Alan Thompson and Ray Scorer were travelling back from the funeral of Senior Constable Douglas Eaton, who was murdered on the job in Toronto a few days prior.

The car was travelling on John Renshaw Drive when it swerved to miss a horse that had strayed onto the road.

Mr Scorer was killed instantly and Mr Thompson died later in hospital. Three other officers who were in the back seat were badly injured.

Police officers gathered at Cessnock Police Station with family members to pay tribute to the two fallen men on Wednesday, which was the 40^th anniversary of their deaths.

Mr Thompson’s wife Lorraine and two of his children, Craig and Paul, were in attendance.

One of the officers who was in the back seat of the car, Kevin Gilbert, was also at the ceremony.

Mrs Thompson described the period after her husband’s death as “just like a rollercoaster”.

She was left with three children aged between three and seven. The police charity Police Legacy wasn’t set up until 10 years later.

“We did it very tough on our own,” she said.

Mrs Thompson became quite close with Douglas Eaton’s wife Judy and the two women supported each other through the incredibly difficult time.

Mr Thompson’s legacy was carried on through Craig, who joined the police force in 1988.

He worked his way through the ranks and is now the crime coordinator at Newcastle.

Craig said his father inspired him to become a police officer, and that the ceremony brought back some memories of when he started his career.

Mr Gilbert said it was always sad when a police officer died, but the tragedy hit harder when they were killed on the job.