Private John Berry GM

Citation for George Medal, London Gazette, 22 May 1979.

At approximately 22.10 hours on 3rd September, 1977, a shooting incident occurred in a bar at Osnabruck in Germany in which two British soldiers were shot dead and one West German girl was seriously injured. Private Berry was in the bar at the time of the incident. The bar is on two floors with the main bar on the first floor. Berry had climbed the stairs to the upper bar and was standing near the top of the stairs when four shots were fired somewhere in the room. The bar was crowded and people immediately started shouting and screaming. From the crowd an armed man pushed towards the top of the stairs and Berry assuming that this must be the man who had fired the shots immediately and without a moment's hesitation tackled him.

As a result of Berry's action the gunman fell to the bottom of the stairs and before Berry could reach him the man managed to point the pistol at Berry. Totally without regard for his own safety Berry closed with the gunman again and disarmed the man by kicking the pistol from his hand. Berry then fought with the man on the floor and detained him until further help arrived.

Throughout this incident Private Berry acted with conspicuous bravery, daring and without a thought for his own safety. He acted in the very highest traditions of the service.