Officer's death in 1919 honoured

Sgt Thomas Green died after he was hit on the side of the head.

A memorial service has been held to mark the 90th anniversary of the death of an officer in the line of duty.

Sgt Thomas Green was killed on 17 June 1919 when Epsom police station was attacked by about 400 Canadian soldiers stationed at Woodcote Park in Surrey.

The riot followed the arrest of one of the soldiers during a disturbance at the Rifleman pub, in East Street.

Sgt Green, 51, from Billingshurst, in West Sussex, was hit on the side of the head and never regained consciousness.

Several of the soldiers were armed with sticks, while others used wood broken off fencing from a nearby cottage.

Twelve other police officers were injured.

At a later trial, four Canadian soldiers were found not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of rioting, and were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

More than 1,000 men, including 800 police officers and 60 special constables, took part in the funeral held for the father-of-two.

Every shop on the route was closed and most of the houses had their blinds drawn.

The memorial service, at which a plaque was unveiled, was organised by the Bourne Hall Museum in Epsom.