Stewart Graeme Guthrie, GC (22 November 1948 – 13 November 1990) was a New Zealand Police sergeant and a recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

, then the highest award in the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

for conspicuous gallantry not in the face of an enemy. He received the award for his role in the police response to the

Aramoana massacre The Aramoana massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on 13 November 1990 in the small seaside township of Aramoana, northeast of Dunedin, New Zealand. Resident David Gray killed 13 people, including local police Sergeant Stewart Graeme Guthr ...

, during which he lost his life.

Aramoana massacre

Guthrie, a New Zealand Police sergeant in the

Armed Offenders Squad The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment. The AOS was established when front-line poli ...

, was sole duty officer at

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers () is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The or ...

police station on 13 November 1990 when he received a report that a man was firing a weapon indiscriminately at

Aramoana Aramoana is a small coastal settlement north of Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. The settlement's permanent population in the 2001 Census was 261. Supplementing this are seasonal visitors from the city who occupy Bach (New Zealand), ...

, a small seaside township 8 km north-east of Port Chalmers. Guthrie immediately went to the town and liaised with

Police Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an police officer, officer within a police ser ...

Russell Anderson, who had arrived separately with the fire brigade. New Zealand police are generally unarmed, but because of the serious nature Guthrie had brought a police

Smith & Wesson Model 10 The Smith & Wesson Model 10, previously known as the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector Model of 1899, the Smith & Wesson Military & Police or the Smith & Wesson Victory Model, is a K-frame revolver. In production since 1899, the Model 10 is a six-s ...

revolver and armed Anderson with a rifle belonging to a local resident, before trying to apprehend the gunman. By this time, Guthrie had learned the gunman had killed several people. Guthrie knew the gunman, David Gray, and located him inside his house. Guthrie instructed the constable to cover the front of the house, while he took the more dangerous position at the rear of the property. During this time, Guthrie had kept his control fully informed of the latest situation. Tapes of radio conversations between him and other police who arrived at the scene revealed that he was doing his utmost to minimise the danger to his colleagues. Gray left his house by the front entrance and went towards Anderson, but retreated through his house when challenged. Guthrie meanwhile had taken cover behind a sand dune, at the rear of a crib next-door to Gray's. He was lying with revolver in one hand and police radio in the other, and transmitted when he encountered Gray coming out of the rear of his house. Guthrie challenged the gunman, "Stop, David, or I shoot", and fired a warning shot into the air. The gunman responded by firing a series of shots, one of which struck Guthrie in the head, killing him. In all, the gunman killed thirteen people and seriously wounded two, before Special Tactics Group police shot him dead the next day.

Funeral

The funeral for Guthrie was held at

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

on 19 November 1990, with full police honours. Around 2,000 people, including 700 police officers, attended. The service and final blessing were given by the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, the Rt Rev Dr Penny Jamieson, and he received the naval honour of the piping the side, followed by a private cremation.

Citation

The citation for Guthrie's

was published in a supplement to the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' on 18 February 1992, reading:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guthrie, Stewart Graeme 1948 births 1990 deaths Deaths by firearm in New Zealand New Zealand police officers killed in the line of duty New Zealand recipients of the George Cross People educated at Otago Boys' High School People from Dunedin People from Port Chalmers People murdered in New Zealand