Our Brave boys gave their all for people that they barely knew
Western Daily Press 21st May 2005
www.westpress.co.uk
By Tristan Cork
Email: t.cork@bepp.co.uk
THE station commander of the West's biggest air base paid an emotional tribute yesterday to his men who died in the Hercules tragedy in Iraq.

At a stirring service of thanksgiving for the lives of the 10, Salisbury Cathedral was packed with 1,500 people, including Defence Secretary John Reid.

And they all heard Group Captain Paul Oborn speak movingly of how the families, friends, colleagues and the wider community around RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire had struggled to come to terms with the biggest single loss of life British forces have suffered in the war.

Before the service Group Captain Oborn refused to speculate on the on-going investigation into the Hercules crash, and said the day was about celebrating the lives of his fallen heroes. Inside the cathedral he said: "We have tried our best to make some sense of their deaths.

Today I wondered if I should try to link those that we remember to great causes and purpose. But of course, this is unnecessary. "The truth has nobility enough. This team, our boys, gave their all for a people that they barely knew, they fought in a conflict and against an enemy that they did not really understand. "They did not choose to die, but such is the honourable nature of our profession that when the moment of sacrifice alighted upon their own personal battlefields, their feet stood fast, they knew their duty, and they honoured the loyalty of their friends and colleagues, their squadrons, their regiments and their service."

He added: "So how then do we honour these valiant men? "We honour them by painting each of these 10 brave men on to our memories and never forgetting them."

They came by the bus load, from the RAF's top brass to the rank and file of Lyneham's ground crew. And they heard the stirring sounds of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force playing the likes of the Airman's Hymn and the Dambusters' theme. The band and the Cathedral's choir produced a service of magnificent pomp, honour and tradition.

Afterwards, Lyneham's local MP James Gray, spoke of "the great big hole" left at the centre of the base's communal heart, but added: "This was a spectacular service and it was carried off perfectly. "The tribute from Paul Oborn was very moving and extremely apt. The whole thing, I hope, is hugely important to the families - if you'd lost your man in this way, it is a comfort to have such great support from seeing the whole of your community come together."

And Defence Secretary John Reid agreed, speaking of the "fitting tribute" to the 10 lost men.