Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Binney Memorial Medal, For Courage in Support of Law and Order, bronze, 48mm. (Winifred Myers, 1955), in its John Pinches, London case of issue, extremely fine and rare £1000-1200

Sold with the official Binney Memorial Medal 1955 presentation citation and two photographs of the recipient at the awards ceremony.

The citation reads: ‘At about 9.30 p.m. on 8th November, 1955, Mrs Myers received a call for help from the woman occupying the top-floor flat in the house in which she lives. The woman said that her former husband had called on her and was behaving strangely. She knew he had a gun. Mrs Myers promptly called a police officer and leaving the woman downstairs in her flat went with the officer to the door of the flat above, which was shut. She tried to persuade the man to open it but was unsuccessful and she returned to her own flat, leaving the police officer alone. The man then opened the door, discovered the police officer there, slammed the door and fired a shot through it, injuring the officer, who went to call for police help. Mrs Myers returned to the top flat and persuaded the man to open the door again. He was waving the gun about and Mrs Myers tried to get him to give it to her but this he refused to do and on the arrival of more police officers he went inside the flat and shut the door. He fired several more shots through the door, narrowly missing Mrs Myers and the officers, but eventually came out and surrendered to the police.
Mrs Myers acted with great presence of mind and with no regard for her personal safety. There is no doubt that her intervention prevented the situation from becoming more serious.’

The citation bears the signatures of the Chief Magistrate of the Metropolitan Police Courts, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the Commissioner of Police for the City of London, the Fourth Sea Lord, and the Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

The Binney Memorial Medal was founded in memory of Captain Ralph D. Binney, C.B.E., R.N., who gallantly met his death on 8 December 1944 in the City of London, in a valiant and single-handed attempt to stop two thieves who were making their getaway. An annual award, the medal was available to any British citizen, who not being a member of any Police Force, performed a brave act in the support of law and order within the area of operations of the Metropolitan or City of London Police. A Binney Medal may or may not be awarded each calendar year and on occasion two or more medals were awarded for the same incident.

Winifred Myers ran a successful book and autograph business from a premises in Dover Street, London. Two of her retail catalogues accompany the award.