Seven Scots public servants to receive posthumous Elizabeth Emblem

Mr Cruickshank said he heard about the Elizabeth Emblem through his sister, but later found she was ineligible to apply as she was not the first-born child.

The next of kin of more than 30 former public servants will receive the Emblem following a campaign by the fathers of PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, who were murdered by Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in 2012.

The silver Emblem features a rosemary wreath and a Tudor crown alongside the words “for a life given in service”.

Mr Cruickshank said the award was as much to pay tribute to his mother as it was his father and said it would leave a legacy for those who had lost their lives in the line of duty in the future.

“I think my mum would have been quietly pleased and to know that my dad had been recognised,” he said.

“I’m not so sure it is just about him really, it is about all the others and in future – this was 64 years ago for Cheapside Street but ultimately there is going to be others who lose their lives in public service.

“It is going to happen again and although you don’t want it to, it will happen and because of that, for them I think it is going to be even more important because it Is going to be a lot more fresh and real.

“The fact that the king is actually going to give us these awards is really incredible.”