On the 3rd March 1954 advice was received at the Ipswich Police Station that a man had armed himself with a rifle and fired shots at his father. Constable C.H. Lebsanft, of Redbank, proceeded to the man’s residence at Riverview and found he had locked himself in the house, after firing shots towards his father. Cons Lebsanft talked to the offender through a window of the house, and on requesting the rifle be handed to him, received the reply that his wife and two young children and also the Constable would be shot if he interfered. The Constable considered the offender was quite capable of fulfilling these threats, and requested assistance.
A medal award ceremony on 11 May 1956 for several brave officers, including Detective Senior Constable Morgan Franklyn Clark (third from right) who received the British Empire Medal (Civil Division), Constable 1/c Wesley John Cooke (second from right) who received the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) and Constable 1/c Clifford Henry Lebsanft (far right) who received the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct (Civil).
Image No. PM2328c courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Detective Sergeant 1/c S.H. Hambrecht, Detective Senior Constables M.F.Clark and V.E. Gorey, Constable 1/c W.J. Cooke and Constable L.Ballin proceeded to the scene. The police officers separated with a view to approaching the house unseen. DSC Gorey stayed in a conspicuous place to keep the offender’s attention, while DSgt 1/c Hambrecht and Cons Ballin endeavoured to approach the house from the western side. Cons Lebsanft walked to the bathroom window and engaged the man in conversation, while DSC Clark and Cons 1/c Cooke approached the house from the rear.
The British Empire Medal (BEM), officially the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the crown.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Clark and Cooke gained entry to the house through a window and were investigating the interior of the house to enable them to approach the man, when he came towards them carrying a .22 calibre rifle in both hands, and pointing to the floor in front of them. Cons 1/c Cooke requested the offender put the gun down, but he replied he would kill them. The offender trained the rifle on each of the police officers in turn and again repeated his threat to kill them. Both officers were armed with automatic weapons and could have shot the offender at any time after he first came into view in the house, but they kept these weapons concealed to refrain from antagonising him. The offender, however, fired his rifle at Cooke who in turn fired his weapon into a kitchen cabinet in the hope it would shock the man to his senses. Both officers then rushed the offender and grappled with him, pinning him against the wall. A violent struggle ensued, but the man was overpowered. He was arrested and charged with unlawfully attempting to kill Constable 1/c Cooke.
The manner in which DSC Clark, Cons 1/c Cooke and Const C.H. Lebsanft, under extreme danger of mortal injury, performed their duties is creditable to the highest degree. Her Majesty the Queen was pleased to approve the award of the British Empire Medal to DSC Clarke and Constable 1/c Cooke, and the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct to Constable Lebsanft.
Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. This bronze badge in the form of an oak leaf acknowledged brave acts of military personnel in non-warlike situations.
Image courtesy of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company.
This information has been taken from the Queensland Police Force Annual Report for the year ending 30 June 1956. The article was compiled by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.
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“FROM the VAULT – The Patient and the Brave” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence.
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