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It was December 29th 1940 in the middle of the period when German bombers were coming over London nightly. My great-grandfather Charles J Salmon was in the city of London police number 211A based at Fore Street Police Station on the northern side of the City Square mile.
He was on the evening duty patrolling the street (as they did) when there was a prolonged bombing of the city area with mostly fire bombs but interspersed with high explosives. Extensive fires started which overwhelmed the fire services and water supplies. Fire appliances were getting buried under the debris of falling buildings and half of the city was in flames.
Each night thousands of people came into the city of shelter in the basement of the large buildings and sleep in make shift dormitories where they felt safer than in their own nearby homes.
It became obvious by around midnight that these people were in dire danger of being trapped under the burning buildings, ad as the incident officer on duty, my great-grandfather planned to evacuate the people. He had spent a while unconscious in a shop window his uniform was scorched brown with the heat of the fires and the situation was serious. He contacted the control room of the London underground which was closing down for the night and persuaded them to organise some trains to come into Moorgate Station and go anywhere out of the centre of London. This they did so that he guided thousand of people from the many shelters through the debris and fires to the station. There were no civilian casualties that night.
Fore street police station was destroyed.
For months afterwards there were people who recognised him on duty stopping to talk and thank him for his actions.
He walked home to Brixton (four miles) in the morning after the task was finished and he was completely shattered, smelling of fire. After about a week he was well enough to return to duty being kitted out with a complete new uniform.

For his actions he was awarded the British Empire Medal, one of only three City of London policemen to be decorated during the war. He was also awarded the Military Medal during his service in World War 1 for bravery.

(This is the story of events as recorded by my grandfather)

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