:00:11. > :00:14.Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Thank you for joining
:00:14. > :00:17.us, later than usual. Our headlines tonight:
:00:17. > :00:23.It's over-and-out for the Hercules at RAF Lyneham. Thousands turn out
:00:23. > :00:29.to watch the last fly-past for a tearful goodbye.
:00:29. > :00:32.It was just so emotional, it is fantastic to be part of the Day
:00:32. > :00:34.Today, fantastic. The spirit that kept Lyneham flying
:00:34. > :00:36.- we look back at its remarkable history.
:00:36. > :00:39.Also tonight: A Cotswold village under siege as
:00:39. > :00:43.the supermodel Kate Moss gets married.
:00:43. > :00:53.And get ready to move over, Andy Murray - meet the ten-year-old who
:00:53. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:01.One of the West Country's strongest links with the military flew off
:01:01. > :01:06.into the summer skies today, never to return. The famous RAF Hercules
:01:06. > :01:09.transporter planes have been based at Lyneham for more than 40 years.
:01:09. > :01:12.Today, the final four took off for their new home in Oxfordshire. On
:01:12. > :01:19.the way they put on a spectacular air show over the county, and
:01:19. > :01:24.thousands looked skyward to wave goodbye. Scott Ellis was on board.
:01:24. > :01:28.The Hercules have been here since 1967. Today you might have counted
:01:28. > :01:32.them all out. But, unlike Brian Hanrahan, you would never have
:01:32. > :01:38.counted them all back. These were the final four. The very last
:01:38. > :01:47.Hercules transporters to leave Lyneham. And they did it style.
:01:47. > :01:50.Flying low, in diamond formation. It is immensely important to say
:01:50. > :01:54.goodbye to the county that has supported us so well over the years,
:01:54. > :01:59.over the decades, and I thought what better way to do it than close
:01:59. > :02:02.formation flying? This is something we do not do very often, and it is
:02:02. > :02:08.quite a sight when you see it in the skies, especially being such
:02:08. > :02:14.big aircraft. It is exciting for us. What an absolute privilege to be on
:02:14. > :02:18.board the Hercules aircraft as they fly off and lead Wiltshire! I have
:02:18. > :02:23.to say the overwhelming feeling, though, is one of sadness that the
:02:23. > :02:26.planes are leaving after 44 years. But despite that, what these pilots
:02:26. > :02:31.are currently doing is putting on a show for the people of Wiltshire
:02:31. > :02:35.down below. This is one of the best days of my
:02:35. > :02:42.life! A primary school in Wootton Bassett, near Lyneham, and on the
:02:42. > :02:47.Hercules' flight path for decades. They were waving goodbye forever.
:02:47. > :02:52.Are it is just so emotional, it is fantastic to be part of the day
:02:52. > :02:58.today. Fantastic. It was amazing and very emotional. I feel so lucky
:02:58. > :03:02.to be here today. It was amazing to see them go over our school field.
:03:02. > :03:05.The planes will be missed, and the pilots and crews will in turn miss
:03:05. > :03:13.Lyneham. In the village itself, they could only watch as old
:03:13. > :03:18.friends flew off. When we come to our Grandma's house, we will not
:03:18. > :03:23.see them any more. It has been like waiting for a bereavement, and then
:03:23. > :03:27.we got the execution today. I think it will be sort of a boy it, if you
:03:27. > :03:33.know what I mean. I wonder what is going to happen to the village --
:03:33. > :03:37.over for Reid. So the Hercules have gone to their new base at RAF Brize
:03:37. > :03:47.Norton in Oxfordshire. They will return for training over Salisbury
:03:47. > :03:53.
:03:53. > :03:57.Plain. Many will look skyward and wave again.
:03:57. > :04:02.What is the future now for RAF Lyneham? There is nothing definite,
:04:02. > :04:05.and it is a valuable site with hangers, offices and a long runway.
:04:05. > :04:08.A short time ago I spoke to the local MP James Gray who wants
:04:08. > :04:14.troops coming back from Germany to make use of the base.
:04:14. > :04:18.I still hope the army may come here. We will hear more on that in two or
:04:18. > :04:23.three weeks from now, and maybe they will come here, the troops
:04:23. > :04:30.coming back from Germany. But I am not over-optimistic, but let's hope.
