I’ve not blogged about the events in Wootton Bassett over the past few years. I’m talking about the fallen members of our armed forces and their repatriations from RAF Lyneham. I’ve taken a stand, similar to many in our town, that what we do is a personal response.
Today, the town has been granted Letters Patent by the Queen and officially becomes Royal Wootton Bassett. The name change is in recognition that of the many that gather on the streets to offer our respects to those who have contributed the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The response came about because of an accident of geography, and the close links that the town has had for the base at RAF Lyneham over the years. Indeed, a lot of ex-service personnel have retired to the town.
The process started when an RAF Hercules C.130 aircraft of 47 Squadron, based at Lyneham, crashed in January 2005 on active service in Iraq. Since many of the people who work at Lyneham live in the local area, nearly everyone knew someone who was directly or indirectly affected by the crash, and the town gathered to support their friends and families. The accident occurred before we moved to Wootton Bassett.
Usually, RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire is the central location for passenger movements, but when that closed temporarily in the September 2005, to allow upgrades to the runway. During this time most operations moved to RAF Lyneham, along with repatriation of the bodies of the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The first repatriations through the town were low-key affairs, with no formal organisation, just an awareness by those older members of the local Royal British Legion of hearses passing through the town, and the recognition of the service given by the servicemen within.
It grew to a more formal recognition of the repatriations, with an informal network of phone calls and discreet displays in certain of the shops on the High Street of the times of the next repatriation. Those that were on the High Street at the time stopped what they were doing, and stood in silence as the corteges stopped at the War Memorial.
The repatriations through Wootton Bassett finished in June 2011, as the last flying squadron left RAF Lyneham and moved to RAF Brize Norton. Repatriations moved there as well, with the first repatriation occurring on the 8th of September 2011, through the town of Carterton in Oxfordshire.
The solemn respect that has been offered without any reference to the politics one way or the other for the deployment of our troops abroad. The quiet dignity in which everyone in which those in the town who gather on the High Street as the corteges pass has now become worldwide news.
Today we’ve been recognised by the Queen (and country) for this task, which by accident of geography, we’ve been able to carry out for the 355 servicemen and women who’ve passed through our town. I’d hope that others would have done the same, and will continue to do the same.
In the light of that, a change to our town coat of arms, we’ve lost a gold diamond from the below the chevron, and have instead, gained a royal lion. (A royal lion has blue claws and tongue in heraldry). A fitting mark for the loss of all those diamonds in our armed forces who are prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country.
We Honour Those Who Serve
