Philip Margetson
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Major Sir Philip Reginald Margetson KCVO MC QPM (2 January 1894–5 December 1985) was an Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police.
Margetson was educated at Marlborough College and then went on to Sandhurst. In 1915 he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was promoted Lieutenant on 25 December 1915. On 2 June 1916 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 of the 1/4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers (Territorial Force) in the rank of Acting Major. On 1 January 1923 he was finally promoted to the substantive rank of Captain, while serving as a regimental adjutant. On 1 October 1928 he became Staff Captain of the 54th (East Anglian) Division, an appointment he held until 1 October 1932. On 1 January 1933 he became a Brevet Major.
On 31 December 1933, Margetson retired from the Army. He joined the Metropolitan Police, 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). 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 1940 he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Commissioner and given command of No.1 District. In March 1946 he received the new rank of Commander.
In August 1946, he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner "A", in charge of administration and uniformed policing, having been acting in the post since June of that year. He was created a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) on 1 January 1948 and raised to Knight Commander (KCVO) on 1 June 1953. He received the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for Distinguished Service on 1 June 1956.
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 guards in 1964, having always disliked the idea of private guards carrying firearms.
In 1918, Margetson married Diana Thorneycroft, elder daughter of Sir John Thorneycroft. They had two sons; the elder was killed in action in 1943.
| Police Appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown |
Chief Constable, No.2 District, Metropolitan Police 1936–1938 |
Succeeded by Henry Dalton |
| Preceded by J. Goldie |
Chief Constable, No.1 District, Metropolitan Police 1938 |
Succeeded by Arthur Conyers-Baker |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Chief Constable, No.3 District, Metropolitan Police 1938–1940 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Unknown |
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, No.1 District, Metropolitan Police 1940–1946 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by First incumbent |
Commander, No.1 District, Metropolitan Police 1946 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by John Ferguson |
Assistant Commissioner "A", Metropolitan Police 1946–1957 |
Succeeded by Alexander Robertson |
