Sergeant William Cole AM (c. 1840 – 21 November 1900) was a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

police officer who was awarded the Albert Medal for helping to contain a bomb attack on 24 January 1885. In

Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

at the Chapel of

St Mary Undercroft The Chapel of St Mary Undercroft is a Church of England chapel located in the Palace of Westminster, London, England. The chapel is accessed via a flight of stairs in the south east corner of Westminster Hall. It had been a crypt below St Steph ...

(the Crypt Chapel), Cole was notified by a visitor about a smoking black bag on the lower steps leading up from the Chapel into Westminster Hall. Upon examination, he realized it contained dynamite and a lighted fuse. He rushed up the steps with it into Westminster Hall, intending to deposit the device in New Palace Yard. But before he could reach the door, a hot substance from the bag scalded his hand, causing him to drop it, and as he did so it exploded. He and a colleague, P.C. Cox, were thrown into the large crater torn into the floor of the Hall. Seconds later, another device exploded in the empty chamber of the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

, causing extensive damage, and a third at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. All the bombings were committed by the terrorist group known as the Fenians, the precursors to the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

, nationalists battling

British rule in Ireland British rule in Ireland spanned several centuries and involved British control of parts, or entirety, of the island of Ireland. British involvement in Ireland began with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. Most of Ireland gained indepen ...

. Unconscious and badly injured, Cole and his colleague were taken to hospital, where they were visited by the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

, Sir William Harcourt. Cole's actions had saved the lives of bystanders. Harcourt recognised Cole's gallantry in "knowing full well the terrible risk he incurred", and sought the Queen's approval for him to receive the Albert Medal. The award was approved a week later. Cole, who had been promoted to sergeant on 2 February 1885, very soon after the incident, was presented with the medal on 26 March by Harcourt at an impressive gathering in Westminster Hall attended by the Prime Minister,

W.E. Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, the Speaker (

Arthur Wellesley Peel Arthur Wellesley Peel, 1st Viscount Peel, (3 August 182924 October 1912) was a British Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1895. He was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1884 until 1895 when he was raised to the ...

), and many members of the Lords and Commons.

Last years

Cole's injuries would force him to live most of his remaining years as an invalid, nursed devotedly by his wife. He retired on pension a year later, on 21 April 1886. He died, aged 60, on 21 November 1900 after undergoing further surgery at Westminster Hospital. His widow was granted a

Civil List pension Pensions in the United Kingdom, whereby United Kingdom tax payers have some of their wages deducted to save for retirement, can be categorised into three major divisions - state, occupational and personal pensions. The state pension is based on ...

of £30 p.a. by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

.
U.K. Parliament website; Retrieved 8 December 2016.

External links

Story about Cole's bravery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, William (British constable) Year of birth uncertain 1900 deaths Metropolitan Police officers Recipients of the Albert Medal (lifesaving)