The chief mourner leads the funeral cortege through the High Street

People place flowers on top of the hearse's as six fallen soldiers pass through the Wiltshire town

Rain or shine, crowds turn out to pay their respects to the fallen

Friends gather around a hearse and share their grief

The back of a hearse is opened so a tribute can be paid to a Ghurka soldier

A man touches the top of a hearse as people lay flowers

Grief overcomes a woman as she touches the glass side of the hearse

A woman reacts as she clutches a photograph and holds the hearse containing the coffin of a fallen soldier

Grief overcomes family and friends as the cortege moves off the High Street

A young man salutes and pays his respects as a hearse passes by on the High Street

A serving soldier reaches for the back of the hearse as it pulls away on the High Street

Families and friends blow kisses as the hearse slowly moves along the High Street

The chief mourner leads a single hearse containing a Union flag draped coffin through the High Street

A soldier hugs a woman as they grieve

Members of the public salute as the hearse drives past in the days when family did not attend to watch the cortege pass

Seven Union flag covered hearses on the High Street of Wootton Bassett

A woman is overcome and reacts beside a Union flag covered coffin inside a hearse

A woman places her hands up and touches the glass side of the hearse

A man reacts as he looks at the Union flag draped coffin inside the hearse

A woman is overcome and reacts as the hearse approaches and the town falls silent

People continue to pay their respects and kiss the side of the hearses as the move off the High Street

One of the largest repatriations as hundreds line the streets of Wootton Bassett

Many hundreds turn out to pay their respects to five fallen servicemen

Serving soldiers react as the hearses leave Wootton Bassett High Street

The same faces of the Royal British Legion salute and pay their respects

Police, Prison and Military serving dogs sit and watch hearses go by after a dog handler and his animal were killed on operations

People touch the glass as they grieve during the bowed silence at Wootton Bassett

Families hug each other as they grieve on the High Street

A woman kisses the glass side of the hearse to pay her respects to a loved one

Serving soldiers line the High Street, some with flowers for their fallen colleagues

Red roses and a wreath sit on the galss roof of a hearse as it leaves the High Street of Wootton Bassett

Five Union flag draped coffins roll through the High Street of Wootton bassett

When the hearses have left the High Street all that remains is grief, loss and flowers in the road

Repatriations

The Wiltshire town of Royal Wootton Bassett is where people decided to pay their respects to fallen British military personnel as they were repatriated back into the United Kingdom. The respectful cortege used to make its way by road from RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire.

I began covering the Royal Wootton Bassett tributes since the early days, when only the Royal British Legion and townsfolk would pause on the High Street and salute as the cortege slowly drove through town. Since those small gatherings it organically grew into a full 'repatriation' event with tolling bells, a minutes silence for each of the fallen and a chance for families, friends, colleagues and even compassionate strangers to lay flowers on the hearses. People really did travel from near, far and wide to pay their respects, including members of the Royal British Legion and their Riders branch, who all did a great job to organise and co-ordinate for the benefit of all those who attended.

Now the 'repatriation' event has moved to Carterton near RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire due to operational reasons. It is still a respectful event that is honoured by many of those who used to attend Royal Wootton Bassett. Although I sometimes cover the repatriations at the newly constructed 'purpose built' venue, it doesn't have the same feeling as standing on the kerbstones of Royal Wootton Bassett.

Shooting the repatriations at Royal Wootton Bassett was tough. Photographic technicalities aside – being original and creative, while also being very respectful, was a difficult balance. Being tucked away in an elevated viewpoint or having the freedom to move around didn't last for long as the ceremony grew. I always wore dark clothing, my phones were switched off, I took off my hat when the bell tolled and I didn't take photos during the minutes silence. In some ways putting the camera down for the silence, which was often punctuated with the tearful sound of grief, used to be the hardest part. However, it was my own chance to quietly pay respect - and as an ex-serviceman it always made the lump in my throat feel twice as large.

People didn't always react kindly to the presence of cameras on the High Street as the town fell quiet, but I'm very proud to have documented this important part of British military and social culture that grew and matured in Royal Wootton Bassett. I believe the images my fellow photographers and I captured showed the rest of the nation who couldn't attend and the wider global population, just how highly the British people regard our Armed Forces and how compassionate people in the UK really are.

This selection of images a just a few from the thousands I've taken

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