‘Forever Our Superhero’: Widow’s Heartbreaking Tribute to PC Matthew Blades After A66 Crash
“FOREVER OUR SUPERHERO.” 💔 A POLICE WIFE’S HEARTBREAKING PROMISE TO HER TWO YOUNG SONS AFTER THEIR DAD, PC MATTHEW BLADES, WAS KILLED IN THE A66 HORROR.
His widow remembered him as her best friend, a brave officer and an extraordinary father — then made one devastating promise about how their boys would grow up remembering him. 👇💔
‘Forever Our Superhero’: Widow’s Heartbreaking Tribute to PC Matthew Blades After A66 Crash
The family of PC Matthew Blades has paid a deeply personal tribute to the Cleveland Police officer who was killed in the devastating A66 collision, remembering him not only as a courageous police officer but as a devoted husband and father.
Blades, 37, died alongside fellow Cleveland Police officer PC Tom Clough, 38, when their marked police vehicle was involved in a catastrophic collision with a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66 in the early hours of Saturday, August 22.
Five young men travelling in the Volkswagen also died.
But amid the continuing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, Blades’ family has focused on the person behind the uniform: a husband, best friend and father whose two young sons will now grow up without him.
In a statement released following his death, his wife described Matthew as her “best friend” and paid tribute to the father he had been to their boys.
She also made a promise that his sons would grow up knowing exactly who their dad was and what he meant to the people around him.
The tribute has added a deeply human dimension to a case that has generated intense public attention across northeast England.
A father remembered beyond the uniform
PC Matthew Blades had served with Cleveland Police for 10 years.
Outside work, however, his most important role was that of husband and father.
His family described him as a devoted dad to his two young sons and emphasized the love he had for them.
His wife’s tribute made clear that the boys would remain at the center of the family’s effort to preserve his memory.
The phrase “Forever our superhero” became one of the most poignant descriptions of the officer following his death.
For his children, the tragedy is not simply the loss of a police officer killed while carrying out his duties.
It is the loss of their father.
That distinction has resonated strongly with members of the public who have followed the aftermath of the A66 crash.
Tributes to Blades have repeatedly focused on the family he leaves behind, as well as his dedication to policing.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Trevor Mew described Blades as a highly valued colleague whose loss had devastated the force. (cleveland.police.uk)
The crash that claimed seven lives
The fatal collision happened at approximately 3:39 a.m. on August 22.
A Volkswagen Passat was being pursued by Cleveland Police following intelligence relating to a number of incidents involving the vehicle.
The Passat subsequently entered the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic.
Police ended the pursuit after the vehicle began travelling the wrong way.
Around 10 seconds later, the Volkswagen collided with a marked police vehicle carrying PC Blades and PC Clough.
Both officers were killed.
The five occupants of the Passat also died. (the-independent.com)
The Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the police pursuit.
That investigation is separate from the wider criminal investigation being carried out by Cleveland Police.
The IOPC has said its work will examine the actions and decisions of police officers involved in the pursuit and the events leading up to the collision.
Remembering PC Blades as a colleague
Blades joined Cleveland Police in 2016 after previously working in other roles.
His colleagues described him as a committed officer who cared deeply about policing and the community he served.
Following his death, tributes from fellow officers emphasized his professionalism and willingness to support colleagues.
The force lowered flags and paid tribute to both officers as news of their deaths spread.
Cleveland Police said both men had been responding to events in the area when their vehicle was involved in the collision. (cleveland.police.uk)
For colleagues, the loss was compounded by the circumstances.
Blades and Clough were not simply involved in a road collision while travelling home.
They were serving police officers responding to an unfolding incident.
The nature of their deaths has therefore had a profound effect within Cleveland Police.
A family facing an unimaginable loss
For Blades’ wife and children, however, the aftermath has been intensely personal.
A police funeral and public tributes can recognize his professional service, but they cannot replace the role he played at home.
His wife’s statement made that clear.
She remembered him as the person she could rely on, her best friend and the man who shared the everyday responsibilities of raising their children.
Her promise to their sons was therefore particularly significant.
She said she would ensure that they knew their father — not simply through photographs or stories from his police colleagues, but through the memories and values he left with his family.
That idea of preserving a parent’s memory for young children is one that has resonated far beyond the Blades family.
