Civilian Gallantry List: May 2024
This lists the names of people who have received The King’s Gallantry Medal and The King’s Commendation for Bravery.
KING’S GALLANTRY MEDAL
PC Steven Denniss, Lincolnshire Police, for apprehending a double murder suspect while off-duty in Louth, Lincolnshire, on 1 June 2021.
On 1 June 2021, whilst walking his dog off-duty, PC Steven Denniss saw a suspect from a double murder which had taken place in Louth. Given the suspect’s demeanour towards a nearby woman, PC Denniss felt it necessary to identify himself as an off-duty police officer and detain him until colleagues arrived. He was not wearing any protective clothing such as a stab vest or any personal protective equipment. The suspect resisted arrest, and this escalated to a full fight with PC Denniss trying to detain the suspect. Having broken free, a member of the public tried to intervene, at which point the suspect produced a knife. The suspect, seeing PC Denniss on the phone to the police, came back and threatened PC Denniss, ordering him to hand over his phone. PC Denniss refused and he was stabbed twice; once he managed to block but on the second, he sustained an injury to his leg. The suspect then fled and PC Denniss continued to chase the suspect until he was joined by armed officers. PC Denniss then assisted in evacuating members of the public from the area. The suspect was arrested by the colleagues who had joined PC Denniss and later charged.
Lawrie ELSDON-DEW, for protecting others during a nine day siege during fierce fighting outside the Sudan Embassy, in April 2023.
Mr Elsdon-Dew was on his first overseas posting when, on the morning of 15 April 2023, intense fighting erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Residents of the city, including British Embassy staff and families, found themselves in the midst of all-out urban warfare. When the fighting began, Mr Elsdon-Dew was at home a few miles from the Embassy. He drove through the fighting to the Embassy/Residence compound, and took shelter there together with a number of Embassy staff and families, who had been in or next to the compound when the conflict started. The area around the compound rapidly became the scene of the fiercest fighting, involving not just intensive small arms fire but also the widespread and indiscriminate use of artillery. Throughout the nine day ordeal, Mr Elsdon-Dew was a model of courage, commitment and professionalism, establishing himself as the leader of the group trapped at the Embassy/Residence compound and volunteering to lead on a range of difficult and dangerous tasks. These tasks required regular movement between Embassy buildings and included leaving the compound on foot to assist a diplomatic spouse who, having been evicted from their place of shelter, had suffered a panic attack on their way to the Embassy. Mr Elsdon-Dew escorted them to safety at great personal risk to himself.
Stacey Farrington (née Hughes) and Jake Walker, for their actions stopping a speeding car from travelling the wrong way on a motorway, on 8 November 2021.
On 8 November 2020, Stacey Farrington and Jake Walker were driving their ambulance up the M6 motorway to a job. They heard a warning on the radio that someone was driving their car the wrong way up the fast lane towards them. When they saw the car in the distance, they pulled out in front of the car and turned on their lights and sirens to try to get the driver’s attention. When that failed to get the driver’s attention, they decided to use their ambulance to stop the car to protect members of the public. The car ploughed into their ambulance head-on at motorway speeds. Clearly, this could have led to both of them losing their lives. Thankfully, both of them suffered only minor injuries. Despite having just been in a severe crash, they climbed out of the ambulance to treat the driver of the incoming car, who was heavily intoxicated. He also incurred only minor injuries.
Georgia Laurie, for saving her sister from a crocodile attack while on an excursion in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, on 6 June 2021.
On 6 June 2021, Georgia Laurie was on an excursion in Mexico with her twin sister and others, when a guide wrongly informed them that they could safely swim in a river off the Manialtepec Lagoon in Puerto Escondido.
