HUNDREDS of bikers paid their respects at the funeral of a ‘God Squad’ member who died following a collision near Blackburn.
The riders packed into All Saints Church in Clayton-le-Moors on Friday along with family members and friends to pay their last respects to Devonshire Drive resident Kevin Donaghue, 46.
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Following the service, his coffin, draped in a Union Jack flag, was brought out of the church, and received a fly past by an RAF jet before being taken to Pleasington Crematorium.
Then a procession was led to the Blackburn crematorium by his Harley Davidson, ridden by a close friend, followed by the hearse, immediate family and around 200 bikers.
Known affectionately as ‘Dog’, Mr Donaghue served in the RAF for almost 20 years before studying to become a priest, in 2013.
During the service, which was led by Rev Brian Stevenson, one of Mr Donaghue’s friends from the God Squad, a Christian biker group, paid tribute.
He said: “It has been a hard few weeks for everyone. The outpouring of grief has been massive.”
“He was a man who cared deeply about others and he believed in sacrifice and service.”
His father Alan said: “Born to an Anglo-Swiss family in multilingual Geneva, Kevin never saw language as a barrier to understanding.
"By the time his parents had checked into any foreign hotel he would be playing with the local children, and when the family moved to Zurich, he not only joined the Swiss-German scout troop, he was elected leader of the French-speaking scouts of that canton.”
After joining the RAF, Mr Donaghue served in the Falklands and in Germany. He then transferred to the RAF Reserve with a commission in the intelligence branch, took civilian work and with his dog Soleil in the passenger seat, explored Britain on a bike.
"He returned to full-time service at the Joint Services Intelligence Centre and in 2003 he volunteered to serve in Iraq. He joined XIX squadron at RAF Valley on Anglesey, where he remained adjutant for a record number of years.
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