THEY came to honour a hero. Friends, family, firefighters and well-wishers – from those who knew and loved Jim Shears, to those that had never met him. All paid tribute to a man who gave his life protecting others.

A guard of honour made up of uniformed firefighters from Dorset and Hampshire lined the route to St George’s Church in Oakdale.

They stood to attention as the funeral cortege passed slowly by, and the crowds fell silent.

A fire engine, decked with flowers and wreaths, bore the coffin, which was draped with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service standard, with Jim Shears’ helmet on top.

It was followed by a second engine, also covered in floral tributes, including one with the message ‘Rest in Peace Jimbo’.

Those in attendance all had their personal reasons for being there.

Malcolm Pearson, from Wimborne, said his son-in-law was a firefighter, and the deaths of Jim Shears and Alan Bannon had once again brought home the dangers of the job.

“My family’s thoughts are very much with the family of the two lads who were killed,” he said.

Beckie Rose, from Canford Heath said she was there to “show the family that everyone is thinking of them.”

Jim’s uncle John McKay, surrounded by members of his nephew’s extended family, said that they, dressed in bright colours, wanted to “celebrate his life.”

The church was filled with family and friends, with more gathered in the church hall next door to watch the service on a live feed. Still more gathered outside, listening to it piped through on loudspeakers.

Instead of hymns, music special to Jim punctuated the service, including anthems by Oasis, Tina Turner’s Simply the Best and Elvis’ The Wonder of You.

A track by Britney Spears was played, a reference to the nickname ‘Britney’ given to Jim by his Red Watch colleagues – a play on the closeness of his surname to hers.

Outside the crowds were solemn and silent, but they also showed their pride, breaking into applause at points as emotional tributes were made by colleagues and family members.

They spoke of Jim’s love of his family, his capability and professionalism, the friendship so prized by his colleagues and again and again, his heroism.

Afterwards the family emerged hugging and supporting each other and Ruben, Jim’s youngest son, released multicoloured balloons into the sky.

Speaking after service Stu Mahoney, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Andover, who had served with Jim, said brigades, some from as far afield as Cornwall, had come to “show support for the family and the guys on his watch.”

“It means a lot this level of support is around for us all,” he added.

Kev Robson, watch manager at Andover, spoke of the pride he felt in the fire service, but also of their shared grief.

He said: “Even though I didn’t know them, the pain is as if we’ve lost a member of our family.”