Obituary: Jack Hammill dies aged 94

Sports journalist Jack Hammill has died at the age of 94.

Born in 1920, Mr Hamill’s long career, which saw him cover Rochdale AFC for more than 60 years, began with him covering the reserve team for the Rochdale Observer.

He served four years with the Intelligence Corps during the Second World War and was part of a detail guarding Winston Churchill during a meeting.

After the war, he returned to his home town of Rochdale, where began a career as a freelance journalist. He covered sport in the town for national and regional papers across the country.

He retired in 2007.

Mr Hammill went on to write the novel, The Road That Adam Took. Money raised from the book went to Springhill Hospice.

He was voted as the Springhill Hospice Man of Rochdale in 2001. The Man of Rochdale award is awarded to a man who is considered to have made the most significant contribution to the Rochdale Community.

Mr Hammill was also a member of the Rochdale Probus Club, a club for retired and semi-retired businessmen to socially listen to talks and see slide shows on mutually interesting subjects.

He was also a well-known water colour artist and would sell copies of his paintings for charities.

He was married to Margaret, who died in 1998, and was the father to Jane and Rachel. He had nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Dave Sweetmore, the Public Address Announcer at Rochdale AFC, said: “Jack was a reporter at Rochdale AFC when I first started there nearly 14 years ago. He took me under his wing and he really looked after me. He showed me round and told me who was who at the club, as I was the new lad. He was one of the nicest men you could ever meet.”

Councillor Ashley Dearnley said: “He was a gentleman. He was very polite and considerate and throughout his journalist career, he always had the best interests of the borough at heart. I think he is the kind of man that a lot of people today could look up to and be like. He was full of integrity. That’s definitely it, he was a man of integrity.”

His funeral will be held on Wednesday 1 April at Rochdale Crematorium at 11:50am.