Every time a fallen war hero is returned to home soil, their Union Flag-draped coffins travel through Wootton Bassett.

And every time the townspeople turn out in their hundreds to pay silent tribute to the servicemen and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Their overwhelming displays of patriotism and respect were recognised in an appreciation parade in October but the ceremonies would never have reached their present scale without the impeccable organisation and dedication of the policing teams.

At the most recent ceremony on Thursday, as well as the 58 before it, more than 50 officers from Wiltshire, the Ministry of Defence and Thames Valley were involved in Operation Entourage. I joined them for the afternoon to see the crucial part they play in the ceremonies.

Inspector Steve Cox briefs volunteer officers, some of whom have travelled from Salisbury and Oxford, in Wootton Bassett before they leave for Lyneham.

On Thursday five soldiers were brought back from Afghanistan. They were flown in by Hercules and then taken by hearse to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, via the M4, for a post mortem examination.

Maps of the route were studied in depth, with officers positioned at designated points throughout the town to stop traffic and prevent any road accidents.

Insp Cox said: “This is one of the largest commitments that we have but we never have difficulties in staffing the event. It never becomes a routine and we treat every one like it is the first.

“Officers will come in on their days off without even being asked and we often have to turn them down because we have too many.”

On our way to Lyneham for the repatriation ceremony crowds had begun forming at the roadside – more than an hour before the procession was due.

Insp Cox said: “Sometimes these people can be waiting for hours in all kinds of weather but they always turn out in their hundreds.”

Once officers had taken up their positions the five hearses were escorted from the chapel of rest to the gates of RAF Lyneham by MoD police, who leave the procession with Wiltshire police to continue the escort.

Dog walkers, shoppers and even runners lined the streets from the air base, with heads bowed as the five coffins pass by. Drivers also paused to salute the convoy.

Insp Cox, who is in constant contact with officers en route to Wootton Bassett, has to ensure the necessary roads are closed and any possible dangers are avoided.

The corteges have been making the journey through Wootton Bassett since March last year when PC Jarra Brown, the MoD community police officer for RAF Lyneham, was approached by funeral director Rob Rowntree.

He began organising them alongside Neighbourhood policing team members, PC Steve Porter and PC Andy Singfield. PC Brown said: “I was asked if the police could help in escorting the cortege to the motorway and after seeing the rehearsal at RAF Lyneham and having the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I thought it was the least we could do to help out.

“These men and women from all three services have given the ultimate sacrifice and if we can’t escort them and give them a safe passage then something is wrong.

“At the first repatriation we had four hearses to escort. We got to the High Street and there was a lorry blocking the way because we didn’t close the road. People started coming out of shops and lining the street to pay their respects. From that, we have what we have today.

“The families of these men and women take great comfort from the people of the town who pay their respects.

“In the 19 years I have been in the police this is the job that chokes me every time. It is the most humbling policing job.”