Soldiers, comrades and veterans are expected to line the approach to Hexham Abbey on Friday as the funeral takes place for Lance Corporal Liam Potts, the 22-year-old serviceman who was found dead in the River Tyne near Wylam Bridge.
The funeral service is scheduled to begin at 11am. Potts was a member of the Coldstream Guards, and his regiment is expected to send a large contingent to the service.
Funeral at Hexham Abbey
The service follows a period of searching and mourning after Potts was reported missing on August 15. His body was found in the river three days later near Wylam Bridge.
Comrades and veterans have been asked to line the approach to Hexham Abbey as the serviceman is laid to rest. Hundreds of floral tributes have already been left at the scene on Wylam Bridge.
Potts’s family has spoken publicly about the support received from relatives, the Army and people who helped with the search.
“There are lots of wonderful things being said about our son, which has genuinely touched our hearts. "Myself, Mandy, James and Erin would like to thank everyone so much for their kindness and help over this last week. A very special thank you to Liam’s other family, the British Army, and particularly his fellow Coldstreamers. Their support during this very emotional time is ‘Nulli Secundus’.”
The statement was released by Potts’s father, Paul Potts, through the Ministry of Defence. “Nulli Secundus” is the Coldstream Guards’ regimental motto and means “second to none”. Paul Potts also thanked those who had helped search for his son.
Northumbria Police investigation
Northumbria Police detectives from the force’s major investigation team are investigating Liam Potts’s death. Two men, aged 22 and 23, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later released on bail.
Before Potts disappeared, police received a report of a disturbance at The Boathouse pub in Wylam. This was followed by a collision on Wylam Bridge involving a vehicle and a group of pedestrians.
A man and a woman, both aged in their 20s, were injured in the collision. Police said Potts was not in the vehicle and was not struck by it. He was last seen leaving the bridge on foot in the direction of Wylam.
Officers are working to establish whether the disturbance and collision were directly connected to Potts entering the water. The investigation remains ongoing.