ARM IN ARM.. FAMILY THANK BRAVE CABBIE; Bereaved family comforts hero taxi driver Cross-community tributes to victims.

Byline: BY JILLY BEATTIE

THE brave family of policeman Kenny Irvine held their grief at bay for half an hour yesterday to comfort the taxi driver who tried to save him.

Grieving relatives spotted shocked Barry McArdle standing close to the devastating accident scene when they arrived to lay flowers in memory of the 31-year-old dad.

And with biting winds whipping at their tear-stained faces, they found comfort during their darkest hour in the company of a stranger on the Moygannon Road, near Kilkeel in Co Down.

A family friend explained: "They were so exhausted and in so much pain but Kenny's dad Bertie felt he had to go to the scene with flowers to say the goodbyes they never had a chance to say.

"When the family reached the area, they spotted a young fella standing looking at the place where the jeep had been.

"He seemed in a daze, just standing there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the burnt ground. He was very pale and obviously upset.

"The Irvines thought he was maybe a friend or relative of one of lads and asked him if he was OK.

"He said he was the taxi driver who'd tried to help them escape. They just held each other in their arms and sobbed.

"That young fella was still very shocked but he was able to tell the family what he saw happen and they wanted to know everything he remembered because they have so many questions.

"He said he was about 600 yards away when he saw the lights of the jeep in the darkness and slowed his car because he knew there was something seriously wrong.

"The jeep had hit the wall and the back end had swung round and collided with the stone wall with such force that the fuel tank was damaged.

"When Barry got out of his car he immediately smelled fuel. He said he thought the fuel tank must have leaked because there were flames all over the road, around the motor where the diesel had spilled.

"It spread very quickly as he tried to get at the windows to break them with a fire extinguisher. He thought the doors were locked.

"The fire was too big to use the extinguisher on but he could see the lads inside. He said he thought they were all unconscious because they were not responding to him.

"He knew the only chance of getting them out was to break into the motor and pull them free. He was shouting for help, screaming at them to wake up and get out. But they were gone and heard none of it.

"He said it all happened so fast once that fuel started to leak out, he was pushed back by the flames and there was an awful explosion.

"The Irvines thanked Barry for doing all he could and they promised to keep him in their prayers.

"They got some comfort from comforting him and wanted him to know that they appreciated everything he'd done to help. And they told him not to punish himself or hold himself responsible for anything, that he'd done everything humanly possible to save Kenny and his friends.

"They're very grateful to him for trying to help Kenny and talking to him has helped them get through this day."

Mr McArdle told BBC Radio Ulster: "I hit the window maybe three or four times, the windows just weren't moving, nothing was happening. The flames were getting the better of us.

"The jeep was in what I can only describe as an inferno, it looked, when I saw the orange flames, like a skip fire."

Kenny's young widow Andrea was planning a special dinner at home later this week to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary with their baby son Callum.

His death with those of friends and colleagues Declan Greene, 39, James Magee, 27 and 24-year-old Kevin Gorman have been recorded as the PSNI's first on-duty fatalities.

And as the community around Kilkeel, Co Down, and the Mournes tried to understand how such an accident could happen, endless tributes were paid to the men.

Small groups of people gathered at the crash site throughout the day delivering flowers and prayers for the victims, their families, friends and colleagues.

One of the officers' partners left a pair of baby bootees and a tiny Liverpool shirt from their baby. The logo on the front read: "My daddy. My hero."

The crash victims were responding to an emergency call from a colleague in the early hours of Sunday when they died.

The four officers often worked together after Kenny and Declan trained two years ago as community policemen.

One close friend said: "The four of them were great mates but Kenny and Declan in particular, probably because they'd trained together, knew each other from Kilkeel and even worked for the same company during the day at BE Aerospace.

"Kenny had been made redundant from Toughglass last July and three weeks later he got work at BE Aerospace in a different department to Declan.

"He and Declan came from either side of the religious divide but they were great friends and used to tease each other a lot about it. They even had special ring tones in their phones to announce who was calling before they answered. It was a joke which used to crack them up.

"Every time Kenny called Declan, the tune of The Sash would be played on Declan's phone. So Kenny changed his ring tone too to have an Irish tune for Declan. It was all very goodhearted.

"It's no comfort to any of us yet that they died together but maybe in time we'll get something from that."

Alec Slater from the Fishermen's Mission in Kilkeel knew Declan Greene and his family well, supporting them through previous heartaches when three generations of the family, a father, son and grandson, all called Michael Greene, were lost at sea from the Tullymurray Lass six years ago.

Mr Slater said the police work to help the Greene family during that time had had a massive impact on Declan.

It meant he wanted to help put something back into the community.

Mr Slater explained: "Declan had a good heart and was a very caring man. His father Thomas isn't long out of hospital with a heart problem and Declan made sure he had everything he needed. That's just the sort of lad he was.

"We talked at length about the possibility of him becoming a community police officer a few years back.

"I thought there was no better man for that type of job and he was very anxious to get into the community and help.

"Like any dedicated dad he was worried about his four children and their future. He wanted to help them make the right decisions and keep them safe.

"Now his eldest is on his way back from Australia to attend his dad's funeral. It's God's way but it's impossible to explain.

"Becoming a community police officer was Declan's way of helping other children in the area too because he was able to get people talking to each other, people who'd never have spoken before.

"We talked about the sacrifices he'd have to make to fulfil the role and Declan was satisfied he was doing the right thing.

"So after work at BE Aeropsace he'd get his dinner and go out and help police the community. It was sacrifice he was proud of, one we were all proud of. But Declan and his three friends paid the ultimate price to help make our world safer.

"I will miss him deeply and I feel great sorrow but it's nothing compared to the pain his family is feeling right now.

"Declan had a strong faith and relied on it when his uncle, cousin and little nephew died in 2002.

"And I pray that his wife Roisin finds the strength to go on for their children and that the family gets some comfort from their faith in these difficult times."

UUP councillor Isaac Hanna worked with all four men on the Community Safety Partnership in the area.

He said: "We're very shocked and will need a very long time to recover from this.

"The community has been fractured by the loss of these fine men and I just don't know how they'll ever be replaced.

"They helped create some very positive changes in the area and are an example of policing at its best in Northern Ireland.

"If we had more people and officers like Kenny, Declan, Kevin and James, we'd have a safer and happier country."

Kenny Irvine's funeral will take place tomorrow at Kilkeel Presbyterian Church at 1.30pm.

They told him not to punish himself...he had done everything humanly possible to save Kenny and his friends

CAPTION(S):

DEVASTATED Tax-driver Barry McArdle yesterday and, above, baby's tribute to lost dad; TIME OF PRAYER A woman at scene of Sunday's crash on Moygannon Road in Co Down; THE VICTIM DECLAN GREENE; THE VICTIM KEVIN GORMAN; TRAP Jeep four died in