WOOTTON Bassett fell silent yesterday for what could be the final time, as a fallen Royal Marine was repatriated to the UK.

Around 500 people lined the Wiltshire town’s high street to pay tribute to Marine James Wright, 22, who was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, last week.

At the end of the month, repatriations return to RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, as RAF Lyneham closes.

Wootton Bassett’s place in the story of the Britain’s operations in Afghanistan began only by chance, in April, 2007, when Brize Norton was closed for runway repairs.

Instead, the returning C-17s brought the bodies back to Lyneham – less than five miles from Wootton Bassett centre.

To get to the special armed forces department of pathology at Oxford’s John Radcliffe hospital, a hearse has no choice but to drive down the high street before heading east along the M4.

In those first days, there was no pavement vigil or saluting or silences, and the coffins passed by almost unnoticed.

By the summer of that year, local members of the Royal British Legion decided to salute the heroes.

From humble beginnings, now hundreds of people gather in the town whenever a repatriation takes place.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Wootton Bassett would be the first town in more than 100 years to get the title of ``Royal'', in recognition of its efforts in honouring the UK's war dead.