In the course of rescue work at a severely damaged tenement building, Constables Joseph Park and John Stirling discovered a little girl, aged three, trapped by the foot in a small cavity among debris at the first floor level. They at once set to work to chop away the heavy material by which she was pinned down but owing to the narrowness of the space only one man could work at a time. Fires broke out immediately below them. These were kept down with great difficulty by a hose but very dense smoke resulted.
An unsupported gable wall some ten feet away was liable to fall at any moment and the danger was also increased by an escape of gas from a fractured main. With complete indifference to their personal safety, the constables continued working until the child was extricated about five hours later.
On 4 April 1941, both constables were awarded the British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service for their gallantry in the rescue of the child.
(Supplement to the London Gazette. 4 April 1941)