:04:30. > :04:35.If that does not happen, I have two industrialists looking at it to be
:04:35. > :04:41.a mixed use for a theme park, housing, an equestrian centre, a
:04:41. > :04:46.variety of business uses, and that is our Plan B. But the army comes
:04:46. > :04:52.first. At the moment, it seems the MoD are saying, thank you very much,
:04:52. > :04:57.goodbye. That looks the way it will be, yes. I have not heard the army
:04:57. > :05:03.are coming year, and I suspect the MoD, foolishly, and I have said so
:05:03. > :05:07.for many years, are giving of one a brilliant site, it has all of the
:05:07. > :05:11.facilities that you could want, and the MoD are having to walk away
:05:11. > :05:16.from it for financial reasons. It was a foolish decision taken by the
:05:16. > :05:19.last government but not one we can reverse. It is not much of a thank
:05:19. > :05:26.you to the people living there. It will be a massive loss to the
:05:27. > :05:32.economy. �95 million in the local economy, 750 directly employed jobs
:05:32. > :05:36.in RAF Lyneham, so it is a big hole in the community, which is why I am
:05:36. > :05:40.saying we will not let this spiral downwards. I want to see this place
:05:40. > :05:45.behind me used and used quickly, and used for high quality
:05:45. > :05:49.employment land either for the military or Sung Said of industrial
:05:49. > :05:53.use. But what cannot be allowed to happen is for it to become vacant.
:05:53. > :05:57.Thank you. We will have more from Lyneham
:05:57. > :06:00.later in the programme. Police have launched a murder
:06:00. > :06:04.investigation after a man was stabbed to death in Bristol. The
:06:04. > :06:08.victim in his thirties was found this morning in a block of flats in
:06:08. > :06:13.the eastern area. Three people have been arrested.
:06:13. > :06:19.After around 12:30PM this morning, police were called here, a block of
:06:19. > :06:24.flats at Croydon Street in Easton. At -- inside, a man suffering a
:06:24. > :06:28.serious chest injuries from a stab wound. Despite resuscitation
:06:28. > :06:33.attempts, he died at the scene. A resident in the block who did not
:06:33. > :06:38.want to appear on camera told us what he's all. I heard shouting,
:06:38. > :06:43.some people are shouting that the flat. I came outside, I saw the man
:06:43. > :06:48.on the floor, I go back to my house and call the police. So far, three
:06:48. > :06:52.people have been arrested. Recently there was a stabbing in nearby
:06:52. > :06:56.Stapleton Road but police say this is a completely separate incident
:06:56. > :07:01.and the local community should not be concern. I can categorically say
:07:01. > :07:05.there is no link between the two. They are two tragic isolated
:07:05. > :07:09.incidents that are not linked in any way, shape or form, and the
:07:09. > :07:12.community in this area should be reassured that there is no
:07:12. > :07:16.additional concern they should have going about their business in this
:07:16. > :07:22.area. But despite the reassurances, some here say they are worried
:07:22. > :07:29.about their safety. Every weekend, there is something going on,
:07:29. > :07:33.fighting, police helicopters in the air. It is crazy. Crazy. It is
:07:34. > :07:40.frightening to get outside in the 9th, or even in the evening with my
:07:40. > :07:43.children. -- in the night. It is watch your back, really. Police are
:07:43. > :07:47.hoping the tight-knit community will be able to provide vital clues
:07:47. > :07:55.to this incident, helping them to work out exactly what happened here
:07:55. > :08:00.in the early hours of this morning. This is BBC Points West on a lovely
:08:00. > :08:03.Friday evening, later than usual due to the tennis.
:08:03. > :08:05.And if you haven't seen the national news tonight, then here's
:08:05. > :08:07.a reminder of the main headlines: The former head of the
:08:07. > :08:10.International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Khan, has had his
:08:10. > :08:19.bail conditions relaxed after doubts have emerged about the
:08:19. > :08:23.strength of the rape case against And Andy Murray is out of Wimbledon
:08:23. > :08:29.after losing his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal. Full details
:08:29. > :08:32.in the ten o'clock News. Back to news in the West, and a
:08:32. > :08:36.union which represents bank workers says more than 1,000 jobs could be
:08:36. > :08:39.at risk across the West. Lloyds Trade Union says the announcement
:08:39. > :08:41.of 15,000 more job cuts could affect staff working at Lloyds in
:08:41. > :08:45.Bristol and Cheltenham & Gloucester's head office in
:08:45. > :08:50.Barnwood in Gloucester. One of the nuclear reactors at
:08:50. > :08:54.Oldbury Power station has been closed down. This is the moment
:08:54. > :08:57.reactor two came to the end of its working life at midnight last night.
