TODAY marks 10 years since Wootton Bassett became a Royal town in honour of its military repatriation.

Princess Anne presented Letters Patent from the Queen to then-mayor Coun Paul Heaphy in a ceremony which legally changed the town's name. The event happened in the High Street, on the same spot where thousands of people from the town and around the world, had gathered across four-and-a-half years for the repatriation of 355 fallen armed services personnel.

A town council spokesman said: "The event was not a celebration. The town did not want to be thanked or recognised simply for doing what we thought was the right thing.

"We wanted the focus of attention to be on those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Our role was to make sure that their families and friends knew that the loss of their loved ones had not gone unnoticed.

"We wanted to support those families in any way we could, and leave them, and all armed forces personnel, in no doubt that we were grateful for the service they had offered and the sacrifices they had made."

A few weeks earlier, town councillors had been told about the name change and that the town would have a redesigned coat of arms which included the Lion Passant. Since the town had no motto, the council decided this would be a good time to adopt one and agreed to choose "We Honour Those Who Serve".

A decade later, town councillors met again to decide on how to mark the 10th anniversary of Wootton Bassett being made Royal and decided it would be inappropriate to have a celebration due to the solemnity of the occasion, or to have any other event in case it became used or misinterpreted by others for political reasons.

The spokesman added: "The discussion was frank, open and, at times, full of deep emotions as we recalled the events of the repatriations. It was agreed that there should be no celebration.

"We cannot celebrate an event that was the result of so much loss. It is too soon. We should not hold any one event to mark the anniversary either as it seems inappropriate at this time when the withdrawal from Afghanistan is so politically charged.

"Any event could be misinterpreted, or misused by those with political axes to grind. During the time of the repatriations, the town was determined that no-one would be allowed to use them for political gain, or to claim that the town had gathered to demonstrate support for, or protest against the actions in Afghanistan.

"We tried to stay silent, but found the press and media filled that vacuum with their own intentions and agendas. So, we carefully and quietly made sure that no one was given a political platform. That experience demonstrated to us that if we let the 10th anniversary pass without comment, once again it would allow the press and media to come to their own, incorrect, conclusions.

"We want to make it abundantly clear that we have not forgotten the 355 service personnel who were repatriated through our town. We remember them and we remember their families and friends.

"We remember the solemn tolling of the bell, the silence in our High Street and raw emotions that we witnessed on so many occasions. On behalf of the town, we thank all our armed forces personnel for their continued service.

"We remember not only those who fell but also those returned with injuries, both visible and unseen. We feel strongly that the sacrifices made were not in vain. Great things were achieved by our military personnel and we must not allow those achievements to be forgotten.

"So, as we come to the 10th anniversary of the last repatriation through our town, and of the change in our town’s name, we will not be holding an event to celebrate. Instead, we invite everyone in the town to remember the fallen and their sacrifice; to remember why our town was made Royal and to remember our motto – “We Honour Those Who Serve”.