Roll of Honour

The Roll of Honour was introduced after discussions in 1935 between Lord Trenchard and the Police Federation as a means of giving special recognition to the heroic death of PC James Thomson KPM who met his death in that year. It was backdated to 1920 when Police Orders first began to record such entries.

Over the years, the entries to the Roll of Honour have come to be restricted to cases where death has ensued as the result of an act of special gallantry or in connection with duties involving special risks. Each officer's entry is displayed on two pages of the book and produced using calligraphy and artwork. One page contains details of the officer and the other a citation detailing the circumstances of his death. Pages are turned to show the most recent death relative to the day of the year.

The Roll of Honour is located in the public foyer at New Scotland Yard and is marked by a plaque inscribed as follows:

DUTY ROLL OF HONOUR

IN THIS BOOK ARE THE NAMES OF OFFICERS OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE COURSE OF THEIR DUTY

In a glass case below this plaque is a book inscribed "ROLL OF HONOUR".

The title page of the book is inscribed:

ROLL OF HONOUR
of Members of the
METROPOLITAN POLICE FORCE
Who lost their lives, or were
permanently disabled whilst
carrying out dangerous duties
or in the performance of acts
of special gallantry.

As a tribute to the many members of the Metropolitan Police Service who have given their lives in the course of policing London, the names contained in the Roll of Honour are set out below. All officers appearing on this Roll of Honour are also commemorated within the much more inclusive Book of Remembrance (located at Hendon), which additionally lists a summary of the citations.