Hercules Crash Victims arrive Home at Lyneham
The coffins of ten British servicemen killed in the tragic Hercules crash, stood on the runway in Basra awaiting their final journey home today. A full military ceremony took place in Iraq before the giant aircraft brought the bodies home to Wiltshire.

The bodies of the men who died when their C130K Hercules went down on 30th January outside Baghdad were returned to Britain, shrouded in dignity and pride.

Picture Left: Servicemen carry the coffin of Flight Lieutenant Andrew Smith, the youngest crew member of the tragic flight, off the C17 aircraft today.

The bodies of 10 servicemen killed when their Hercules plane crashed in Iraq have arrived home in Lyneham. The Honary Air Commodore to RAF Lyneham, Princess Royal and Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, joined families of the dead aircrew for a repatriation ceremony at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.

The 169ft wing-span giant C-17 cargo plane, having flown the bodies direct from Basra, performed a fly-by in sun broken low cloud, in front of the airfield's terminal building before landing at the base at 12:45, The Central Band of the Royal Air Force, supplemented by the RAF Regiment Band, played throughout the hour-long proceedings as bearers from the RAF Regiment and the Royal Corps of Signals carried their dead colleagues.

The off-loading was carried out in view of a marquee-covered seating area containing families of the dead and dignitaries including the Princess Royal and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon. The proud and dignified bearers, unloaded the coffins from the aircraft in a sombre ceremony and transferred them to waiting hearses. One by one, in painstaking true military precision, the heroes were given the utmost respect from the Lyneham base personnel. Nine of the coffins were dressed in Union flags, while the other, that of Australian Flt Lt Paul Pardoel, 35, carried an Australian flag.

"It is extremely poignant that today's ceremony is being held at RAF Lyneham as the majority of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident served or had served here. We are deeply saddened by their loss but are extremely proud and feel very privileged to be able to bring our friends and colleagues to their home base. Every effort has been made to ensure that today's events are a dignified and solemn homecoming. This is not a memorial service, it is a homecoming." said Wing Commander Jules Eaton.

"Their families are being offered every support on this difficult day and our highest priority is their well-being. Support will continue for as long as they require it.

The Hercules C130K was en route from Baghdad to the city of Balad and crashed about 25 miles north-west of Baghdad. An thorough investigation has yet to find the cause of the crash. The mid-air explosion was the biggest single loss of life of British troops in the war in Iraq, with eight of those killed from 47 Squadron based at RAF Lyneham.

Those killed from 47 Squadron, based at RAF Lyneham, were Flt Lt David Stead, 35, Flt Lt Andrew Smith, 25, Flt Lt Paul Pardoel, Master Engineer Gary Nicholson, 42, and Flt Sgt Mark Gibson, 34.

From RAF Lyneham's engineering wing were Chief Technician Richard Brown, 40, Sgt Robert O'Connor, 38, and Cpl David Williams, 37. Squadron Leader Patrick Marshall, 39, was a staff officer serving with Headquarters Strike Command in High Wycombe and the 10th man, a soldier, was Acting L Cpl Steven Jones, 25, who served with the Royal Corps of Signals.

The families were given time to spend with their loved ones before Wiltshire Coroner David Masters oversaw the transfer of the coffins to Great Western Hospital in Swindon for formal identification.