It is also why many tributes have avoided focusing solely on the circumstances of his death.
Instead, friends, colleagues and members of the public have sought to remember the life he lived.
Support for the officers’ families
The response from the public has extended beyond messages of sympathy.
A fundraising campaign established to support the families of PC Blades and PC Clough attracted widespread support.
Within days, donations had reportedly passed £1 million, reflecting the scale of public sympathy for the two officers and their families. (the-sun.com)
The money is intended to provide practical support to the families as they adjust to life without their loved ones.
For Blades’ two sons in particular, the implications of his death will extend across many years.
Birthdays, school milestones, family holidays and other major moments will now take place without their father physically present.
That makes his wife’s promise to keep his memory alive especially meaningful.
The boys may be too young to fully understand the circumstances of their father’s death today.
But as they grow older, they will increasingly ask questions about the man they lost.
Their mother’s tribute was, in many ways, an answer prepared for that future.
PC Tom Clough’s family also pays tribute
The loss of PC Blades cannot be separated from the death of his colleague.
PC Tom Clough, 38, was also killed in the crash.
Clough had previously served in the armed forces before joining Cleveland Police.
His family described him as their “hero” and remembered his humor, generosity and dedication to others.
The two officers had different personal histories, but their deaths brought their families together in a tragedy that has shaken the force.
Both families have had to cope with the same sudden reality: a loved one left home to serve the community and never returned.
Cleveland Police has repeatedly emphasized that the officers’ families remain its priority as the investigation continues.
Public grief and a complicated investigation
The emotional response to the deaths of Blades and Clough has unfolded alongside an increasingly complex investigation.
Cleveland Police has made a number of arrests as part of a wider investigation into suspected serious and organized criminal activity in the Teesside area.
Authorities have been examining incidents believed to have occurred before the crash and possible connections between vehicles and individuals.
The five people in the Passat have also been identified, and police have confirmed that several had previous convictions.
Those details have generated considerable public debate.
But the criminal investigation and the IOPC inquiry into the police pursuit must be kept separate from the emotional response to the officers’ deaths.
Previous convictions involving people who died in the crash do not, by themselves, establish exactly what happened during the final moments.
Similarly, the fact that police were pursuing the Passat does not automatically determine whether officers acted correctly.
Those questions are matters for investigators.
The crucial questions surrounding the pursuit
The IOPC investigation is examining the circumstances leading up to the collision.
Among the central questions is why the Passat was being pursued, what information officers had at the time and what happened after the vehicle entered the A66 in the wrong direction.
Investigators will also need to establish the precise movements of the police vehicles and the Volkswagen during the final seconds.
The reported 10-second gap between the pursuit being stopped and the collision is likely to be an important part of reconstructing the sequence of events. (the-independent.com)
The IOPC has stressed that its investigation is ongoing.
Until it is complete, speculation about blame would be premature.
What is already certain is the human cost.
Seven people died.
Two of them were police officers who had been working in the early hours of the morning.
And behind those two officers were families whose lives changed permanently.
‘Forever our superhero’
For many people following the story, the most powerful part of PC Blades’ legacy may not be the circumstances of the collision.
It may be the promise made by his wife to their sons.
The boys will grow up knowing that their father was more than the uniform he wore.
He was their dad.
He was a husband.
He was a best friend.
And to the people who knew him, he was someone who chose to serve his community.
The words “Forever our superhero” therefore carry a meaning that goes far beyond a public tribute.
For two young boys, their father will remain a figure whose absence will shape their lives.
His wife now faces the difficult task of raising them while carrying the grief of losing her partner.
But she has also made clear that Matthew Blades’ memory will remain part of their family.
As the A66 investigation continues, more facts about the crash will emerge.
There will be forensic evidence, police reports, court proceedings and potentially further findings about the events that led to the collision.
Those details will be necessary to establish what happened.
But alongside the investigation is another story — one that cannot be resolved by evidence alone.
It is the story of a family trying to explain to two young children that their father is gone, while making sure they never forget the man he was.
PC Matthew Blades may have died in the line of duty.
But in the eyes of his wife and his two sons, his most enduring legacy will not be the final moments of his life.
It will be the life he gave them before those final moments.
Forever their superhero.
