Bulford-based Army Officer given bravery award by the Queen
It comes after an incident in Southampton involving a firearm
Captain Karl Williams, 42 and from Salisbury, has been recognised with a Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
The Royal Logistic Corps Officer, who is based in Bulford, has been given the honour in the latest Armed Forces Operational Awards.
One afternoon, whilst shopping off-duty in Southampton, Captain Williams "acted with the utmost bravery" when apprehending an individual who was threatening a crowd of people with a firearm.
Describing the incident, Karl said:
"On hearing loud hysterical screaming nearby, I cautiously approached the incident and observed a highly agitated man pointing a firearm towards a crowd of people in a threatening manner. The crowd were petrified, and I was unable to intercept the aggressor immediately due to the potential for exacerbating the situation and placing the crowd in greater danger.
I monitored the situation from a distance before engaging the aggressor as he began to back away from the crowd and reach into his bag. It was at that point that I took him to the ground, disarming and restraining him in the process. It was a fight or flight scenario, for a brief second I saw his attention wasn't on anyone else and that this was the brief opportunity I could safely engage.
"I'd walked about half a mile away from the scene, it was at that moment that the adrenaline kicked in and my legs started to turn to jelly, it was then that it dawned on me what had just happened."
Once Karl had completely restrained the gunman, he then went on to make the firearm safe and identified it as a replica, which he relayed immediately to the Police, who communicated it to the area Firearms Unit.
HE SHOWED "UNCONDITIONAL BRAVERY"
Karl joined the British Army in 1997 and served much of his career with 17 Port and Maritime Regiment.
Now he is the Quartermaster at 19 Tank Transport Squadron based in Bulford after moving to Salisbury in 2014 where he set up home with his wife.
On learning of his commendation Karl said:
"I am delighted and humbled to learn that I am to be awarded a Queen's Commendation for Bravery. Since the day, knowing the individual had been detained in custody and then learning that he had been given a prison sentence, to me felt like matters were right, and to be honest I hadn't heard or given thought to the event since. It was a complete surprise to me this morning when my Commanding Officer informed me of the news, I thought I was coming in for the normal day to day meeting. It is a strange feeling but a special moment because to me, I was simply doing something that felt right at the time.
I remember my wife saying to me after the event that what I had done was stupid, I know she was only looking out for me but I did what my instinct told me and that was to dissolve the situation in the best and safest way I could."
His citation for the award states:
"The unconditional bravery and selfless commitment demonstrated by Williams was truly remarkable as he instinctively focussed on the safety of everyone else around him. For acting so impressively in the face of danger, Williams is unequivocally deserving of formal and public recognition for his bravery."