List of recipients of the George Medal, 1950s
Name Rank and Unit Action/Citation Year awarded
William Anderson Column Officer , National Fire Service , Glasgow Anderson was one of three fire officers awarded the GM for showing utter disregard of their own safety in making persistent attempts to save the lives of the trapped men ... in a fire at a cabinet-makers at Ballater Street , Glasgow 1953
Ramadhani Athumani Constable , Tanganyika Police Force When 22 Masai and Waarush tribesmen ran away when a lion sprang and started to maul a government veterinary officer , the constable attacked a fully grown lion with the butt of his rifle as a club . After seizing the constbale 's right arm and a violent struggle , the lion ran off ; saving the veterinary officer 's life 1957
David Frederick Alfred Bloom Assistant superintendent , Marine Branch , Trinidad and Tobago Police Force A wooden schooner with 8000 gallons of fuel caught fire in a heavily congested part of the Port of Spain harbour . Despite the probability of an explosion , the police launch with the port services tug moved the schooner in darkness to waste land . Bloom boarded the vessel to do fire fighting . He was in the gravest danger of being killed immediately , while demonstrating calm and cool leadership . Chief Fire Officer Ronald Godfrey Cox also awarded the George Medal 1957
Keith Trevor Burdett Constable , Metropolitan Police Three males were trying to steal a car , but ran off when the officer approached . After telephoning for assistance , with other officers he sought to apprehend a dangerous criminal . When trying to climb a wall , the officer was shot at several times , resulting in injuries . Four other officers were awarded the British Empire Medal 1956
Allassan Busanga Corporal , Gold Coast Police Reserve Busanga was one of eight police officers who , armed only with batons , faced down a hostile crowd estimated at 2,000 on the bridge near Elmina Castle . While engaging the rioters Busanga received severe gunshot wounds in the head and body 1953
Wilfred Cain Constable , Nottingham City Police Shortly after midnight Cain saw a man in the river near Trent Bridge , Nottingham , and heard a call for help . Using the headlights from a patrol car Cain swam to the rescue . The man was about 150 feet ( 46 m ) from the bank , and the river , between 12-15 feet ( 3.7-4.6 m ) in depth , was running with a very strong current . The water was also extremely cold and the man struggled continuously . Cain , however , swam with him for about 350 yards ( 320 m ) until reaching the river bank 1953
Robert Campbell Constable , Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary For disarming and arresting Robert Dobie Smith , after Smith had shot dead fellow police officer William Gibson while the officers were on duty . Smith was hanged in Saughton , Edinburgh , in September 1951 1951
Chew Kim Chuan Inspector , Federation of Malaya Police Force For outstanding gallantry in action against communist terrorists , and responsible for the capture of the leaders of many gangs . On one occasion he undertook , unarmed , an operation which involved facing terrorists armed with sten guns , rifles , and hand grenades , and after a fierce hand-to-hand struggle succeeded in overcoming them and bringing them to justice 1956
Thomas Vivian Chisnall Farmer , Gwelo , Southern Rhodesia When an aircraft crashed into some trees after overshooting the runway at Thornhill airfield , Chisnall , who lived nearby , rushed to the scene . The aircraft was on fire and the pilot , badly injured and unconscious , was still strapped into the cockpit . Chisnall attempted to release him , but was driven back by the flames . A neighbour , Mr. Richard Walton Fores Cox , a garage manager , then arrived and attempted to cut the pilot free with his penknife , but was also driven back . Chisnall , using a coat and hat as a shield , returned several times to the aircraft and using Cox 's knife eventually managed to cut the pilot free , and he and Cox dragged him away from the wreckage and administered first aid . Cox was subsequently awarded the British Empire Medal 1953
Bruce Desmond Christofferson Detective , New Zealand Police Force For tackling two youths armed with rifles , suspected of robbery , during which he was shot in the chest . The two fled the scene , but were subsequently arrested 1953
Osmund Ertmann 'Ossie ' Cislowski Constable # 4598 , Queensland Police Force On 10 August 1954 , Cislowski was shot by a revolver in the chest , left hip , and right leg when seeking to arrest a 24-year-old male labourer , in Denham Street , Townsville . He continued to chase and arrest the offender after being shot . The constable was assisted by fellow Constable # 4035 Earle Leonard Needham , who was invested with the British Empire Medal ( Civil Division ) . Offender later sentenced to 14 years gaol , additional to matters of burglary . Cislowski was the first Queensland officer to get the medal 1956
Leo Lewis Clarke Stoker Picked up and ran with a bomb that was about to explode , throwing it clear of his colleagues , and thereby sustaining injuries to his hand . Also received the Order of Industrial Heroism 1950
Leslie Robert Colquhoun Civil Test Pilot , Vickers-Armstrongs Supermarine Works In May 1950 Colquhoun was flying an Attacker to test the effectiveness of the air brakes . On the third of two dives the outer portion of the starboard wing folded up and the ailerons became locked . Colquhoun decided not to eject and made a high-speed landing at Chilbolton airfield , saving the aircraft so that the cause could be discovered 1950
Ronald Godfrey Cox Chief Fire Officer , Trinidad and Tobago Fire Services A wooden schooner with 8000 gallons of fuel caught fire in a heavily congested part of the Port of Spain harbour . Despite the probability of an explosion , the police launch with the port services tug moved the schooner in darkness to waste land . Long efforts resulted in the extinguishing of the blaze . Police assistant superintendent David Frederick Alfred Bloom also awarded the George Medal 1957
Dama Dagarti Sergeant , Gold Coast Police Reserve Sergeant Dagarti was one of eight police officers who , armed only with batons , faced down a hostile crowd estimated at 2,000 on the bridge near Elmina Castle . Shots were fired from the crowd killing the Commanding Officer and mortally wounding another constable . Dagarti took command and engaged the crowd with batons . In a short period of time all except Dagarti were wounded , preventing them from taking further part in the action , but he continued to engage the crowd single-handed until reinforcements arrived 1953
Leonard Deptford Constable , Lincolnshire Constabulary During notorious flooding across parts of the country , the officer entered a two-story house , roped together seven people sheltering upstairs , and let them to safety , with 'his cheerful determination and competent handling of the desperate situation ' 1953
Lawrence Silvester Dick Junior Nurse , Ministry of Health , Gold Coast For going to the assistance of police officers who had been shot by rioters , whilst under fire 1953
George Arthur Dorsett Constable , Metropolitan Police Awarded for disarming a man armed with a pistol who had already shot at another officer . Awarded a bar to the GM for disarming a man with a shotgun 1953 1959
Hugh Douglas Police Constable , Nottingham City Police Saved a young child from a burning house after the flames had forced three others from attempting a rescue 1950
David George Ensor Civil Servant , Ministry of Labour and National Insurance , Northern Ireland For pursuing armed robbers on foot and by car 1953
1950s
The George Medal is awarded by the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations for acts of great bravery; over 2,000 medals have been awarded since its inception in September 1940. Below is set out a selection of recipients of the award, during the 1950s. A person's presence in this list does not suggest their award was more notable than any other award of the George Medal. Where a recipient has received a second GM, a picture of the ribbon bearing the bar symbol is shown.