A POPULAR police cartoonist who helped his fellow officers see the 'funny side' of life has died after a short battle with cancer.

John Richard "Jedd" Edwards of Malvern died aged 83 on Thursday, February 25.

Mr Edwards was a retired Detective Inspector from West Midlands Police but was also became known as an artist, a cartoonist and a philanthropist.

His funeral will take place at Malvern Priory this Friday (March 11) at 2pm and is expected to be well-attended by family, friends, former colleagues and members of the public.

Born in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, on December 17 1932, he was often known by his artist name, "Jedd".

He was described by his widow, Rumana Edwards, as a man of multiple skills and disciplines and a very good athlete.

Mr Edwards took part in running competitions in the police force for over ten years and enjoyed walking up to three months before his death.

In 1979, after 25 years operational police service he retired to take up a second career as a freelance artist.

He continued to produce cartoons for POLICE Magazine, as he had been doing since 1968 when the magazine was first published, until its change of format in 2006.

After this he worked for Narpo News completing his last assignment in January this year.

Described by an editor of POLICE magazine as a ‘comic genius’, Mr Edwards contributed cartoons to every issue. He understood ‘what makes the police laugh at themselves’ as depicted in the McBoot cartoons, which satirise a senior police officer.

Former Police Commissioner, Lord Peter Imbert, said: "John Edwards has the great gift of helping us to see the funny side of things when the tension indicators are running high.

"He never hesitates to puncture the haughtiness of an over-inflated ego, and on more than one occasion he has made me laugh at myself when I was getting just a touch too big for my boots."

Mr Edwards was also a member of the Coventry Water Colour Society.

His paintings have been exhibited by the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours at the Mall Galleries in London. He also produced a well-known series of fourteen satirical paintings, in cartoon style, entitled ‘The Nines’.

Mr Edwards was interested in painting and drawing from an early age.

At the age of three years or thereabouts he drew a picture of Charlie Chaplin on a wall from his cot and later when a painter and decorator was called in to paint the room he was so impressed with it he decorated around it and not over it.

By the age of 10 or 11 years he had produced his own comic, designing his own characters.

From the age of 14 to 16 he was enrolled at Brierley Hill art college, after which he worked for a commercial advertising agency, Murray Watson.

He returned there after completing his National Service in the RAF, serving in Singapore and at RAF Cosford and Pershore.

On April 26, 1954 at the age of 21 Mr Edwards joined the police force and was a ‘beat bobby’, stationed at first in Bromsgrove, before transferring to the CID at Hindlip, Worcester, and finally retiring as Detective Inspector from the West Midlands Police.

Upon retirement he travelled the world but still submitted his regular monthly cartoons for the Police magazine and found time to illustrate books.

Upon his return from his travels, he settled in Stourbridge and concentrated on his artwork. But, the wanderlust overtook him again and he travelled to Bangladesh where he met his wife-to-be in 1992.

Throughout his life John was involved in a number of charities, including sponsoring the education of three African children for eight years.

In 1995 he bought a piece of land in Bangladesh which he donated to the village in order that a school could be built. The school is still running. He also donated three water pumps to the village.

In 1998 he donated 30 years worth of cartoons featured in POLICE Magazine for an auction at Chigwell Police Club, the proceeds of which were given to The Winged Fellowship charity. He also supported the Police Housing Association.

Mr Edwards leaves behind his beloved wife, Rumana, who he was happily married to for 23 years, and their only daughter, Zara, who is currently completing a music degree and is a regular singer for West Mercia Police events.

He also has three older, grown up children.

Mrs Edwards said: "John’s great wit, talent, insight and compassion were greatly appreciated by many and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him."