Description
Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Lifesaving Medal in Bronze, Leeds City Police Man William Lancelot Crosier, who made a gallant rescue of a dog from the River Aire.
Officially engraved: “POLICE CONSTABLE WILLIAM CROSIER LEEDS CITY POLICE 1927”
In fitted case of issue on original ribbon top bar reading “HUMANITY”.
The following stirring article was published in the Yorkshire Post on 26th August 1927:
“RISKED LIFE FOR DOG
LEEDS CONSTABLE AWARDED RSPCA MEDAL
The Lord Mayor of Leeds Alderman Hugh Lupton in presenting the medal of the RSPCA to Police Constable William Crosier, at the City Police Court yesterday paid public tribute to his gallantry in rescuing a dog from the River Aire on the morning of July 16.
Crosier saw the dog, trembling with cold and with a piece of rope around its neck, on the edge of the Aire, under Wellington Bridge.
He told the Sergeant and by means of a rope, fastened to a tram standard, Crosier then descended a distance of between 40 and 50 feet, placed the dog in a sack, and then ascended hand over hand. He was helped over the parapet in an exhausted condition.
The Lord Mayor, in making the presentation, said the Constable’s sympathies were moved, even to the risk of his life, to rescue the dog.
The Chief Constable, Mr R. L. Matthews, said the whole of the force appreciated the bravery of P.C. Crosier.
Others present in Court included Inspectors Senior and Marsden and Superintendent Clarke of the RSPCA.”
Another article adds the following quite from the Lord Mayor:
“The Lord mayor said Dean Inge recently wrote that ‘Charles Darwin has done to the world is to make clear to us that the lower animals, instead of being something quite distinct from ourselves, are really distant cousins and are endowed with the same nerve system as ourselves.’ ‘I think’ Continued the Lord Mayor, ‘That anyone who sees an animal in distress can appreciate by its actions and expression that it does feel much the same as we feel. Police Constable Crosier felt that sympathy, and even at the risk of his life he rescued the dog.’
WILLIAM LANCELOT CROSIER 1897 – 1979.
Mr William L. Crosier was born on 7th July 1897, born in Hartlepool Durham he grew up in Darlington.
Son of Lancelot and Eleanor Crosier, his family were from Durham and his father worked as an Engineer Planing Machinist.
His wife Bertha (born 31st October 1897).
Leading up to WW2, he was living in Saint Anns Gardens in Leeds, Yorkshire, where he was still working as a Police Constable.
By 1921 William had already moved to Yorkshire, where he would seem to remain throughout his life.
In 1921 he lived at Kirkstall Road in Leeds a 24 year old Police Constable.
He lived a long life and died in Bradford, Yorkshire during 1979 aged about 82.
