Funeral of well loved firefighter takes place in Corby
Hundreds of people turned out to pay tribute to Hilmi Say, who died of cancer before Christmas
Hilmi Say had been with the brigade since 2010, and fighting a battle with cancer since January 2022. He sadly passed away aged 40 on the morning of December 23rd.
Hilmi was finally laid to rest on January 24th, with his funeral procession starting at the Corby fire station, and procession through the town.
His coffin was transported by a turntable ladder, and flanked by two fire engines, on a procession route lined with well-wishers through Corby town centre and onto Rothwell. There, firefighters and fire staff helped form a Guard of Honour to welcome Hilmi into Rothwell Holy Trinity Parish Church, where a funeral service paid tribute to his life.
Since his passing, the Fire Service has been supporting Hilmi’s wife, Victoria, and his children.
Acting Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill attended the ceremony, and reflecting on an emotional day, said: “Hilmi was an incredibly popular person across the Fire Service, so it was no surprise to see that so many people wanted to come along and pay their respects.
“I know how proud Hilmi was to be a firefighter, and I’m glad that the Fire Service could grant his final wishes by playing such a key role in his funeral.
“Although this was an opportunity to lay him to rest, we know that Hilmi’s death continues to have an impact on everyone who knew him. We will continue to support Victoria and their children, as well as our firefighters and fire staff.”
The fire service warn of a fake social media page on Facebook pretending to be "Northamptonshire Fire Rescue funeral". They say this is a scam and people should not click on any links. Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.