My step father worked in a shop near the Parish church each Saturday . He often had a bet on the horses to pass the time, but rarely won. On this occasion, 20th March 1982, his bet came up and he went to collect his winnings. As he entered the betting shop, he saw a man with a sawn off shotgun holding up the lady cashier and immediately tackled him. Sadly he was fatally shot. He was a Hero.

As a result on 30th September 1983 my mother received a letter from Major General Rice inviting her to attend the Palace to receive the Queens Gallantry medal on behalf of her late husband. Our travel and accommodation were paid for and we stayed at the Waldorf Hotel.

The date of the presentation was the 3rd November and she was asked to arrive at the Palace at 10.30am, together with 2 guests, I was one of them. We were told to present the letter to the police officer on duty and to give a windscreen sticker to our taxi driver to allow him to drive to the Palace door. The taxi driver was amazed and dumbfounded to actually be allowed to drive through the gates. It obviously was a lifetime honour for him.

We were shown to a drawing room overlooking the Palace gardens and the Lord Chancellor met us and give us instructions on how to greet the Queen, as this was a personal audience with her. She eventually entered the room and spoke to us individually, saying how brave my late Step Father had been and how sorry she was for my Mother and the family. She was so friendly and put us immediately at ease.

Afterwards we were taken to the Grand Hall to watch the Investitures of other being knighted or presented with medals.

The whole experience was surreal and something I will never forget, although it was also a sad occasion.