Hundreds attend funeral service of Sergeant Graham Saville

26 October 2023

The funeral service for Sergeant Graham Saville was held on Monday (23 October) after he died in the line of duty.

Hundreds of friends and colleagues attended the service, including more than 50 police officers who formed a Guard of Honour as the hearse arrived at Southwell Minster. 

Graham, 46, died after being hit by a train as he tried to help a distressed man in Balderton on Thursday 24 August. The father-of-two tragically died five days later in hospital.

Nottinghamshire Police Federation chair Simon Riley was among those attending the service. 

“Losing a colleague undoubtedly impacts the entire police family, but when he or she is one of your own, the effect it has on their Force is unimaginable,” said Simon.

“Graham was everything you could want in a police officer. He was brave, committed, determined and above all, a well-respected and hugely liked colleague - and I think that was demonstrated by the vast amount of people that attended Monday’s service.

“It’s been an incredibly difficult time for everyone who knew Graham here at Nottinghamshire Police Force, especially those who attended the call alongside him on the night of the incident.

“Just because time is passing, it does not mean this will necessarily get any easier for some. Please know, the Federation’s door is always open if you need support, whenever you feel you need us.”

The service was led by Major Pamela Ralph-Barratt of the Salvation Army, who opened by describing Graham as “one of a kind” who was “thoughtful and caring”.

She added: “He was a team player and an amazing role model. He was respected and always gave people credit when credit was due.”

Among those in attendance at today’s funeral were many of Graham’s colleagues at Nottinghamshire Police, including response officers at Radford Road and Newark police stations where he worked.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This has been an extremely difficult time and I would like to thank everyone who came to Southwell Minster today to pay their respects to Graham.

"The loss of such a popular and well-respected colleague has affected all of us, especially those closest to him, and I’d like to share my gratitude and admiration for the incredible strength and resilience officers and police staff have shown over the past couple of months."

Graham started his career with Metropolitan Police in 2013, before transferring to Nottinghamshire Police in February 2017. 

The majority of his career with Nottinghamshire Force was spent as a response officer at Radford Road Police Station. More recently Graham had started as a a response sergeant based at Newark Police Station.