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In a country that can sometimes seem reluctant to acknowledge its armed forces, the people of Wootton Bassett are going beyond the call of duty, reports Amy Rowe

From Legion Autumn 2009

Watching the news coverage of Wootton Bassett, you might be forgiven for thinking the village centre is much bigger than it really is.

The modest and unassuming high street, flanked by small shops and family-run businesses, is hardly remarkable – save for the war memorial. Raised high up on an inscribed plinth, it is a globe cradled by four hands and marked with the names of past service personnel. And this is where it all started.

In October 2007, a cortege drove through Wootton Bassett, carrying the body of a soldier who had died in service a week earlier. Before, hearses had always gone to RAF Brize Norton, but with the new destination of RAF Lyneham, the routes changed. The car might have gone unnoticed, save for a small group of veterans who were passing the time of day at the memorial outside the post office.

They went to the side of the road, and saluted the car as it passed by. The next time a service death was reported, the turnout by the post office had grown a little. And each time that followed, the amount of people standing at the side of the road to pay their respects increased, and the numbers at Wootton Bassett started to run into hundreds. Before long, the national press started to take notice. It was a timely nudge to the public to take its head out of the sand and remember its own, fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The day Legion magazine travels to Wootton Bassett is a sad one. Despite the bright May sunshine, the mood is sombre – another repatriation service is due. This time it is for LSgt Tobie Fasfous, 29, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who died in Helmand Province the week before. It is 10am.

A few gentlemen are gathered outside the post office chatting. If it wasn’t for their smart turnout and war medals, it could be any other day.

Fast forward an hour and you can no longer see the other side of the street. In the groups that are gathered together are families, shopkeepers standing outside their stores, and a number of war veterans, including those from the RBL Riders Branch– resplendent in their leathers.

High above our heads are the Regiment Standards of the Welsh Guards. Anne Bevis, Treasurer of Wootton Bassett Branch explains: “We don’t hold our branch’s Standards because it is the regiment’s day for whoever has been lost. This is a silent tribute from us to them.”

The Wootton Bassett Branch is now hailed nationally for putting British service men and women’s sacrifices on the map. Last month, the branch was awarded the unprecedented honour of a National Certificate of Appreciation at the Legion’s Annual Conference. On the way up to collect their award, the members received a standing ovation. 

Anne, 68, is the main organiser of the tributes, though it is an unofficial role. It simply means she contacts a list of people to give them a date, and they in turn, have their own contacts. Now, when a service death is reported she is notified directly by the local police and town council when a ceremony is due. “At the beginning there were only a few people,” she says. “And it’s just snowballed. I wouldn’t like to put a number on it now but it’s tremendous. We get people from all over the country.”

Derek Holland, 77, an ex-REME officer, is one of the first people to arrive. He is standing by the post office, waiting patiently for the hearse to pass through. “Whether you agree with the war or not, it’s important to show your respect. This is purely an unofficial thing,” he says. “If it becomes a military parade, it loses its meaning. I’ve known it be an hour, maybe two hours late, and sometimes in the pouring rain, but people still wait.”

The cortege’s arrival is sounded by the church bells. The street falls still. Earlier, Anne described the silence: “Once they come through it’s very eerie – it’s like somebody’s turned a switch. You have to be here to understand, really.” And she is right. The sense of loss in the air is tangible, but with the sight of young people stood still alongside the old, there is a feeling of continuity, of things coming to pass. Before long it is over, and the car continues on its journey to the morgue at John Radcliffe Hospital. The crowd gently disperses.

Riders Branch member Kevin Tomkins, 36, who saw service in Bosnia and Cyprus, has been travelling to Wootton Bassett since last year. He says: “It started off with two of us, and now up to 15 turn up. Some of the guys here today are from Leicester, Stafford, Wales… all over. We don’t like to meet like this. But we’re all here to pay our respects to the fallen. And as it says here,” [he points to his ‘Brothers in Arms, but not forgotten’ lapel badge], “that’s something we believe in.”

“A lot of people don’t agree with the war.” says Anne. “But we can’t just walk away. These guys have paid the ultimate sacrifice and our time is nothing in comparison. We don’t see what we do as anything particularly special – just the right thing to do.”