Lot 4285

Description

Pair: King's Police Medal (GVIR) first type, for Gallantry; Defence Medal 1939-45. C.Linsdell Constable Metropolitan Police Force on first medal. Engraved. First medal renamed, engraved; second medal unnamed. Very fine.

At about 3.15am on 21st May 1942, a Canadian soldier stationed in Surrey, stole a Thomson machine gun and a revolver from the armoury at his depot, and then held up the picket at the transport park, and stole a lorry, and headed for London. Cordons were set up across the main raod at Bagshot and also at Egham, but the man drove straight through both of them. Constables Lindsell and Salter were directed to set up a road block at Staines Bridge, West London, and with Constables Carpenter and Grant they waited. When the lorry approached, Constable Lindsell switched on the headlights of his car, blinding the fugitive, causing him to swerve into the kerb. Constables Carpenter and Grant jumped up onto the cab of the lorry and disarmed the soldier before he could use any of the weapons. Constable Lindsell had sat in the car in the middle of the road, knowing that the lorry had already been driven through two cordons. C.Carpenter, G.S.Grant, P.H.Salter were all awarded a K.P.M. for this incident.