Major Sir Philip Reginald Margetson, MC
Philip Margetson lived at Meadowcroft from 1934, and sold the house and land for redevelopment in 1936. He was born in 1894 in Southwark. He is not listed in the 1901 census, and may have been living in Scotland, since, during the Great War he served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in June 1916.
In January 1945 the London Gazette stated that he ceased to be on the reserve of officers (due to age), and he does not appear to have had an active role in the Second War. This was presumably since as a high ranking police officer he would have had an important role to play at home at the outbreak of war.
He was appointed an Officer (brother) in the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in January 1947, and Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in January 1948. The Royal Victorian Order is in the gift of the sovereign for service to the Royal Family; the government has no part to play in nominations or approvals for this order, so it is reasonable to assume that Margetson had been responsible for police protection to the Royal Family. He was subsequently raised to Knight Commander - KCVO - on his retirement from the Metropolitan Police. He was also given the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service.
When he was knighted, in the June 1956 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was described as being of Bembridge, Isle of Wight.
After his retirement he moved to London and became, among other things, Chairman of Securicor, a company set up after the war by Henry Tiarks, Frank’s son.
There were other families with the surname Margetson living in Chislehurst around this time, and a Margetson features on the Chislehurst War Memorial, but there are no indications that they were related to his family.
An undated photograph of Sir Philip is held at the National Portrait Gallery, and reproduced in the Kemnal Road book mentioned for sale on the home page. For copyright reasons it cannot be reproduced here.