From the Archives: The Birmingham bobby who became a George Medal hero
THE tiny space Pc Ron Jackson burrowed beneath the rubble of the bomb-damaged block of flats must have been hot and claustrophobic.
But the screams of a woman trapped inside spurred him on.
The German air raid had been heavy that April night in 1941 and had left a trail of damage across Small Heath.
As the heroic probationary officer inched his way past the precarious rubble of the building, slowly flooding with water gushing from the burst water mains, there was a danger it could collapse at any minute.
His ears rung with the explosive bangs of the bombs that continued to rain from the skies, thumping into buildings nearby with a destruction might that shook the ground beneath him.
But Pc Jackson patiently stuck to his task, sawing through concrete to rescue the woman.
Such bravery was to earn the young bobby the prestigious George Medal – the first Birmingham officer to be honoured with the accolade – and a conversation with Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The former officer died two months ago, aged 95.
One of his last wishes was to donate the medal to West Midlands Police where it will be displayed in the force’s Lloyd House HQ.
It is a fitting tribute to the officer whose actions police chiefs say epitomises the oft unsung bravery of the region’s police officers every day they sign on for duty.
Ronald Jackson was born in Yorkshire on January 12, 1915, as another war raged in Europe.
On May 3, 1939, as the country stood on the brink of another World War, he commenced his career with Birmingham City Police.
His first posting was to what was then known as the ‘E’ division which covered Small Heath and Bordesley where he had settled after marrying sweetheart Marion Wilkinson later the same year.
