Medals from the Collection of R.W. Gould, MBE

A K.P.M. pair awarded to Police Sergeant R. Bird, Metropolitan Police, for gallantry in arresting an armed burglar who had just shot two policemen

King’s Police Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (Royal Bird, Sergt. Metropolitan Police); Coronation 1911, Metropolitan Police (P.C.) very fine (2) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the Collection of R.W. Gould, MBE.

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K.P.M. London Gazette 1 January 1920.

The K.P.M. was awarded to Sergeant Royal Bird, and Constables George Richardson, William Williams and Frederick Riches, for an incident on 20 September 1918. Richardson and Williams were sent to Waterloo to meet and arrest a man whom the Surrey police wanted for housebreaking. He resisted violently and produced an automatic pistol. He shot and disabled Richardson; Williams then closed with him and endeavoured to get the pistol, but the prisoner shot him in the thigh. Williams closed with him again, but was thrown down and could not rise, and the prisoner ran away. Bird and Riches had now come up and chased him through several streets, finally coming upon him in a wash-house, where they arrested him. The pistol was found in the wash-house still containing five live cartridges.

Royal Bird was born at Bungay, Wangford, Suffolk, on 2 April 1884. He was a stableman at Halesworth, Suffolk, before joining the Metropolitan Police on 18 June 1906. He retired on pension in September 1931 and died on 17 September 1959, aged 73. Sold with research.