Cheers and tears at homecoming parade
11th November 2010
THE High Street in Wootton Bassett, so often the scene of grief and sadness, was filled with laughter and cheers yesterday as the town welcomed 200 RAF servicemen and women home.

A homecoming parade for those who have just returned from a six-month tour of Afghanistan was held before the remembrance ceremony and two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day.

Hundreds lined the streets to cheer and applaud the troops, including members of the One Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, part of the No. Four Force Protection Wing, the RAF police and staff from RAF Lyneham.

They formed two flights of about 100 personnel each, led by Wing Commander Paul Weaver-Smith, and marched up the High Street towards the war memorial accompanied by music from the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

Then at 11am the crowd fell silent to remember those who have died in conflicts since 1914.

No 4 Force Protection Wing (4 FP Wg), including 1 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, elements of RAF Police and 16th Regiment Royal Artillery, marched through Wootton Bassett today to commemorate Armistice Day and to celebrate their return to the UK following a 6 month tour in Afghanistan.

The Parade also contained a contingent of Royal Air Force Lyneham Personnel who have recently served in Afghanistan.
 
Howling winds and heavy rains didn’t deter the crowds, who turned out in their hundreds to watch the parade and to pay their respects to those that have fallen. Families travelled from all over the UK to see their loved ones in the procession with many speaking of their immense pride of all Service personnel and their relief that their sons and daughters had returned safely; they also expressed their sadness at the loss of two of the Regiment’s Senior Aircraftmen, SAC Griffiths and SAC Hughes. 

The Parade of 200 personnel was led by the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment and the Officer Commanding 4 FP Wg, Wing Commander Paul Weaver-Smith. They marched through Wootton Bassett High Street to the War Memorial, where a Remembrance Ceremony took place. The ceremony commenced with a dedication given by Reverend Thomas Woodhouse and Wing Commander Tim Wright of RAF Lyneham, followed by the last post, played by the Royal British Legion, to mark the lead into two minutes silence.

Further cementing relations between RAF Lyneham and Wootton Bassett, The Mayor, Mary Champion, presented a framed Crest of Wootton Bassett to Wing Commander Weaver- Smith during the ceremony. The Mayor of Wootton Bassett, Mary Champion, summed up the sense of joy. “It was a wonderful occasion and so nice to have something happy here,” she said.