Young Denis Sheldon took to horse riding as a lad, visiting farms to enjoy riding in the Wetley Rocks area of Staffordshire where he was born. His enthusiasm led to a career as a mounted police officer, a familiar figure to the crowds attending football matches at Stoke City’s Victoria Ground and at Vale Park.

Mr Sheldon, who died on 28 September, 2008, aged 82, served in the police for 25 years and retired as a countryside ranger for Staffordshire County Council in 1974. He lived in Cheddleton, where people remember how he led the village carnival procession on his favourite horse, Jumbo, and in retirement he was a popular character, regularly seen out for walks with one of a succession of German Shepherd dogs.

After leaving Cellarhead Secondary School, he worked at Brittain’s paper mill in Cheddleton before being called up in 1944 and being stationed in Germany.

He served in the Army for three years, and on discharge applied to join Stoke-on-Trent City Police.

As he was already a skilled horseman, he was taken on as a mounted officer, working from stables then at Town Yard in Bethesda Street.

He retired from the police after 25 years, during which time he was well known to thousands at the football grounds, riding horses including Jumbo and Silver. He was sorry when the horses were no longer stabled in Stoke-on-Trent, and had to be taken in horse boxes from Stafford to all parts of the county and beyond for crowd control duties, and to gain access to places where foot patrols and cars cannot easily go.

His wife Norma said that during the last years of his service he was having to endure taunts and threats from hooligan elements in football crowds.

"Some of them threatened to pull him off his horse or damage their legs," she said, "but during most of his career, people had a great respect for him.

"Remember he had no special protective clothing or communication equipment as officers have now. He just wore his peaked cap with pride."

On leaving the police, Mr Sheldon became a Staffordshire County Council countryside ranger, part of a team supervising various sites with a Range Rover and a dog.

His rounds included Biddulph Grange, Greenway Bank, Trentham Gardens, Hanchurch Hills, Oakamoor and Cannock Chase, and he retired when he was 65.

Marriage to Norma took place at St Mary’s Church, Bucknall, in 1955.

They met when she was a trainee nurse at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary and he was admitted with a broken knee after a motorcycle accident.

"I was much taken with this chap sitting up in bed with a cheery grin," said Mrs Sheldon.

They were to have no children of their own, but she became a midwife and Mr Sheldon would go with her when she was called out, often at night, to deliver a baby. She recalled having to get to a farm at Werrington at night when there was deep snow, and he helped her struggle through deep drifts. "His main job was to comfort anxious fathers," said Mrs Sheldon.

They lived at Cheddleton for 51 years after starting their married life at Bentilee where she worked as a midwife. Her husband had a fine collection of Koi carp, and he was a regular among friends at the Boat Inn. He loved every kind of sport and was a keen supporter of Stoke City.

He died at his home in Cheddleton and his funeral took place on 7 October, 2008, at St Edward’s Church, Cheddleton, followed by cremation at Carmountside.