This Is Your Life: Frederick Stone

Frederick STONE GM, BEM (1898-?)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Frederick Stone, retired police constable, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the audience at the BBC Television Theatre.

Frederick, known affectionately as 'Rodney' or 'Stoney', was born in Gloucester and joined the Metropolitan Police Force in April 1921. He was initially posted to 'A' division and Cannon Row Police Station, Westminster, but left the beat in 1939 to work at the Marlborough Street Police Court.

In his thirty-year career as a constable, he was awarded a King's Police Medal in 1928 for rescuing a man from drowning in the River Thames at night and a British Empire Medal for gallantry in 1941 when, off duty, he helped search a tunnel in a collapsing building to rescue four air raid victims. In 1951 Frederick was invalided out of the Force due to the injuries he suffered while tackling a violent smash-and-grab shop breaker armed with an iron bar - an act for which he was awarded a George Medal for gallantry.

programme details...

Edition No: 57
Subject No: 57
Broadcast live: Mon 3 Mar 1958
Broadcast time: 8.15-8.45pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 3
Edition: 23

on the guest list...

Paul Bennett
Charles Folkes
Sally - wife
Harry Evans
George Tyndall
Jack Graves
Sidney - son
Gilbert - son
George Lewis
Edward Blow
Marty Comprebassi
Michael Bentine
Phyllis Richards
Luigi Ravagnan
Sabina Cole
Vivian St George
Sir John Nott-Bower

production team...

Researcher: George Bruce
Writer: Nigel Ward
Director: Vere Lorrimer
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life Savers

heroes of the emergency services

Michael Bentine

Phyllis Holman Richards

Photographs of Frederick Stone This Is Your Life

The Gazette Online unknown date

Metropolitan Police officers: gallantry awards and other medals

Police Constable Frederick Mark 'Rodney' Stone

For this award, we will focus on PC Frederick Mark 'Rodney' Stone GM KPM.

BEM (warrant number 111658), the most decorated officer for gallantry in the Metropolitan Police, awarded in 1941 for (along with other recognised colleagues) saving people buried in a building after it received a direct hit.

Supplement to the London Gazette of 8 August 1941 (Gazette supplement 352391:

'A building was completely demolished by a high explosive bomb and people were trapped. Gas and water were escaping from fractured mains, the water rising rapidly in the basement. Foster at once took charge of the operations aided by Parker and Troman. Stone, who was off duty, also joined in the search. The officers found and successfully removed one casualty.'

'They then gradually tunnelled a way through towards the cellar, which they found flooded to a depth of four feet and littered with rubble. Sergeant Foster held up the slipping mass of debris to enable the others to work in greater safety. Owing to escaping gas the three Police Constables were able to work only in short spells, but managed to rescue three women.'

'A wall thirty feet high was damaged and likely to collapse and the officers were advised to leave the tunnel but refused to do so as two men were still missing. A careful but unsuccessful search was made and the officers left the tunnel just as the wall collapsed onto the site where they had been working.'

'The rescue work in extremely hazardous conditions lasted for two and a half hours. The courage and cool leadership displayed by Sergeant Foster and the bravery and perseverance of the Constables, resulted in the saving of four lives.'

During the course of Stone's service, he was awarded two Commissioner's Commendations and a Commissioner's 'High' Commendation, two awards from the Bow Street Reward Fund, an inscribed silver watch by the Carnegie Hero Trust, the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society, the KPM for Gallantry, the BEM for Gallantry, the GM, and was also commended by the magistrates' courts and the Central Criminal Court. He was in receipt of 'Maundy' money from the Queen, and was the subject of a BBC This Is Your Life programme in 1958.

Series 3 subjects