| Citation: | Coronation Honour. Citation for BEM: Sergeant DIMOND has held the acting rank of WO I in the Royal Military Police for over seven years. For the last three years he has been the Regimental Sergeant Major of 247 Pro Coy RMP in BERLIN. In this capacity he has shown outstanding zeal, tact and loyalty to a degree not formally expected, or found, in a soldier of his rank. He has on many occasions been called upon to handle delicate situations involving RUSSIAN military personnel or EAST GERMAN Peoples Police, where great firmness, tempered with tact, was an essential if a serious incident was to be avoided. Although on many occasions the presence of a BRITISH officer would have been desirable, this was not always possible due to the location and unexpectedness of the event; nevertheless RSM DIMOND's careful handling of the situation has undoubtedly, and without any loss of prestige, prevented a serious international incident. Through example and skillful leadership he has raised the standard of efficiency of his company to a level which has elicited praise and admiration from senior officers serving with his Corps and from members of other units of a similar type elsewhere. The standard of discipline which he has maintained within the unit by example and within the garrison by his industry and zeal has, also, been on many occasions the subject of praise from his superiors in all arms of the service. When called upon to work long hours he has always responded without complaint, and has, voluntarily and because of his natural enthusiasm for his work, devoted most of what might fairly have been regarded as leasure time to the particular task in hand. By his fine example, industry, tact and loyalty he has, in BERLIN, considerably enriched the reputation of his Corps and increased the respect of members of other nations and armies for his own.Maj P D Witty OC 247 Pro Coy. Brigadier Berlin. Maj Gen GOC British Sector Berlin. Col A H Gillmore PM HQ Northern Army Group.National Archive WO 373/161. |
