The brave actions of Antony Quantrill in disarming a gunman has earned the caterer one of the highest awards for bravery north of the border.

When a man pulled a handgun on another man outside a nightclub in Glasgow, the chief petty officer unflinchingly stepped in to defuse the situation – which immediately became a great deal worse.

The gun was turned towards the Navy senior rate, the barrel pointing at his head.

But Antony, a submariner who most recently served in Trident missile boat HMS Vigilant before taking up a post at Devonport Naval Base, tackled the gunman, wrestling him to the ground.

At this point the situation appeared to improve, an off-duty policeman, who was passing, helped Antony keep the gunman subdued.

But they were not out of the woods even at that stage, as a dozen or so of the gunman’s friends surrounded the pair, demanding they release the gunman.

But the Serviceman and policeman stood their ground, keeping the man pinned down until the police arrived.

Now, 18 months on, Anthony has been presented with the Sir James Duncan Medal by Strathclyde Police for his brave intervention outside the South Side club.

“I don’t think I was brave,” said Antony. “The whole thing happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to think.

“I just did what I had to do – I hope someone would do the same for me.”

Only 25 people have received the medal in the 40 years since it was established at the behest of a Glasgow MP, who asked the local police force to award it at their discretion for outstanding acts of bravery.

Strathclyde Police Assistant Chief Constable Tom McIntosh, who presented Antony with his medal, described his intervention as “a very heroic act of outstanding bravery,” adding: “His actions on that Saturday night were really quite exceptional.”