The Queen has been graciously pleased to give orders for the undermentioned awards of the George Medal, and for the publication in
the London Gazette of the names of those specially shown below as having received an expression of Commendation for their brave conduct.
John
Leslie Edward EDWARDS, Manager, Birmingham Municipal Bank, Birmingham
A junior clerk at a bank was about to lock the doors at
closing time when they were pushed open and he was confronted by a masked man who held a revolver in his hand. Behind him was another
man similarly masked, also carrying a revolver, who demanded money. Mr Edwards heard the conversation, came forward, and when he saw
two men wearing masks and carrying guns, immediately grappled with one of them. The second gunman struck Mr Edwards on the back of
the head with the butt of his revolver, but Mr Edwards continued to struggle until he broke away and went behind the counter to protect
the money. He held the swing door but the two criminals made a determined attack repeatedly striking him on the right arm with the
butt of one of the revolvers until he was compelled to relinquish his grip on the door. At that moment the gun was discharged but
Mr Edwards was unharmed and picking up a round ruler he struck at one of the men. At that stage both men decided to abandon the attempt
to get the money. As they ran through the door Mr Edwards threw a pair of scales at them. He then followed them out of the bank and
saw them leave in a motor car. Mr Edwards was later taken to hospital where he was treated for an abrasion on the right wrist and
a deep laceration of the scalp which required two stitches. The men were subsequently traced and arrested.
The above is a copy
of an entry in the
Supplement to The London Gazette of Friday, April 21st 1961; it briefly describes the dramatic events of Wednesday,
November 9th 1960 at close of business at
Billesley branch. In addition to John Edwards, the other members of staff on that day were
Margaret Lamin (cashier) and Roger Bunten (junior).
In fact, two shots were fired during the struggle, but fortunately both missed
any member of staff. As the two men fled empty-handed, John Edwards followed them out of the bank and saw them drive away in a cream-coloured
car. During the raid, Margaret Lamin acted with great presence of mind and locked herself in the mess room so as to be able to telephone
the police. She also saw the cream-coloured Ford Consul, and noted its registration number, but this proved to be a false number plate.
Responding to her emergency call, the police arrived quickly, but the two raiders had fled the scene.
Immediately after the traumatic
raid, all three staff were sent home on 'sick' leave and their places were taken by Cecil Selwyn (Inspector/acting manager); Norman
Worwood (itinerant cashier); and Michael Bourke (junior). Norman Worwood was told not to discuss any aspect of the raid with the curious
customers, nor even show them the gunshot holes, in case it should prejudice any forthcoming trial.
The police examination of the branch
resulted in the recovery of the two bullets: one was in the ceiling above a window, and the other was in a cash drawer - having passed
through the woodwork. No fingerprints were found.
Following up on John Edwards' impression that the men had been drinking, the police
visited pubs in the area. The licensee of the Three Horseshoes in Alcester Road South recalled two strangers, fitting the descriptions
given by the bank staff, who had left the premises at 2:40pm. They were seen to drive away from the pub in a cream-coloured Consul,
and to change into the raincoats and flat caps that were worn in the raid. The publican thought they were Americans.
However, this
useful information was soon supplemented by a significant lead resulting from a phone call to the police. A Mr Baker, having seen
details of the raid on television that evening, realised he had seen the Consul driving recklessly in the relevant area, at the relevant
time. He had been a passenger in a van delivering a vacuum cleaner, and with the intention of reporting the driver for dangerous driving,
had written the registration number on the cleaner's carton. But he had allowed the matter to lapse, until he saw the news item on
television.
The vacuum cleaner had been delivered to an address in Edgbaston, and the police were relieved to find that not only had
the carton not been disposed of, but it was found to bear a genuine registration mark. This was then traced to a car hire garage in
Manchester, where the proprietor was able to produce the details of two Canadian driving licences presented when the Consul was hired
on October 28th. With these details, the identities of the two men were established, and in fact, they were known to the Birmingham
Police, having committed the offence of obtaining goods by false pretences at a shop in Selly Oak in 1957.
Police Forces throughout
the country were put on alert, and the Manchester Police put the hire car garage under surveillance. On Friday, November 11th, the
Consul was returned and the driver was arrested - and so was another man who was waiting for him in another car. Although at first
denying that they were the offenders, a notebook in their possession contained a rough plan of Billesley branch. In addition a railway
left-luggage ticket in their ownership enabled a suitcase to be recovered from a station in Wigan. This suitcase contained newspaper
accounts of the raid, passports, face masks, a cosh, rubber gloves, a roll of adhesive tape, and two revolvers plus ammunition. The
offence was then admitted, but it was claimed that the gun had gone off accidentally in the struggle.
Further enquiries by the police
established that the two men had used the revolvers to steal £610 from a Barclays' branch in Middlesex on October 19th. It was also
established that one of them had changed a £1 note at Billesley branch on the day prior to the raid, in order to survey the premises.
They had stayed at the Grand Hotel in Colmore Row, for two nights commencing November 8th. Both men made written confessions, so that
within two days the police's investigation was almost complete. At Birmingham Assizes, on Thursday December 8th 1960, the two men
pleaded guilty to Assault with Intent to Rob at Billesley branch and Robbery with Violence at Barclays. They were sentenced to fifteen
years' imprisonment, the toughest ever passed at Birmingham Assizes in living memory, for any crime except murder.
At the end of the
trial, the judge personally congratulated John Edwards for his wonderful performance, and asked that his admiration for Margaret Lamin's
behaviour be conveyed to her.
On Monday, February 20th 1961, John Edwards, Margaret Lamin, and Roger Bunten were
presented with awards by
the Bank's Chairman (Councillor Seymour Brown) at Head Office. Also present were the General Manager (Mr H J Sutherland) and two members
of staff of Duddeston branch (Norman Barnsley and Bernard Edmond) which had been raided in July 1960. Mr Baker received a silver cigarette
case from the police, and a monetary reward from Barclays Bank.
In April 1961, John Edwards received letters from the Home Office and
the Prime Minister's Office informing him that he had been awarded the George Medal; on Thursday, July 13th, he received the medal
from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The George Medal is the second highest award that can be made to civilians for an act of bravery
- a fitting recognition of John Edwards' courageous actions at Billesley branch on November 9th 1960.
The Bank's somewhat inadequate
response to this event, was to fit button switches below branch counters, which sounded a buzzer in the staff mess room. It would
be some years before security screens and alarm systems were installed.