Roll of Honor
Incident
Killed while on foot patrol at Avonmouth Docks, Bristol, when the rear wall of Transit Shed No. 1 collapsed on top of him and crushed him to death. He is the only member of the force known to have lost his life on duty.
He was born in Bristol and served in the4th(City of Bristol) Battalion,Gloucestershire Regiment– the “Glosters” before joining the Port of Bristol Police where he served for six years. He left behind a wife and two daughters.
In 2021 a plaque to commemorate the death in service of PC John Hoult, a Dockyard Policeman, was unveiled by the Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-POB-A25605B2- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Constable Hoult served with the Port of Bristol Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Constable Hoult.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Constable John Richard Hoult is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.
In ENG, 1,349 of 2,827 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.7% of this state's fallen. That is 47.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Richard Hoult's cause is highlighted.
How John Richard Hoult Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Richard Hoult is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Port of Bristol Police are honored on badge.nw.