Sergeant Christopher John GARTLAND G.M. Liverpool Police Force 14th June 1895 - 1976 P.C. John Edward Willington UREN G.M. Liverpool Police Force 1906 Redruth, Cornwall - 2nd November 1966 Liverpool P.C. Herbert Frederick Collier BAKER G.M. Liverpool Police Force 1906 - 1953 ‘During an air raid a building was demolished by enemy action. Portions of the interior walls collapsed, and the outside wall was leaning dangerously inwards. Gartland, Baker and Uren, accompanied by Tolen, entered the building and, after searching in complete darkness, they found a firewatcher, trapped and almost buried under the debris on the ground floor. When some of the wreckage had been removed, a large wooden beam, which was carrying the weight of the debris of the roof and upper floor and which was directly over the trapped man, appeared about to collapse. Constable Uren at once got under the beam, supporting it with his shoulder. He remained in this position for a considerable time, during which the other three men worked frantically to free the victim. The weight of the beam became too much for Uren to support and Baker took up a position beside him. It was clear that the whole building might collapse at any moment and the Sergeant, who is a man of exceptional strength, placed his arms round the man's body and with a powerful and sustained effort pulled him clear of the debris. Constable Baker then got away from trip beam but owing to the great weight Uren was unable to move. The Sergeant took hold of him and snatched him away bodily. As he did so the upper floor collapsed, completely covering the place where the rescuers had been working. During the whole of this time Tolen had been untiring in his efforts to release the trapped man, entirely regardless of the near danger. Constables Uren and Baker, by supporting the beam for over an hour, made the rescue possible. Had they collapsed under the severe strain, the rescuers and rescued would have been killed. Sergeant Gartland, who was in charge of the operation, showed initiative and leadership of the highest order with complete disregard of danger.’ London Gazette 1st August 1941 p.4417 Thomas TOLEN George Medal 3rd January 1905 - 1981 Liverpool A.R.P. Rescue Party Builders Labourer residing 234 Kensington, Liverpool 29.9.1939 Rescued Firewatcher : Anthony Heron McQUEEN 5th January 1905 - 1968 Liverpool The Liverpool Echo Saturday 2nd August 1941
There a few good items in the site. If you look at the “articles” sub set you may enjoy a little bit of humour in the article “Retaliate First”. The 5 following items are by the same author - who is known to me - and give his often humorous (non PC?) take on Policing in Liverpool in the last decades of the 20th Century. Retaliate First - Liverpool City Police Steve
When the Police released men for military service in July 1942, several Liverpool policemen volunteered for the Commandos.
There is a plaque in the foyer of Southport Police Station to commemorate CSM Miller Smith Coldstream Guards & No 2 Commando captured in Norway 1942 and one of the first men to be executed under Hitler’s Commando Order. He was a recalled reservist from Southport Borough Police. There are several mentions of him on the internet and in this site. Steve
P.C. Charles Leslie CAIRNS B.E.M. Bootle Police Force 13th September 1908 - 25th July 1981 Liverpool ‘During an air raid a shelter together with its occupants was blown into the rafters of a house. Under the leadership of Police Constable Cairns, rescuers climbed to the damaged roof' and lowered the victims to the ground. During this time adjacent houses were on fire and bombs dropped nearby shaking the roof which was in a very dangerous condition. The Constable fell through on two or three occasions but recovered himself and carried on until the rescue work was completed. It was due to the initiative and energy of Police Constable Cairns that the rescues were achieved.’ London Gazette 1st August 1941 p.4419 P.C. James TARBUCK B.E.M. Liverpool City Police High explosive bombs demolished several houses and trapped a number of people. Constable Tarbuck, who was off duty, was engaged in extinguishing an incendiary bomb on the roof of a nearby building. He was blown to the ground by the blast of the bomb and injured his left knee cap. Despite his injury, he immediately went to the incident and organised a rescue party of volunteers. Under his direction and leadership ten people were rescued alive from the debris. During these operations the district was subjected to a very heavy bombardment. Although in considerable pain from his injured knee Constable Tarbuck worked with courage and untiring devotion to duty.’ London Gazette 1st August 1941 p.4422 Sergeant Elymer ANKERS B.E.M. Liverpool Fire Brigade 1st December 1897 Wrexham - 1971 Liverpool When bombs fell on a railway siding an ammunition train caught fire and the contents of the trucks exploded. The Fire Briagade arrived and Sergeant Ankers at once took charge of the fire fighting and rescue work. In attempting to control the fires and remove the ammunition train from the area, he showed complete disregard for his own safety and acted with courage and resource. London Gazette 1st August 1941 p.4422 The Liverpool Echo Saturday 2nd August 1941
