FAREWELL TO A LOCAL HERO
Thousands line streets to say goodbye to legend Jack Charlton
APPLAUSE RANG OUT IN NORTHUMBERLAND AND NEWCASTLE AS THOUSANDS PAID THEIR RESPECTS TO JACK CHARLTON
THOUSANDS lined the streets to pay their respects to Jack Charlton as the North East said goodbye to one of its favourite sons.
Applause rang out in Northumberland and Newcastle as the funeral procession for the “local hero and world class footballer” made its way from his hometown of Ashington to West Road Crematorium.
Locals and fans gathered together to pay tribute to England’s 1966 World Cup-winning hero, who died peacefully at home on July 10, at the age of 85.
Well-wishers threw flowers on the hearse as it passed slowly through the former mining community where Big Jack and his younger brother Sir Bobby honed their football skills.
The procession slowed as it passed close to 114 Beatrice Street, where the Charltons played for countless hours in the back lane.
As the funeral procession made its way down Alexandra Road, there was a poignant moment of silence before fans and mourners began a round of applause for the 85-year-old.
The cortege stopped momentarily outside Hirst Welfare Centre, where Jack played as a child, as the pallbearer walked in front of the vehicles alongside a Northumbrian piper.
Former England and Durham cricketer Steve Harmison was among Jack’s extended family and friends who gathered in Ashington due to being unable to attend the funeral service as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was an emotional occasion for many who hold fond memories of Jack both on and off the pitch.
Desmond Robson, 51, said he was one of the first people to arrive outside Hirst Welfare Centre at 7.45am.
He said: “Jack Charlton’s a legend. I’m so proud of him and his achievements. He never forgot his roots and helped put Ashington
on the map.
“To win the World Cup with England and then to manage Ireland and take them to the quarter finals in 1990 is fantastic.
“There surely cannot be a debate about a statue in his honour. That simply has to happen.”
Moira Douglas, 66, said: “I lived a couple of streets away from the family. I was here when Jack and Bobby came back after winning the World Cup. It was a wonderful day.
“He was always seen in the local area. He would talk to anyone.
“Jack will be remembered with a lot of affection. He was a gentleman. I hope we get a statue for him.”
Charlton, a stalwart of Leeds United’s most successful period, an England stopper who reached the pinnacle of the game and later a successful manager most notably with the Republic of Ireland, was the eldest son of miner Bob and his wife Cissie, who went on to have three more boys.
He followed his father at the pit for a brief spell before leaving Northumberland to join the Leeds United ground staff aged 15.
Charlton stayed there for a remarkable 23 years, a spell broken only by National Ser
vice, playing a major part in the club turning from also-rans into a major European force.
He was almost 30 when he made his England debut, but the late developer turned good at just the right time, and was one of the Wembley heroes on that famous day in 1966.
He went on to become manager of Newcastle United from 1984, and also enjoyed spells in the dugout for Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday. He also helped lead the Republic of Ireland to their first major tournament finals in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Fans wearing Leeds shirts, Newcastle United tops, Ireland strips and replica kits from his local side Ashington mingled together in both Ashington and Newcastle, waiting for their chance to pay their final respects.
Among those who gathered outside West Road Crematorium was John Sanderson, 70, from Gosforth, who said: “He was a highly respected man. He had no airs and graces, he told it like it was.”
Several Ireland fans also turned out to pay their respects. Rita Copas, who lives in Newcastle but hails from Dundalk, said: “He was a wonderful man, he brought the country together in difficult times. I met him on a couple of occasions and he would always stop and talk to everybody
“It’s a sad day but a day to celebrate his life.”
Newcastle resident John Jennings, from Dublin, brought sons John and Cian to witness the occasion.
He said: “Jack Charlton is an absolute legend in Ireland so I’ve come down to represent Ireland.
“He brought such joy to us, we’ll never forget the 1990s.”
While Leeds fans Tom Anderson, Ben Howell and Eddie Turner described Jack as “the greatest ever servant of our club”.
Floral tributes in the hearse included a football and a red England shirt with “Jackie 5” on it.
One said: “In memory of a true local hero, Jackie Charlton. A world class footballer, and World Cup winner, but always a Northumbrian.”
Another read: “RIP Geordie Jack. From everyone at Newcastle United.”
The strains of football favourite ‘Abide With Me’ could be heard outside the crematorium as the service took place.
During the service Jack’s grandchildren paid tribute to “a proud Englishman, a proud northerner and a proud honorary Irishman”.
In their tribute, grandchildren Emma, Kate and Tom Wilkinson said: “The footballer, the friend, the family man we all knew was forged in Ashington - during a happy childhood with the parents and three brothers he always loved dearly.”
Sadly, the family said Sir Bobby was not well enough to attend the service.
The family was touched by many kind messages they have received from fans, saying: “It’s clear that the many fleeting moments of kindness he showed to strangers had a lasting impact, and we’re extremely proud to be able to say that the man everyone met is the man we knew.
“A man who struck the balance so perfectly between football icon, fan favourite and loving family man.”