And We Were Young

Here dead lie we because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;
But young men think it is, and we were young.

~ A. E. Housman

My hometown is somewhat of an acquired taste. It might even be an embarrassment to the rest of the Cotswolds, having once been described in a national newspaper as 'the ugliest town in Britain'. To us natives, it's simply Carterton - where everyone knows everyone and aeroplanes often deafen new-comers taking off and landing at Brize Norton Airbase. I've always held a great amount of affection for this place - ugly as parts of it are, littered with ancient RAF housing and great words of wisdom like 'Tom is gay' scrawled upon every available surface. It's where my family settled after years of moving around while Dad was in the forces; where I went to school, made life-long friends, went to my first disco, had all of my dramas and successes. My memories are constantly surrounded by the warm haze of home.
People who have grown up here, are oddly proud of the place. We throw terms like: 'Well, you are from Carterton' around like a badge of honour. Despite the flaws, this town breeds family - we adopt each other and create strong networks. This is why my parents could organise a surprise 16th birthday party for me with minimal notice and also why I celebrated having passed my GCSEs with six of my friends courtesy of Nikki's mum with strawberries and champagne. People look after each other here - I've always loved that about Carterton.

Which is why I am bitterly disappointed with recent events and decisions here. The repatriation of soldiers killed in action abroad, will be directed through Brize Norton as of September when RAF Lynham closes. The town of Wooton Bassett currently witnesses the hearse procession when the lads are returned home and the people who live there have become a source of genuine national pride. Businesses, domesticity and life in general comes to a standstill on the Thursday afternoon following a death in Afghanistan. People line the streets in silence, pay their respects and bid farewell to the young servicemen lost so far away from home. They support the families, they cry in empathy, they believe it is more important than anything else they had planned that day.

And it is.

The officials of Brize Norton and Carterton town council, however, have decided not to lead the procession of soldiers through the town centre - citing the 'speed bumps' on this route as their justification. Instead, they want to bring the hearse/s out of Brize main gates and up past the BP garage, before pausing at a 'memorial garden' they plan on creating. It's curious though, that this proposed route will take them over the many more speed bumps in Brize Norton village. So what could possibly be the actual reason for this decision?

Yep. Market day. Market day falls on a Thursday and the council refuses to move it for a repatriation. There are so many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to start. The Carterton 'market' consists of about four stalls selling the kind of tat previously only seen in 'Only Fools and Horses'. It actually used to have it's own market square - a piece of land which is still present - but as no one used to attend, the council has opted instead to pedestrianise the town centre every Thursday and plant the Dellboy stands right in the middle of everyone's way.

Francis (the husband) lost a friend a few weeks ago. He was killed in Afghanistan only months after his family had grieved for their mother, having lost her to cancer. He went to Wootton Bassett and stood with everyone as the black cars rolled by. The experience, indescribable, he only said that the atmosphere was one of respect, sadness, pride and support. Ex-servicemen in their 90's dress in their blues, medals on display and salute the young soldiers as they are brought home. The roads are closed for as long as it takes because a young man has died and has done so on behalf of our country.

I'm anticipating a certain amount of back-lash in the form of people who disagree with the war in Afghanistan or those who resent the military in general. But consider this: the lads in Afghanistan have pledged to go where our government sends them and do their job. A large number of the lads killed have done so protecting their colleagues and afghan civilians. And now consider that your right to an opinion, your right to freedom and your right to a voice, has been given to you by our armed forces. They defend your rights and your way of life. Don't be so ignorant.

So market day reigns in my beloved Carterton. And I have never been more ashamed of it.

This is the welcome we give dead soldiers. This is the support we offer their families. This is a disgrace.