Armed forces pay tribute to Wiltshire town.

In a letter to the town thanking the residents for the gesture, the head of the British Army, Sir Richard Dannatt, said: "I am writing to express my sincere gratitude.  In many respects, it is the things that cost nothing that are the ones that are the most important - a friendly greeting in the street, a prayer in church... But the gestures shown by the people of Wootton Bassett surpass these at every level."

[Today,] residents lined the streets, as they do when coffins pass through the town

"It's something you feel you ought to do and I think this should be appreciated right throughout the land."  Anne Bevis, local secretary of the Royal British Legion, said: "Those lads that are being brought through this town, all we can do is spare a few moments of our life.  They've given theirs, so a few moments of ours is nothing."

Defence Secretary John Hutton, who also attended the parade, added: "We're all here today to say thank you to the armed forces and for the support that has been shown locally to our forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. People are very proud of our armed forces."