:08:57. > :09:00.It was built in 1965. The Government has confirmed Oldbury is
:09:00. > :09:10.one of the sites it considers suitable for a new nuclear power
:09:10. > :09:10.
:09:10. > :09:14.station to be built. A village and the Cotswolds was
:09:14. > :09:18.virtually sealed off today because of the wedding of one of the
:09:18. > :09:24.country's best-known models. Security guards manned the entrance
:09:24. > :09:28.of Little Faringdon as Kate Moss married Jamie Hince. Lizzie Way
:09:28. > :09:33.spent the day there and tried, in vain, to get a glimpse.
:09:33. > :09:37.Pretty as a picture and the secure list corner of the West today. The
:09:37. > :09:42.wedding has been nicknamed Mossop- stock by the locals. Everyone in
:09:42. > :09:47.the village has been allocated a permit to reach their houses, but
:09:47. > :09:53.the veil of secrecy over the event means details are sketchy and the
:09:53. > :09:56.guest list is more of a guest list. Behind me, we think Kate Moss is
:09:56. > :10:00.about to emerge into her wedding car and drive the mile down the
:10:00. > :10:04.road to the church, and when she returns, this village will become
:10:04. > :10:09.the centre of the party tonight. But still have not seen anything
:10:09. > :10:14.yet. The reception will be held here, in the garden of her house,
:10:14. > :10:17.but the church is a mile away. Deliveries were made here all day,
:10:17. > :10:27.and the grass verge outside her house became quite a social hot
:10:27. > :10:30.spot. We walked over, we did not look suspicious. Throughout the
:10:30. > :10:40.village there have been lots of vehicles with blacked-out windows
:10:40. > :10:40.
:10:40. > :10:47.containing the! -- containing... Jude Law was rumoured to be here,
:10:47. > :10:50.and I tried not to stare. And then the moment that the fleet of Rolls-
:10:50. > :10:56.Royces took the wedding party to the church. Unsurprisingly, there
:10:56. > :11:00.were a few photographers waiting there. The aim might have been for
:11:00. > :11:06.a low-key country wedding in the garden, but if anyone can make a
:11:06. > :11:09.country village rock and roll, it is Kate Moss.
:11:09. > :11:14.Our invites must have got lost in the post.
:11:14. > :11:17.I could not make it, sadly. Final preparations are under way
:11:17. > :11:20.for St Paul's Carnival, which takes place in Bristol tomorrow.
:11:20. > :11:24.Thousands are expected to turn out for the possession.
:11:24. > :11:32.The event has been going on for more than 40 years. Emma Campbell
:11:33. > :11:35.has been to a primary school in the City to watch their dress rehearsal.
:11:35. > :11:38.The last chance to put the finishing touches to their dance
:11:38. > :11:42.routine. At Cabot Primary school in Bristol, they have been practising
:11:42. > :11:45.for a month. They are going to be part of the big parade. We are
:11:46. > :11:51.going to be performing it in front of all were people in the can't
:11:51. > :11:56.adopt. How do you feel about that? Nervous. -- in the car level.
:11:56. > :12:03.has been fun, I like the dance. Some of us are dragons, some of us
:12:03. > :12:07.are goblins, some of us are ferries. Really nervous, but excited. Feels
:12:07. > :12:10.like I have got butterflies in my tummy. These nine, ten and 11-year-
:12:10. > :12:15.olds will be performing the whole carnival route. That is three hours
:12:15. > :12:21.of dancing. They are very young and obviously will get tired, and we
:12:21. > :12:24.have done two our rehearsals before, so they have some idea, but with
:12:24. > :12:31.the weather I am sure it will be very nice, it will be nice on
:12:31. > :12:37.Saturday, so we are trying to prepare them. It is bring in the
:12:37. > :12:41.community together. The smile on people's faces, the piece for Pipe,
:12:41. > :12:45.the sherry and relaxed atmosphere. It is difficult to describe, I have
:12:45. > :12:48.to invite people to come down and experience it because there is
:12:48. > :12:58.something exhilarating about it and they think it does a lot for St
:12:58. > :13:01.Paul's and for Bristol. Priceless. If you can't get to St Paul's in
:13:01. > :13:08.person, you can catch the carnival live on BBC Radio Bristol tomorrow
:13:08. > :13:11.from 9am to 6pm. Let's hope the sun shines for them.
:13:11. > :13:14.Sport now, and it might not seem long ago that the last games were
:13:14. > :13:19.played, but now the region's football teams are all officially
:13:19. > :13:22.in pre-season training, after Bristol City reported back today.
