Eight soldiers' bodies flown home
14th July 2009
The bodies of eight British soldiers killed during the army's bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan were repatriated at noon to a RAF Lyneham today. The first of three key moments for the families and loved ones of the fallen heroes, was when the gigantic C17 Globemaster air transporter made a low-level approach over the North Wiltshire skies to pass the waiting families outside the Air Terminal at the top of the hour.

A short while later the aircraft stopped in front of the grieving and proud families of the servicemen, and all four engines were shut down to mark a period of silence. The eight coffins gently carried by pall-bearers down the large ramp of the transport aircraft were witnessed by waiting close family and loved ones.

A single bell was tolled at the St Michael and All Angel's Church to mark the rightful respect for the British Soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice serving for their Queen and Country. The tenor bell was tolled by long serving campanologists at the Lyneham Parish Church by Mr Godfrey Godwin and Mr John Simpson.

Afterwards the families had a private service in the Station Chapel, the coffins draped in Union Flags were then escorted by Wiltshire Police and MoD Police on their final journey out of the airbase main gates at 4.30pm to waiting villagers of all generations. Many hundreds, parents, children, servicemen and veterans lined the streets of Lyneham to watch the men's' cortége - the largest yet to drive through the village since the tragic loss of the XV179 Hercules 'Hilton 22' crew in February 2005.

Among the servicemen repatriated were five soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles who died near Sangin, in Helmand province on Friday, in two "daisy-chain" explosions. Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, and Riflemen William Aldridge, 18, James Backhouse, 18, and Joseph Murphy, 18, were rescuing comrades from an earlier blast when a second device detonated.

Rifleman Murphy was carrying rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20 - who was injured by the first makeshift bomb - when both were killed in the following explosion. Rifleman Aldridge, from Bromyard, Herefordshire, was attempting to reach casualties from the first blast, despite being wounded himself.

Also returning on the C17 plane was Corporal Lee Scott, 26, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in an explosion on the same day, just north of Nad-e-Ali, during Operation Panther's Claw. Making up the eight are two men killed in separate incidents on Thursday. Private John Brackpool, 27, of Prince of Wales' Company, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was shot at Char-e-Anjir near Lashkar Gah, while on sentry duty. Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles was killed in an explosion while on a foot patrol, again near Nad-e-Ali.

The families of all the men attended a private ceremony at RAF Lyneham's chapel after their coffins, each draped in a flag, were carried from the plane in the 80th repatriation. Village shops closed their doors shortly after 4pm as news soon went around the gathering crowds that the bodies were soon to be escorted through the village. Vehicles parked up on the grass verges and many people waited outside their parked cars in silence, all that could be heard was the leaves rustling in the breezy summer wind.

The eight hearses left the airbase at 4.30pm to be met by hundreds of village residents and children lining the roadside all through the village and the people quickly broke the poignant silence by the roundabout at Church End by spontaneously clapping each coffin as it past them, on their final journey to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxfordshire. A large group assembled at the north of the village adjacent to the Lyneham Green where Mr and Mrs Taylor who live on Chippenham Road decided to leave their house early at 2.45pm to ensure they could pay their respects to the servicemen. They thought when they arrived they would be the sole people there, but soon, many additional people stopped in their cars, parked up at the White Hart Inn and Village Green car parks and started to have a conversation in the the afternoon summer sunshine. Mrs Babs Taylor recalls; "The atmosphere was quite something, just chatting quietly, I was amazed how many people came and waited, young, the very young and old. When the cortége finally made it's way down from the camp everyone fell silent, a few tears were shed. May they all rest in peace and rise in glory."

Inquests into their deaths will be held in the coming weeks.

Crowds have appeared spontaneously in Wootton Bassett to pay their respects since the bodies of British service personnel started being brought back to Lyneham in 2007 but a growing number of people have paid their respect in the village too. The past month has been very difficult for the forces as 15 soldiers have died in Afghanistan in ten days, bringing the total number of UK military fatalities in the country since 2001 to 184 - surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.

On Friday five more heroes were returned to their families. Resident Peter Gray, 69, a former Royal Engineer, said: "The people of Wootton Bassett will continue to pay their respects until RAF Lyneham closes next year. We will still be here when they come back, come rain, shine or hail."

Photos of the Day
We have published a selection of photographs taken during the poignant repatriation in the village, as the people of Lyneham reflects the sad loss of eight great soldiers. Lyneham Gallery more..

The Longest Final Journey - a special report of the journey the cortége makes from RAF Lyneham, through our village and neighbouring market town of Wootton bassett and then onward to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire. more..

Letter to National Papers
There is a growing concern that the media intrusion at Wootton Bassett at each homecoming, is changing the whole meaning of the respect being paid by the good people of the market town, to the fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the battlefield for our country. more..