Tributes have poured in following the death of a ‘village bobby’ with a ‘larger-than-life’ personality. David Russell, from Rossendale in Lancashire, died at the age of 70 earlier this month.
He was a long-serving police constable in Bacup - earning himself the nickname ‘Torchy’ - and went on to become a dedicated volunteer for the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) in Rawtenstall, where he was the first stationmaster. Following his death, the ELR’s fleet ran with wreaths on the front of them in his memory. Members of the ELR described David as a “larger-than-life” character.
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David also served as a volunteer guide at Hoghton Tower and branch chairman and welfare officer of the National Association of Retired Police Officers, reports Lancs Live. Born in Barrow, David was also President of the Old Barrovians, but settled in Rossendale through his work in the police force after being posted to Bacup in the late 1960s.
In 2020, he told the Old Barrovians that when he first arrived in the Valley, a seasoned constable said to him “Bacup is like chewing gum - if it sticks to you, you will never get rid of it.” He spent some years in the 1970s living in Swinton and Salford before moving to Bacup with wife Lynda in 1980, where he remained up to his death.
David retired from the police - where he also served in Greater Manchester - in 1997. Friend Simon Dalley, who is chair of the Bacup 2040 Vision Board, described David as “a fascinating character”, who was thoughtful and kind.
“He was an imposing figure - despite being in his later years,” he said. “I imagine he’d have cut quite an intimidating presence as a younger bobby. I gave him lifts to various meetings over the years and he regaled me with tales of old-school policing.
“He told me some stories that are better not being retold, but I like the story he told about the lollipop man at Toll Booth in Stacksteads. David would say to the aggrieved drivers that he could speak to the lollipop man, but if he did that, he’d have to have a conversation with them about their driving. No one took it further.
“Whilst I only knew Torchy for eight years or so, in that time he was a thoughtful, kind and generous friend to me.”
Volunteering as a signalman up to the age of 70, David was latterly a volunteer guide at Hoghton Tower and branch chairman and welfare officer of the National Association of Retired Police Officers.
Mayoress of Rossendale Christine Lamb remembered David fondly, especially from his police days when he used to come in their chip shop in Stacksteads.
She said: “He used to come in the shop and he was always friendly. He was one of the old style coppers that knew just everybody and made sure that everybody was safe. He used to go round at night checking the shop doors and making sure they were locked up. It was a different age.
“He was a nice guy and most people knew him as Torchy. He had a torch he would shine in all the doorways and if anybody was lingering he’d sort it.
“He was the village bobby - he knew everybody and everybody knew him. He was well respected, but he did it all in such a nice way.”
David’s funeral will be held at Rochdale Crematorium on Friday, April 1, at 2.20pm.
