PLAYWRIGHT Neil Walker’s debut project inspired by Royal Wootton Bassett residents’ experiences during the repatriations will be brought to the stage next month.

Do We Do The Right Thing? is an exploration of the relationship between the armed forces and wider society inspired by the town’s spontaneous reaction to the repatriations of fallen soldiers in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts between 2007 and 2011.

During those four and a half years, Bassett residents, irrespective of background and political opinion on the conflicts, silently lined the streets to mourn and welcome home the bodies of 355 dead military personnel - a phenomenon which captured the imaginations of thousands around the country and became a symbol of respect for the lives lost, including for Neil.

“I found the whole thing quite moving when I saw it on the television. Perhaps it was the nature of the conflicts or how young they were but there was something about this time that made the repatriations so moving.

“I’ve always been interested in communities and community organisations and I spent some time working with the Princes Trust, and I was curious to find out more about Wootton Bassett and what it was that had brought them together like this.

“I was studying for an MA in acting at the time and I wanted to put something together about it for the dissertation element. I planned to just go along and talk to people.

“When I got off the bus in Wootton Bassett it was some time after the repatriations had taken place. The greatest thing that struck me was how much of an ordinary market town it was. People were just going about their business, and there was nothing particularly to mark out what had happened. There was the war memorial of course but nothing stood out particularly.

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Playwright Neil Walker

“I spent the first couple of days in cafes and just talking to people. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming and curious about what I was doing, and there was a great sense of pride about the town and their reaction.

“Not everyone had agreed with the repatriations because of the impact it had on the town, and of course not everyone agreed about the politics about the conflicts, but they separated that from their respect for the soldiers and this was what was so striking.”

The play is due to open at the Salisbury Playhouse on November 6, and will run until November 8.

Neil had hoped to run it at the theatre in Royal Wootton Bassett too but was unable to due to scheduling clashes.

He said: “Theatres often get booked up quite a long time in advance, meaning that they couldn’t show it at Wootton Bassett.

“If any theatre did want us to show it, even just for a couple of nights or so, that is definitely still an option.”