Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct pair awarded to Detective Sergeant R. C. Browning, Metropolitan Police, for bravery in carrying out a two-hour rescue of a man from the rubble of a collapsed building during an air raid on Willesden, London, on 19 February 1944

Defence Medal, with K.C.F.B.C. silver laurel leaves emblem; Police Long Service Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (D.S. (2nd. C1.) Ronald C. Browning), mounted court-style for display purposes with the recipient’s original King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct plastic badge, extremely fine (2) £200-300

K.C.F.B.C. London Gazette 5 December 1944.

The Recommendation, dated 20 April 1944, states: ‘At about 1:15 a.m. on 19th February, 1944, an H.E. bomb fell in Fleetwood, Road, Willesden, and demolished some houses. Police Sergeant Meager and Police Constable Wright went to the scene from Willesden Police Station and on their way met Police Constable Browning, who lives in Fleetwood Road. The three men first took part in the rescue of a woman, a child, and an old man from two of the demolished houses. Immediately afterwards, hearing cries for help coming from one of the houses, Police Sergeant Meager commenced to tunnel through the debris. As he went forward he passed rubble, bricks, and broken beams to the two Police Constables, who crawled behind him shoring up the tunnel as he went. After tunnelling for about an hour they came on a pocket of gas from a broken pipe. This was so bad that Meager was overcome and had to give up work for a few minutes and eventually another hole had to be made to let in air to drive out the gas. Another hour’s work, which included sawing through wooden joists while lying on his stomach, enabled Meager to reach a man who was pinned by fallen masonry. He freed the man’s head and shoulders and after a further half an hour’s work he was able to release him completely and drag him out.
The tunnel was driven through a heap of loose debris about fifteen feet high. During part of the time the work was going on, the air raid was still in progress and further bombs were dropped in the neighbourhood. Heavy gunfire from nearby guns increased the risk of the tunnel collapsing on the men.’

The trapped man who was rescued was Mr. J. J. Ellery, who afterwards gave the following statement: ‘At about 1:15 a.m., on 19th February 1944, a bomb fell into the garden next door to my house at 120 Fleetwood Road, NW10, causing the complete collapse of my home. After a period of unconsciousness I heard a voice shout “Anybody here” to which I cried back “Yes”, as well as shouting back that others were in the building as well, giving details of where they were. I myself was held down by broken masonry and fallen rafters. The Officer whose identity I did not know at the time flashed his light to enable me to give him some direction of my position. As soon as he located me he immediately proceeded to open up a way to reach me. At great risk to himself he burrowed underneath the fallen debris supporting dangerous pieces of structure and eventually reached me freeing my body and arms and then crawled right over my body and freed my legs. This was with the assistance of other Officers who kept calling him “Serge”. I mentioned to the Sergeant that my father was in an upstairs room in bed and he said, “We have already got him out”.
In my opinion these Officers without any regard to their own personal safety acted in a very courageous manner and did all that was humanly possible to extricate us from our very perilous position with the least loss of time and I should therefore like to recommend very strongly that the three Officers concerned should receive recognition by the Commissioner of Police for their prompt and courageous conduct in saving my life and rescuing others.’

Ronald Charles Browning was born on 25 January 1913 at Acton, London, and joined the Metropolitan Police on 7 May 1935. Posted to “X” (Kilburn) Division on 23 September 1940, he served with Criminal Investigation Department, and was awarded the King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct for his role in rescuing Mr. Ellery following the air raid on Willesden on 19 February 1944. At the end of the War he transferred to “C” (Mayfair & Soho) Division, and was promoted Detective Sergeant on 28 June 1948. He moved to the Criminal Record Office on 22 September 1950, and retired from the Metropolitan Police Force on 11 August 1965. In the course of his police career he received 3 Commissioner’s Commendations. He died at Ramsgate, Kent on 11 February 1972.

For their brave conduct in Civil Defence, Police Constables Browning and A. J. Wright received King’s Commendations, and Police Sergeant W. J.Meager, who led the rescue, was awarded the British Empire Medal.