Troops parade through town to thank residents for honouring fallen comrades
Wootton Bassett Appreciation Parade Gallery more..
12th October 2008
Residents of our nearest town, Wootton Bassett, that has honoured fallen soldiers who have been repatriated back to RAF Lyneham have themselves been honoured by the military.

For 18 months, scores of hearses carrying the UK's dead from Iraq and Afghanistan have passed at walking pace along the main street of Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire.

Now the military has said thank you to the community with a parade and flypast by a RAF Lyneham based Hercules C130 and a gigantic air transporter C17 from neighbouring RAF Brize Norton. A personal letter from the Princess Royal Honorary Commodore to RAF Lyneham was also read out by Group Captain Mike Neville to the people of Wootton Bassett read..

Many well known musical pieces of the finest military tradition, were played by the Central Band of the RAF, the Prince of Wales Divisional Band and the HMS Collingwood Volunteer Band.

All three services marched along the funeral route in glorious 'Indian Summer' weather with thermometers topping 20°C, to present the mayor with an illuminated scroll marking their appreciation.

The town sits between the RAF transport base at Lyneham and the M4 motorway and is on the A3102 route taken by most corteges as bodies are driven back to their home town. Some 102 coffins have taken this route in the last 18 months alone. Not one coffin has passed unmourned with residents lining the streets to pay respects.

Everytime a solitary bell tolls from the parish church, the road is closed off and an undertaker in a black top hat leads the way at walking pace.

Crowds wait silently, heads bowed, service veterans wearing medals and berets stand tall and salute. Most eyes are moist, many thoughts are on the young men and women whose lives have been cut short.

"They are not forgotten. And people are just full of praise for the job they're doing in difficult circumstances," said Town Crier, Owen Collier.

It starts with a call from the police. Anne Bevis, local secretary for the Royal British Legion is telephoned, often only a few hours before the procession is due.

A well practised grape-vine passes the word along. From a few dozen in the early days, scores now pay their respects. Earlier this year, hundreds attended the passage of Cpl Sarah Bryant, the first British woman soldier to die in Helmand.

"It's the town's way of showing that they care about what's happening to our lads and lasses in both Iraq and Afghanistan. They just want to pay tribute to the ultimate price that has been paid," Anne explained.

It's a sharp contrast to other places, like Peterborough, where the military have been warned not to wear uniform for fear of antagonising people opposed to Britain's intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, or shops and hotels have refused to serve the Armed Forces.

Wootton Bassett's Mayor, Mike Leighfield, clutches a sheaf of letters congratulating his citizens on their determination to stand and pay tribute. "They stop in complete silence, shoppers come out and they stop with their bags of shopping down by their feet. They're showing respect and it's a thing we should all do."

The parade will be inevitably be followed by another poignant procession as the death toll continues. Like the fallen, the people of Wootton Bassett will do their duty.

Sir Clive Loader, the Commander in Chief Air Command, presented an Illuminated Scroll to the people of Wootton Bassett. Thanking the people Wootton Bassett for their show of respect, the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said in a letter: "In many respects, it is the things that cost nothing that are the ones that are the most important - a friendly greeting in the street, a prayer in church. But the gestures shown by the people of Wootton Bassett surpass these at every level."

Defence Secretary John Hutton, who also attended the parade, added: "We're all here today to say thank you to the armed forces and for the support that has been shown locally to our forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. People are very proud of our armed forces."

Anne Bevis, local secretary of the Royal British Legion, said: "Those lads that are being brought through this town, all we can do is spare a few moments of our life. They've given theirs, so a few moments of ours is nothing."

Peter Gray, 68, who attended the parade with his eight-year-old grandson, Samuel, has been to all but two of the repatriations. 'It's a few minutes out of our time, which is nothing compared to the sacrifice that they have made,' he said. 'It is the least we can do.

'Let me tell you, standing here so many times really brings home to you the sacrifice that is being made. Sometimes there are hundreds of us, and sometimes there are just a few, but every time it is a solemn and very emotional occasion. And it's not just old people like me,' he said. 'It's been encouraging to see how many young people have taken time out to attend.'