Members of St John Rescue Corps gathered at Naxxar parish church recently to bid farewell and give their last salute to the founding corps commander.

Marquis Anthony Buttigieg de Piro founded St John Rescue Corps, a paramilitary volunteer organisation, to meet the needs of a support civil protection unit in Malta, consisting of volunteers fully trained in rescue and first aid.

Past and present members joined forces to acknowledge the marquis one last time.

To the sound of bagpipes, his coffin, draped in the corps colours, was carried on the shoulders of six of its members. They lead the way solemnly past members of the corps who were standing to attention outside the entrance of the church.

The marquis is remembered as someone who put his talents to good use within the community, a spokesman for St John Rescue corps said.