Town in silent tribute to Marines

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The bodies of Corporal Robert Deering, 33, and Lance Corporal Benjamin Whatley, 20, were flown to RAF Lyneham.

Their coffins were draped in flags and driven through the streets of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire en route to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Crowds of around 200 people formed in tribute as the town came to a standstill amid a busy day of sales shopping.

The public tributes began spontaneously in Wootton Bassett when repatriation flights switched to RAF Lyneham from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last year.

Cpl Deering was killed in an explosion as he approached the wreckage of an armoured vehicle that had been blown up. He went to assess the damage when a second explosive was detonated, killing him, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, on December 21.

Cpl Deering, from Sheldon, in Birmingham, was a vehicle mechanic for ten years with Commando Logistic Regiment (CLR) of the Marines, based in North Devon, and had recently moved in with his fiancee Gemma.

At the time of Cpl Deering's death, commanding officer Colonel Andy Maynard said: "Rob had the heart of a lion and the courage to match. The mountain of Christmas parcels he received is testament to his popularity. His loss has been a tremendous shock to us all in this extended family, represented by our Regiment."

L/Cpl Whatley from King's Lynn, in Norfolk, served with 42 Commando, and died on Christmas Eve from enemy fire while on a mission in the Nad-e-Ali district near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.

L/Cpl Whatley's family said in a statement: "Ben was a vibrant, happy person who had an unbridled enthusiasm for life. He was so proud to be a Royal Marine, his death creates an irreplaceable loss for all his family and friends."