Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Sir Philip Reginald Margetson (2 January 1894 – 5 December 1985) was an Assistant Commissioner of the London

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

Military service

Margetson was educated at

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

and then went on to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1915 he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

into the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...

. He was promoted lieutenant on 25 December 1915, and temporary

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 20 February 1916. He reverted to Lieutenant on 27 April 1916. In the 1916 King's Birthday Honours he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in action. In January 1918 he became an instructor with an officer cadet unit as an Acting Captain. In 1919 he became

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

of the 1/4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers ( Territorial Force) (which was then part of the Army of Occupation) in the rank of Acting

. On 1 January 1923 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of captain, while serving as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the 1st Battalion. On 1 October 1928 he became Staff Captain of the

54th (East Anglian) Division The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...

, an appointment he held until 1 October 1932. On 1 January 1933 he became a

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Major.

Police career

On 31 December 1933, Margetson retired from the Army, transferring to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers. He joined the

, entering directly as a chief inspector and taking the position of senior administrative officer at No.4 District (South London) headquarters on 1 December 1933. He was later promoted to Superintendent and took command of "R" Division (

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

). In August 1936 he was promoted to Chief Constable and became deputy commander of No.2 District (North London). In February 1938 he was transferred to the same post in No.1 District (West Central London), and in October 1938 to the same post in No.3 District (East London). In February 1940 he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Commissioner at "A" Department (Operations and Administration) of

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

and in August 1940 he was given command of No.1 District. In March 1946 he received the new rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

. In June 1946, he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner "D" (Personnel and Training) and in October he transferred to become Assistant Commissioner "A" (Operations and Administration). In 1950, he applied for the vacant office of Commissioner of the City of London Police. The job went to one of his colleagues, Arthur Young, who had succeeded him as Assistant Commissioner "D". In 1947 he was made an Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John. He was created a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the

1948 New Year Honours The 1948 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1948 for the Britis ...

and raised to Knight Commander (KCVO) in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The reci ...

. In 1955 he was promoted to Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John. He received the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for Distinguished Service in the 1956 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Later life

He retired on 2 January 1957 (his 63rd birthday) and joined the board of Securicor, serving as chairman from 1960 to 1973, when he became honorary president. He was instrumental in the disarming of cash in transit

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

s in 1964, having always disliked the idea of private guards carrying firearms. In 1918, Margetson married Diana Thornycroft, daughter of Sir John Thornycroft. They had two sons; the elder was killed in action in 1943. The National Portrait Gallery holds two 1957 photographic portraits of Margetson by Elliott & Fry.

Notes

References

* Obituary, '' The Times'', 11 December 1985

External links

Photographic portrait of Margetson in the National Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margetson, Philip 1894 births 1985 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Military Cross English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal People educated at Marlborough College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst