Bobby gets a gong for role in Royal Wootton Bassett (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Bobby gets a gong for role in Royal Wootton Bassett

11:00am Thursday 5th January 2012 in Royal Wootton Bassett By Victoria Ashford

A police officer recognised in the New Year Honours for his role in organising the repatriations through Royal Wootton Bassett wants the focus to be on those who have paid the ultimate price.

Ministry of Defence police officer Jarra Brown has been awarded an MBE for the key part he played in co-ordinating the 46-mile route from the airbase to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford via the Wiltshire town, which became a focus for thousands of people wanting to pay their respects.

PC Brown travelled in the police escort alongside each cortege, and had been instrumental in getting many different organisations to work together to allow the processions to take place smoothly.

Despite this, the former Royal Marine was keen to play down his achievement.

“I understand why people feel the need to recognise or give awards, but people should never forget that it is the fallen that should be recognised, not the people given honours,” he said.

“I’m immensely proud to have been given the recognition but for me it is the fallen who deserve never to be forgotten. This is about them.”

In October, Wootton Bassett became the first town for more than 100 years to be given the ‘Royal’ prefix by the Queen, during a service led by the Princess Royal.

Anne Bevis, repatriation liaison officer for Royal Wootton Bassett Royal British Legion, said PC Brown deserved recognition.

“It is a very difficult, emotional job, but he did it very professionally,” she said.

“It is nice what was done is being acknowledged. The police did a really good job, PC Brown did a lot and deserves the recognition he has been given.”

PC Brown took up his role at RAF Lyneham in September 2006, working on the base and in the communities of RAF personnel employed there and living around the base.

Steve Love, Chief Constable of the MoD Police, described PC Brown as a “credit to the force”.

“PC Brown’s recognition in the New Year Honours list is richly deserved,” he said.

“He remains entirely focused on enhancing the quality of life of the people in his community and represents many of the fine qualities we expect of our police officers.”

PC Brown’s work was also recognised in November 2008 when he was commended at the Police Officer of the Year Awards.

On Remembrance Sunday last year, he was chosen to represent the MoD Police at the annual ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the first time the force had a formal presence.

* Devizes resident Susan Ross has been awarded the MBE for her outstanding work in collating information for the pubic inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa.

Hotel worker Mr Mousa died in the custody of British troops in Iraq in 2003. The inquiry found Mr Mousa’s death was the result of corporate failure on the part of the Ministry of Defence for the use of banned interrogation methods in Iraq.

Mrs Ross, a Grade CI official at the MoD, was responsible for collating much of the evidence that was considered at the inquiry.