Guard of honour for rescue-team stalwart
Reporter: Marina Berry
Date published: 15 June 2010
THE guard of honour for John Milton Edwards lines up outside the crematorium as his coffin is carried into the chapel by former colleagues
Colleagues pay their respects at funeral of chairman
COLLEAGUES formed a guard of honour at the entrance to Hollinwood Crematorium to bid a last farewell to Oldham Mountain Rescue Team chairman John Milton Edwards.
Mr Edwards’s body was carried into the chapel by his former colleagues in a handmade coffin, which arrived in a mountain rescue vehicle for the service on Friday afternoon.
The sombre ceremony was a fitting tribute to a man who did much to ensure the safety of walkers on the hills of Saddleworth and across the borough of Oldham.
Mourners, including mountain rescue teams from the Peak District and Lancashire, complete with search and rescue dogs, stood silently as a mark of respect as his body was carried into the crematorium.
Oldham Mountain Rescue Team dealt with all the funeral arrangements at the request of his widow, Mary, after Mr Edwards’s sudden death from a heart attack at the age of 58.
Team member Denzil Broadhurst said: “John’s wife wanted him looked after by people who knew him, so the team took on that responsibility.
“We took the place of the undertakers as a mark of respect to Mary and to mark our long-term friendship with John.
“One of our members is a joiner, and he put the coffin together with some of the other members.”
The funeral cortege left Mr Edwards’s home in Greenfield, headed by the team ambulance which carried his coffin.
It was followed by his family and a convoy of mountain rescue Land Rovers from across the region.
Mr Edwards, chairman of Oldham Mountain Rescue Team for the last five years, was passionate about the cause and was well respected nationally in the field.
He spearheaded fundraising initiatives for the team during last year’s busiest-ever winter for rescues and turn-outs.
Mr Broadhurst said: “The crematorium was packed to the seams.
“John was very well known among mountain rescue teams, he would chat, ask questions and get himself known.
“He did a lot of work with the team on equipment, and I would like to say thank-you for the huge support at his funeral from other mountain rescue teams, and to the police who helped everything run smoothly on the day.”