Whilst in the water, her sister identified a crocodile also in the water approximately 15 metres away and alerted Ms Laurie and others to swim for safety. During the frantic escape, the crocodile snatched Ms Laurie’s sister just as she was being pulled onto the bank by one of the other excursion members. Ms Laurie was stranded in the mangroves, unable to reach the bank. The excursion member who attempted to pull Ms Laurie’s sister onto the bank went to seek help, while another managed to climb to safety in a tree. Ms Laurie continued searching through the mangroves and was alerted to the position of her sister floating unconscious face down on the surface by the excursion member who had climbed the tree. Ms Laurie managed to revive her, however, the crocodile returned. It attacked her sister again, biting her by the ankle and dragging her away. Ms Laurie fought off the crocodile by punching it on the nose with one fist while ensuring her sister’s head stayed above water with her other hand. Eventually, this deterred the crocodile and Ms Laurie was able to drag her sister to a more secluded area to attend to her wounds. However, the crocodile returned for a final attack. It death-rolled her sister and, as Ms Laurie was punching the crocodile to release her sister from its jaws, she sustained her own injuries when it bit her hand. During the process of retrieving her sister to safety, the crocodile attacked Ms Laurie and, though bitten and wounded, her priority was to get her sister back to a nearby boat regardless of her injuries. Ms Laurie’s sister survived with an open fracture to her wrist, severe puncture wounds to the abdomen and many injuries to her leg and foot. That she did so was almost entirely due to the exceptional bravery of her sister, who clearly knew that a dangerous crocodile was in the water but still chose to risk her life to save her sister, showing great persistence in fighting off the attack on multiple occasions.
PC Rowland Printer, for confronting an armed assailant during a shooting in Plymouth, on 12 August 2021.
On 12 August 2021, an assailant shot and killed five people and injured two more in a series of shootings in Keyham, Plymouth. PC Printer was the driver of a marked patrol vehicle accompanied by another officer when he heard a reported shooting and responded immediately. They attended a scene where they saw one of the victims, who was severely injured. PC Printer stopped his vehicle and ran towards them, immediately realising that the victim had suffered a significant gunshot wound to her abdomen. Whilst attending to the victim, PC Printer became aware that the assailant had returned with a shotgun. PC Printer immediately moved towards the assailant, trying to divert his attention away from other members of the public in the immediate vicinity. The assailant held the shotgun under his chin with one of his fingers around the trigger. As PC Printer continued to move towards the assailant, he appeared to nod in the direction of PC Printer before pulling the trigger. PC Printer continued to run towards the assailant, but the assailant was fatally injured. PC Printer returned to the injured woman, while continuing with CPR, as well as directly assisting the doctor whilst surgery was conducted in the street. PC Printer drove with the injured woman’s husband, who had arrived at the scene, to hospital and remained at the hospital for some time, supporting the husband. The woman’s injuries were not survivable and she sadly died in hospital. PC Printer’s selfless and brave actions confronting the assailant prevented further harm to members of the public.
KING’S COMMENDATION FOR BRAVERY
Stephen Ellison, for rescuing a stranger from a river in Chongqing, China in November 2020.
In November 2020, Mr Ellison was posted in Chongqing, China, in his role as British Consul General. On a walk at the time, Mr Ellison noticed a woman face down in the water, seemingly unconscious. The river current was fast, the temperature of the water was very low, and the riverbank was uneven, largely formed of rocks. At the point of entry, the distance to the water was estimated to be two metres, requiring a jump. A further two-three metres had to be covered in order to reach the victim. Mr Ellison acted quickly by removing his shoes and jumping into the water to rescue the woman, as others watched on. He immediately turned her over, lifted her face clear of the water, and swam back with her to the steep riverbank. Without Mr Ellison’s quick, selfless and brave actions, the woman would almost certainly have died.
Chhaganlal JAGATIA, for helping to rescue a number of people from a burning hotel in Mati, Greece, in July 2018.
Chhaganlal Jagatia helped save a number of people from a burning hotel in Mati, Greece, during the destructive wildfires of July 2018. As a former Fire Marshall, he stayed in the hotel once it had caught flames to help direct his family and a number of other guests to safety on the beach, before returning to attempt to rescue his daughter-in-law’s disabled grandmother. As she was unable to move due to fire damage to her wheelchair, Mr Jagatia stayed behind to treat her burns and keep her cool as the hotel was burning around them. They were eventually evacuated by Greek fire services. Mr Jagatia suffered serious burn injuries to his leg whilst he also suffered smoke inhalation.
Paul Martin, for intervening in a knife attack on 14 April 2021.
On 14th April 2021, Paul Martin was working from home when he responded to calls for help from a neighbouring house. Mr Martin was informed by someone outside his neighbour’s property that there was an ongoing incident in the house and that an individual had been repeatedly stabbed. Mr Martin entered the neighbouring address, whereby he swiftly disarmed the assailant, who had a knife; and facilitated the escape of the person being attacked from the address. He also secured the offence weapon to prevent any further or repeated attack. The suspect fled the scene but Mr Martin remained with the victim and took safe custody of the weapon until the arrival of police officers and its subsequent forensic recovery.