THOUSANDS gathered at war memorials in and around Swindon to pay their respects to the country's war dead.

In town soldiers, veterans and cadets were among those who marched to the Cenotaph where a crowd of around 600 people waited.

As the town hall clock struck 11am and the bugle sounded all fell silent.

One of those there to pay tribute was ex-serviceman Paul Spence who was in the military for three decades before retiring.

The 57-year-old of Windbrook Meadow in Stratton was a chief technician and aircraft engineer based at Lyneham.

He said: “I’ve seen a lot of tragedy and deaths and today is important because we are remembering those lost souls.

“It has been fantastic today, the crowd was massive and the respect they showed was absolutely fantastic.

“I chose to wear my Queens Silver Jubilee, Air Operations Iraq medal and The Desert medal. I have a lot of pride in having these.”

After the two-minute silence, the crowd joined in with singing hymns as wreaths were laid.

And as the parade marched off those taking part were given a round of applause.

Later in the day the high street in Royal Wootton Bassett was closed for a service focussed on the war memorial where so many corteges paused during repatriations from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Emma Silk, 48, of Noremarsh Road went along to pay her respects.

She particularly wanted to remember her dad Edward John Silk and her grandfather Harold Victor Silk.

She said: “I’m wearing my father’s Second World War medals and my Grandfather's First World War medals today and I wear them proudly.

“I’m wearing my father’s Arctic Star, he was in the Royal Navy as a convoy signalman. He received the star posthumously and he got it for the Arctic convoy in 1943.

"He was on a merchant tanker carrying 50,000 tonnes of fuel in the cold of the Arctic so it was very dangerous.

“My grandfather was born in 1899 and he lied about his age and joined at 17 with the London Rifle Brigade. So I’m here for both of them but I’m here for the people who risk their lives every day now. I was glad I could walk past with his complete set of medals.”

At Lyneham hundreds of soldiers from the MOD base turned out for a parade and service.

A ceremony was held at Lydiard Park's Field of Remembrance, which is open for November and services were held at Radnor Street Cemetery in Old Town and the Ermin Street Peace Memorial in Stratton.