THE HEARTBREAKING DETAIL ON PC MATTHEW BLADES’ FUNERAL HEARSE THAT LEFT MOURNERS IN TEARS

Hundreds of police officers lined the streets as the fallen officer was laid to rest — but one simple tribute said everything about the family he left behind.

There was one small detail on the funeral hearse that made the heartbreaking farewell to PC Matthew Blades even more personal.

Across the roof of the hearse was a large floral tribute spelling one word:

“DAD.”

It was a simple message, but for Matthew’s two young sons, it carried everything they could no longer say to their father.

A FINAL JOURNEY THROUGH HIS HOMETOWN

PC Matthew Blades, 37, was laid to rest at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Hartlepool, his hometown, on September 9.

Hundreds of police officers lined the streets as colleagues from forces across the UK gathered to pay their respects.

Standard bearers representing every UK police force attended the service, while members of the public also stood along the route to honour the fallen officer.

The funeral cortege was led by a police motorbike outrider, while mounted officers stood guard outside the church.

Four pipers and a drummer accompanied the procession, playing “Amazing Grace” as Matthew’s coffin, draped in the Union Flag, was carried into the church.

HE WAS MORE THAN A POLICE OFFICER

Matthew was an armed response officer with Cleveland Police, but to his family, he was first and foremost a husband and father.

He was married and had two young sons.

His widow described him as her beloved best friend and said the loss had taken “the heart” of their family.

She also remembered his laughter, his silly jokes and the way he could make people smile.

Those memories became an important part of the farewell as family, friends and colleagues gathered to say goodbye.

THE CRASH THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Matthew died alongside fellow Cleveland Police officer PC Tom Clough, 38, in the devastating A66 collision near South Bank, Middlesbrough, on August 22.

A Volkswagen Passat travelling in the wrong direction collided with the officers’ marked vehicle.

Five young men travelling in the Passat also died in the crash.

The tragedy claimed seven lives in total and sent shockwaves through the local community and police service.

ONE WORD FOR THEIR DAD

Amid all the ceremonial tributes, police uniforms and hundreds of mourners, the floral message on the hearse stood out.

“Dad.”

It was not a title associated with his rank, his service or his uniform.

It was the word that mattered most to the two boys who had lost their father.

The tribute offered a deeply personal reminder that behind the police officer remembered by colleagues and the public was a husband, a father and a man whose family expected him to come home.

‘HE WAS THE LIGHT THAT SHINES INTO THE DARKNESS’

Policing Minister Anna Turley described Matthew as a devoted husband and father who was “rightly a hero to his sons.”

She said the service was a powerful tribute to a man who was clearly loved and admired by colleagues and friends.

During the service, the Very Reverend Canon Paul Douthwaite described Matthew as “the light that shines into the darkness.”

Those words captured the mood of a farewell that brought together his family, his police colleagues and the wider community.

For his sons, however, the most powerful tribute may have been the simplest one.

A single word carried above their father’s final journey:

DAD.