Families of fallen police officers receive Elizabeth Emblem
The families of Scottish police officers who have died on duty joined the next of kin of other public servants yesterday when they received the new Elizabeth Emblem in memory of their loved ones.
Named after the late Queen, the silver Emblem was bestowed to families at a ceremony at Windsor Castle. Among the recipients were the families of PC George Taylor, DS William Ross Hunt and PC Lewis Fulton, all of Strathclyde Police.
Other recipients of the Elizabeth Emblem included the families of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone, of Greater Manchester Police, DC Malcolm Wiltshire, of Hampshire Police, PC Yvonne Fletcher and Sgt Alan King, of the Metropolitan Police, PC Andrew Harper, of Thames Valley Police, PC Neil Doyle, of Merseyside Police and Sgt Bill Forth, of Northumbria Police.
Bryn Hughes, father of PC Nicola Hughes, was the driving force behind the campaign to have the medal granted. He said that the day had been emotional: “It was poignant, but I was proud to see many families receiving the Emblem on behalf of their loved ones, even going back to the 1960s… they have been waiting a long time.”
Christine Fulton, co-founder of Care of Police Survivors (COPS), received the Elizabeth Emblem on behalf of her late husband PC Lewis Fulton, who died in 1994 after being stabbed in Glasgow’s Gorbals. She said: “[The day] has been really special – it was very relaxed and friendly, they made us feel so welcome.
“The King was really nice and friendly and he spent time with every family. He spoke to me and he spoke to my son. It was nice to be with my fellow survivors, that is what has made today so special. When I collected my MBE I was very much on my own, it was quite a lonely occasion. But today all of my friends have been here and it just goes to show how special the policing family is.”
She continued: “The Emblem is so important. We have a saying at COPS that our officers can never be replaced, but they will never be forgotten. And this emblem is truly a sign that they will never be forgotten.”
David Taylor was also at the ceremony, receiving the Emblem on behalf of his late father PC George Taylor, who was killed in November 1976 by prisoners who had escaped from the State Hospital in Carstairs.
David said the honour had been “a long time coming” but that it had been “a lovely day.” He said: “It was really informal, which made a big difference. We felt important, and King Charles was genuinely interested in us. He went round the room presenting us with the Emblems individually and had a conversation with us.”
David said that the Emblem was important because it was a tangible item for families to keep. He said: “It’s 48 years since my dad was murdered, and this new honour is a physical item. There are memorials for him in various places, including in London, but now we have something that we can physically touch.”
Families and next of kin of those who have died in public service are encouraged to apply for an Elizabeth Emblem. The design of the Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath, a traditional symbol of remembrance, which surrounds the Tudor Crown. It is inscribed with ‘For A Life Given In Service’ and has the name of the person for whom it is in memoriam inscribed on the reverse.
David Threadgold, Chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “We will never forget those officers who have died in the line of duty and it’s amazing for their family members to be recognised like this by the King.”