George William McKinlay Russell QGM
N 54° 18.325 W 002° 43.297
30U E 518114 N 6017539
Pc George William Russell was shot and fatally injured at Oxenholme railway station on 10 February 1965. He and other officers were involved in a stand-off at the station with a suspected car thief, who was also in possession of a stolen gun.
Waymark Code: WM32JA
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/30/2008
Views: 31
This plaque is attached to the waiting room wall on the south bound platform of Oxenholme railway station. Pc Alex Archibald, who was also shot and seriously injured in the same incident, was invited to attend the unveiling ceremony on 21 June 2007. Before the suspect, Middleton, was arrested he shot himself in the head, but it was not fatal. A judge at Preston Crown Court ruled that he was not fit to stand trial for his crimes and committed the 24-year-old to a secure mental institution.
Brian Firth, a former colleague of Pc Russell, became aware that there was no suitable memorial in place and approached chief constable Michael Baxter who expects the plaque will remind people about the dangers that police officers face in carrying out their duties. Hopefully the plaque will ensure that we never forget George Russell's brave actions, who gave his life whilst protecting the public.
George Russell died a true hero, all the officers involved in this incident knew they were looking for a very dangerous individual and put their lives on the line. The plaque is in the place where he fell.
Pc Russell, who is buried in Carlisle, is one of 17 police officers from the current Cumbria Constabulary boundaries to die while on duty since 1835. George Russell died in hospital a few hours later, aged just 36. He has a figurative gargoyle on Carlisle cathedral. Look for picture on BBC web page. (
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QGM stands for Queen's Police Gallantry Medal (
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George Russell, a former guardsman, who had been a policeman for about 10 years, was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Gallantry on 19 October 1965.
Links
News and Star newspaper
The original incident (
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Plaque dedication (
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The Cumberland News newspaper (dedication) (
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Police Roll of Honour Trust (
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Posthumous Sovereign's Awards for Police Gallantry (
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