By Rachel Shohet
The East Anglian Daily Times
GORLESTON, England — A Suffolk firefighter who died at an Olympic white-water venue was carried to his funeral on the back of a fire engine.
Alan Soards, 38, from Lowestoft, died earlier this month while taking part in a water rescue training exercise at the Lee Valley white-water centre in Hertfordshire.
More than 600 people — including representatives from 40 fire brigades across the UK — turned out to pay their respects at St Andrew’s Church, in Gorleston, yesterday.
As Mr Soards, nicknamed “Knuckles”, was laid to rest, his family told how he had kept his tales of bravery secret throughout his 11-year career.
His parents Jackie and Michael Soards said in a statement: “We knew he saw the horrible side of life but he didn’t tell us much about that, always talking about how great his job was and what he was going to do next; making us laugh about the funny things that happened.
“He never boasted about his awards and achievements. In fact, had he not died, we probably would never have known about them.
“We loved him and are proud of him. He died doing what he loved, surrounded by people whom he cared about and respected.
“We now know that feeling was reciprocated.”
Before the funeral, 18 firefighters and Chief Fire Officer Andy Fry formed a guard of honour outside Lowestoft South Fire Station, where Mr Soards served, and stood to attention when his coffin left the station on a fire engine.
A month before his death, he was part of a maritime incident response group and Lowestoft South fire station team which won an excellence award — the latest in a long line of accolades.
Neil Henderson, commander of White Watch, which Mr Soards served in, said he was a “respected and much-loved” member of the team.
He added: “Alan loved nothing more than being with his fire service friends, whether it was hurtling down a fast-moving river, driving the flood rescue boats or instructing kids in road safety and fitness. Al was a first-class firefighter and friend.
“We will all miss him dearly and will always treasure the banter we had and the memories created by a very unique individual.”
The full circumstances of Mr Soards’ death on October 2 have not yet been established. He was taken ill about 30 minutes into a routine swimming exercise and, despite resuscitation efforts, later died.
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