Auction Catalogue

17 & 18 May 2016

Starting at 11:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 105

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17 May 2016

Hammer Price:
£1,300

A K.P.M. pair awarded to Gerald Sidney Wilson, C.S.I., Inspector-General of Police, Bombay Presidency, who once arrested Mahatma Gandhi

King’s Police Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (Gerald Sidney Wilson, Dep. Commr. Port of Bombay Pol.); Coronation 1911, unnamed as issued, mounted as worn, together with two ribbon bars, one with C.S.I. ribbon, extremely fine (2)
£600-800

K.P.M. London Gazette 1 January 1918: ‘Gerald Sidney Wilson, Esq., Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Port of Bombay.’

C.S.I.
London Gazette 3 June 1931: ‘Gerald Sidney Wilson, Esq., Indian Police Service, Commissioner of Police, Bombay.’

Gerald Sidney Wilson was born in 1880, son of Sidney Wilson, late of H.E.I.C.’s Navy. He was educated at Tonbridge and overseas, and passed into the Indian Police Service in 1901, being posted to the Bombay Presidency. He held appointments of Assistant and District Superintendent of Police up to 1912; Personal Assistant to Inspector-General of Police, 1912-14; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bombay City, 1914-18; Principal, Police Training School, 1920-21; Deputy Inspector-General of Police, 1921-28; Officiating Inspector-General of Police, Bombay Presidency, 1928-29; Commissioner of Police, Bombay City, 1930-32; Inspector-General of Police, Bombay Presidency, 1932-34; retired, 1934. Civilian attached General Staff, War Office, September 1939-43; Assistant Divisional Food Officer (Enforcement) N.W. Division, 1943-44. He died on 5 February 1960.

The following incident was reported in
The Guardian newspaper on Monday, 4 January 1932:

‘Gandhi was arrested at three o'clock this morning at his Bombay residence, Manibhuwan, the police having arrived only a few moments previously. The actual arrest was carried out by the Police Commissioner, Mr. Wilson, who was accompanied by the deputy Commissioner, Khan Bahadur Pettigara, and four other officers.

As soon as the police were sighted there was a flutter, and everybody tried to secure access to Gandhi's tent, but they were promptly prevented. Gandhi was immediately awakened, and as he was observing his usual silence when he saw the Police Commissioner he simply smiled at him. The Police Commissioner immediately handed over the warrant for his arrest to Gandhi, who, after quickly reading it through, handed it back again.

The warrant for Gandhi's arrest merely says that he is being arrested "for good and sufficient reasons." Then followed some very touching scenes of farewell in which all the members of Gandhi's ashram participated. The Commissioner allowed Mr. Gandhi half an hour in which to exchange parting greetings with his followers. Quick telephone calls were put through to as many places as possible to warn Congressmen who proposed to visit Manibhuwan to confer with their leader before his arrest.

Except for the party of six police officials there were no other policemen at Manibhuwan at the time of the arrest, but immediately after the arrest had been effected batches of policemen armed with lathis sprang up at all important crossroads with a view to preventing all demonstrations or untoward incidents. Most of the women of Gandhi's party wept bitterly as he left, whilst his wife, also in tears, begged the Police Commissioner to take her away with her husband. Gandhi himself, however, appeared to be in the best of spirits, his face being wreathed in smiles. A doctor is accompanying Gandhi to Yerwada Gaol.’

See Lots 184, 227, 664 and 673 for related family medals