REMEMBRANCE DAY
WOOTTON BASSETT
Wootton Bassett......
A small town in England.
They mentioned a by-pass once.
It never happened
*
The people bemoaned the traffic.
*
The traffic contained hearses,
The hearses of young people
Killed in a far-off war.
They were travelling from the airport.
*
The movement started slowly......
The honouring.
First a few standing silently as the hearses moved through
*
Now the church bell rings
When another body is expected.
The town stops.
*
The young, the old,
The shopkeepers,
Everyone in Wootton Bassett
Stops to pay respects.
Tears are shed.
Flowers are thrown.
*
And the local cafe
Makes tea for grieving relatives.
*
Wootton Bassett
Never asked for fame.
Certainly not this way.
*
It has come to represent a nation.
*
From a newspaper account
"Then a single bell began to toll and the gentle buzz of conversation was replaced by the odd cough and the sound of a toddler. Another bell chimed to mark the hour and the cortege appeared.Men raised their hats. Soldiers saluted. People wiped away tears. Relatives and friends of those who had died threw flowers on to the hearses.Then, with a polite ripple of applause, the cortege moved on and the crowds started to disperse.Things started to return to normal in Wootton Bassett. Until the next time."
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