IT seems Royal Wootton Bassett has suddenly been thrust in the limelight again.

With the announcement this week that the last British troops are about to leave the war zone that is Afghanistan, the town is once more – and doubtless reluctantly – the centre of attention.

When it was plain old Wootton Bassett, this humble place won the hearts of people around the world, as residents solemnly lined the streets and paid their repsects as fallen servicemen and women returned from Afghanistan and a cortege made its way along the high street.

The town centre was packed and completely silent for these repatriations, which made for powerful and moving scenes on television.

Such was the impact the town made on these occasions that Wootton Bassett earned the rarely-given prefix Royal. RAF Lyneham closed down, the repatriations moved to Brize Norton, and the good folk of Royal Wootton Bassett returned to some form of normality.

The town never really wanted any recognition for its actions. Initially, these tributes just happened with little or no organisation.

Its residents are clearly proud to be associated with the repatriations and it is only right now that a line has been drawn under the Afghan conflict that people remember the town for its immense kindness and compassion.

After 13 years of conflict, many people will want to forget the pain, the injuries and the fatalities British servicemen and women endured. Clearly what they haven’t forgotten is Royal Wootton Bassett.

Let the town go about its business again, but never forget its support in times of heartache.