 1961.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Andreina Negretti
Korean translation:
[ex=bare]“타임 패트롤” | Time patrol[/ex], in 타임 패트롤 (시공사, November 1995).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson as by 폴 앤더슨
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by 강수백
Lithuanian translation:
[ex=bare]“Laiko patrulis” | Time patrol[/ex], in Laiko patrulis (Eridanas, 1995).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Živilė Samėnaitė
Portuguese translation:
[ex=bare]“A patrulha do tempo” | The patrol of time[/ex], in Os guardiães do tempo (Francisco Alves, 1984).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by unknown persons
Romanian translation:
[ex=bare]“Patrula timpului” | Patrol of time[/ex], in Almanah Anticipația 1987, edited by Ioan Albescu and Viorica Podină (Știință & Tehnică, 1986).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Dorin A. Groza
Romanian translation:
[ex=bare]“Patrula timpului” | Patrol of time[/ex], in Păzitorii timpului (Editura Nemira, 1999).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Cosmin Nare
Russian translation:
[ex=bare]“На страже времён” | On guard of time[/ex], in Звезда #8, 1981.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson as by Пол Андерсон
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by М. Гилинский
Russian translation:
[ex=bare]“Патруль Времени” | Time patrol[/ex], in Короли ночи (Новое Время, 1993).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson as by Пол Андерсон
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by А. Боргардт
Russian translation:
[ex=bare]“Патруль Времени” | Time patrol[/ex], in Патруль времени (Александр Корженевский, 1995).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson as by Пол Андерсон
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Н. Науменко
Serbian translation:
[ex=bare]“Vremenska Patrola” | Time patrol[/ex], in Čuvari vremena (Jugoslavija, 1977).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Vitomir Korać
Spanish translation:
[ex=bare]“La patrulla del tiempo” | The patrol of time[/ex], in Guardians of Time (E.D.H.A.S.A., 1964).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Francisco Cazorla Olmo
Spanish translation:
[ex=bare]“Patrulla del tiempo” | Patrol of time[/ex], in La patrulla del tiempo (Ediciones B, July 2000).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Pedro Jorge Romero
Ukranian translation:
[ex=bare]“Патруль часу” | Time patrol[/ex], in Патруль часу (Видавництво Жупанського, November 2020).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson as by Пол Андерсон
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . translated by Олег Лесько

20 translations

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Time Periods

Pre-Human Age of Mammals (66 Ma to 3.4 Ma: Cenozoic/Paleogene/Neogene): the Academy in the Oligocene
Ancient History (3000 BC to AD 476: Bronze/Iron Ages): near the end of the Roman Empire in AD 461–464
Circa AD 1800 to 1899: London’s Victorian office
Circa AD 1940 to 1949: Everard goes after Whitcomb.
Circa AD 1950 to 1959: Everard’s starting time period
Near Future, AD 2300 and Beyond: Stane’s time (not shown) in AD 2987 and the invention of time travel in AD 19,352 (not shown)
Far Future: and the Danillians from AD 1,000,000+ (not shown)

Timeline Models

Foretold or Seen Future Is Not Set in Stone: Even though the Victorians know about Everard and Whitcomb’s success, it appears that it might still be altered if they don’t follow through. And please do not take success for granted merely because history records it. Time is not rigid; man has free will. If you fail, history will change and will not ever have recorded your success; I will not have told you about it.
Multiple Naive Timelines: Certainly there are known timelines, and time travelers of various ilks are responsible for creating them. But there is no deeper thought given to any underlying model of how the timelines connect, branch, etc.
Remembering Different Timelines: Patrolmen remember past timelines where they have been, and they even know of other timelines that they will later be responsible for creating! And please do not take success for granted merely because history records it. Time is not rigid; man has free will. If you fail, history will change and will not ever have recorded your success; I will not have told you about it.
Resilient Timeline

Time Travel Methods

Time Fliers: A two-seater, flying time hopper. It was reminiscent of a motorcycle without wheels or handlebars. There were two saddles and an antigravity propulsion unit.

Themes

Classified Ad: Adventurers Wanted: MEN WANTED 21-40, pref. single, mil. or tech. exp., good physique, for high-pay work with foreign travel. Engineering Studies Co., 305 E.45, 9-12 2-6.
Intertemporal Communication Systems between Time Travel Agents/Offices/etc.: Intertemporal memos fly all over the place.
Language Difficulties: Not to worry: Languages can be quickly acquired via a hypnotic educator.
Save “Lois”!: Save Mary Nelson!
Technology and Science from the Future: For example, Stane’s blaster allows him to become a king.
Time Cops: The Patrol is more of an enforcement unit (time cops) than an academic unit (Traveler Becomes a God, Royalty, Wizard, etc.: Stane

Real-World Tags

Roman Empire: near its end
Victorian England

Groupings

Cited in Paradoxes of Time Travel by Rayn Wasserrman ()
Fiction (France) (periodical): #28, March 1956
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (periodical): May 1955
Cited in Time Machines by Paul J. Nahin ()
Time Patrol (story series): 1
Urania (periodical): #252–254. 26 March to 23 April 1961

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

From an unspecified location, 1954 ⋙ to the Academy in the American West, in the Oligocene. Note: We list only Patrolman Everard’s timeline, starting with his trip to the Academy.
From an unknown time ⋙ to 1954. Note: Everard returned to his apartment.
From an unknown time ⋙ to London, 1947. Note: to pick up Charlie Whitcomb.
From an unknown time ⋙ to 13-B Old Osbourne Road, London, midnight on 26 June 1894. Note: to confer J. Mainwethering.
From an unknown time ⋙ to Addleton, Kent, AD 464. Note: Everard and Whitcomb head back to find the troublemaker, . . .
From an unknown time ⋙ to Addleton, Kent, AD 461. Note: . . . but they were three years too late.
From an unknown time ⋙ to 13-B Old Osbourne Road, London, shortly after previously leaving. Note: Only Everard returns!
From an unknown time ⋙ to London, 10:30 p.m., 17 November 1944. Note: Everard goes in search of Whitcomb, . . .
From an unknown time ⋙ to London, 8:30 p.m., 17 November 1944. Note: . . . but he was two hours too late.
From an unknown time ⋙ to 1954. Note: We’ll give you a lift back to your year. 1954, isn’t it?

Time Patrol 1

Time Patrol

by Poul Anderson

DEBUT