The Greater Manchester 'hero', 25, who paid the ultimate price
25.01.2024 - 12:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It was a moment that not only forever shattered the lives of one family but which rocked the region and left the policing community up and down the country in mourning.
PC Ian Rodgers, 25, was much more than just a police officer. He was a devoted husband and doting father to two young children. He was also a dedicated public servant with a strong sense of duty.
Outside of work, he would volunteer at the Scouts and church groups. He also gave up his time to teach young people in Stockport where he lived, helping them with their swimming and other lifesaving skills.
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So when on March 25, 1975, reports came in of children on the railway line in Brinnington, he didn't hesitate. He and a colleague raced to the scene and began looking for them to lead them to safety. Tragically, in doing so, PC Rodgers had put himself in harm's way.
He was struck by a train that was passing through the area and was rushed to hospital with a catalogue of serious injuries. Sadly, he succumbed to them and died eight days later, on April 3.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had only been formed a year earlier, in April 1974, following the amalgamation of the Manchester and Salford city police forces, and the addition of parts of what were Lancashire Constabulary, Cheshire Constabulary and West Yorkshire Constabulary.
It meant PC Rodgers became the first GMP officer to lose his life in the line of duty. His death left the community, where he was highly regarded, shocked and devastated and saw tributes flood in from across the UK.
He had joined the police as a 17-year-old cadet in Liverpool. He was ambitious and dreamed of becoming a detective. He had been stationed in Stockport for