HIS TWO SONS COULD ONLY SAY GOODBYE ONCE — BUT THEIR FINAL TRIBUTE TO DAD LEFT THE CROWD HEARTBROKEN

PC Matthew Blades was laid to rest in Hartlepool after losing his life alongside colleague PC Tom Clough in the devastating A66 crash.

The streets of Hartlepool fell silent as police officers, military veterans, family members and members of the public gathered to say a final goodbye to PC Matthew Blades.

The 37-year-old Cleveland Police officer, married and the father of two young boys, was killed in the devastating A66 collision on August 22, alongside his colleague PC Tom Clough, 38.

But among all the tributes at Matthew’s funeral, one carried a particularly painful message.

It came from the two young sons who had lost their dad.

A FINAL FAREWELL TO A BELOVED FATHER

Matthew’s funeral was held at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Hartlepool, his hometown.

Hundreds of police officers gathered for the full ceremonial funeral, with standard bearers representing police forces from across the UK.

Members of the public also lined the streets as the procession made its way to the church.

For Matthew’s family, however, the ceremony was not simply a tribute to a police officer.

It was the funeral of a husband.

And, most painfully of all, it was the funeral of a father whose two sons were only six and eight years old.

Matthew’s wife, Sarah, described her husband as the “heart of our family”, saying there were no words powerful enough to express the loss felt by those who loved him.

THEN CAME THE TRIBUTE FROM HIS SONS

As the hearse arrived, mourners saw a striking floral tribute placed on top.

It simply read:

“DAD.”

The white and red floral tribute was from Matthew’s two young sons.

For two children so young, it was an incredibly simple message — but one that said everything.

Their father was not simply a police officer remembered for his service.

He was Dad.

The tribute became one of the most poignant details of a ceremony already filled with emotion.

THE CRASH THAT TOOK TWO OFFICERS

Matthew and Tom were killed during the early hours of August 22 when a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 near Middlesbrough collided with their marked armed-response vehicle.

Five young men travelling in the Passat also died.

Cleveland Police later said the five young men may have had links to organised crime, while investigations into the wider circumstances continued. That claim should not be treated as proof of criminal involvement by any individual who died.

The tragedy has since triggered a wider police investigation and heightened tensions across the region.

But at Matthew’s funeral, the focus was firmly on the officer, husband, father and friend he had been.

A LIFE OF SERVICE — AND A FAMILY LEFT BEHIND

Matthew was remembered as much more than a police officer.

His family described a man who was deeply loved and who brought warmth and happiness to those around him.

His colleagues remembered his commitment to policing, while those closest to him remembered the person behind the uniform.

And for his two sons, the floral message on the hearse captured the loss in the simplest possible way.

They did not need a long speech.

They did not need to explain what their father meant to them.

One word was enough.

Dad.

As Matthew was laid to rest, the people gathered in Hartlepool were not only saying goodbye to a police officer who died in the line of duty.

They were saying goodbye to a husband, a friend — and a father whose two little boys will now have to grow up carrying his memory with them.

The uniform may be remembered by thousands. But to two young boys, he will always simply be Dad.