:13:22. > :13:28.And there was also a big game of cricket taking place in Bristol
:13:28. > :13:32.tonight. Geoff Twentyman is there. A great game of cricket at the
:13:32. > :13:40.County Ground, Gloucestershire have beaten Somerset by two wickets in
:13:40. > :13:42.the T20 game. 7,000 people came in, most of whom have gone home now.
:13:42. > :13:50.Chris is here from the winning Gloucestershire side. That sounds
:13:50. > :13:54.good, I guess? It does, it is nice to win the local derby. They have
:13:54. > :13:58.Beatles over the last couple of years, so it is nice. Everybody
:13:58. > :14:06.expects crash bang wallop that this format, but it was a tight game?
:14:07. > :14:14.Very nerve-racking, 120 by any stretch of the imagination is a
:14:14. > :14:17.small total, especially at Bristol. A special word for Jack Taylor.
:14:17. > :14:22.year-old on debut, bowled very well with the ball, and showed some
:14:22. > :14:27.great skill with the bat. And you still qualify for the quarter-
:14:27. > :14:33.finals, Your third win? Yes. Anything is possible in this
:14:33. > :14:37.competition. We wish you well, thank you for joining us.
:14:37. > :14:43.Gloucestershire won by two wickets against Somerset this evening. The
:14:43. > :14:48.sun was shining, it was glorious all day long. The footballers also
:14:48. > :14:53.back in action, pre-season training. Bristol City return today, Lyris
:14:53. > :14:58.Carey has signed a one-year contract at Ashton Gate -- Louis
:14:58. > :15:03.Carey. No news on Nicky Maynard, the only thing he signed today was
:15:03. > :15:07.one autograph for a fan, so no new contract yet for Nicky Maynard.
:15:07. > :15:12.Swindon also back in training, a rigorous session in the gymnasium
:15:12. > :15:16.today. They are fancied by many to be the team to watch in League Two
:15:16. > :15:24.next season. Paolo Di Canio is the new man in charge, and the Italian
:15:24. > :15:30.has no problems with the favourites tag. I think that we have a chance
:15:30. > :15:40.to be the team that we can win the league, otherwise I should not
:15:40. > :15:41.
:15:41. > :15:45.accept it. The opportunity should come, and give me 10 times the
:15:45. > :15:50.money I have now but ask me to stay in the middle of the table and I
:15:50. > :15:57.would say no. Time now for our weekly series looking at athletes
:15:57. > :16:01.who hope to be part of their 20 top Olympic Games in London next year.
:16:01. > :16:06.This is our 7th part of the Series, meeting people who aspire and hope
:16:06. > :16:10.to be part of the Olympics next year in London. Tonight we are
:16:10. > :16:15.focusing on a 22-year-old from South Gloucestershire. Kate Grey
:16:15. > :16:19.just missed out on a medal at the Beijing Paralympics back in 2008. I
:16:19. > :16:23.met Kate this week before she left for the European Championships in
:16:23. > :16:28.Germany. It does testier, and it does bring
:16:28. > :16:32.out the best and worst in its because you have all sorts of
:16:32. > :16:36.emotions, but I like to say it has made me a better person and had
:16:36. > :16:45.fully given me a lot of characteristics and skills to take
:16:45. > :16:48.on after my life in swimming. Kate grew up on a farm near
:16:48. > :16:51.Thornbury, in south Gloucestershire, and lost her hand in an accident as
:16:51. > :16:54.a child. She is adept in several sports. Her parents have been
:16:54. > :16:56.highly supportive. They will be in Berlin for next week's European
:16:56. > :17:00.Championships. They feel reliability is one of her finest
:17:00. > :17:04.attributes. She does not like to let people down. If she gets asked
:17:04. > :17:09.to do a presentation or go to someone's birthday, she feels she
:17:09. > :17:14.ought to be Lahm back. She manages her time really well, and that is
:17:14. > :17:17.what sport is all about, being able to have the magic triangle of a
:17:17. > :17:23.social life and training. What is it like to watch your daughter
:17:23. > :17:25.compete at the Olympics? One of the best things I have been to is the
:17:25. > :17:28.opening ceremony. Seeing your daughter coming to the stadium with
:17:28. > :17:33.the British team and walkabout in front of hundreds of thousands of
:17:33. > :17:40.people is fantastic. When she competes what 2012, will that be
:17:40. > :17:43.better because it is in London? home Olympics, yes. We can feel the
:17:43. > :17:47.support we are getting from the local come in at it. It will be
:17:47. > :17:51.fantastic. Last time around, Kate just missed out on a medal.
:17:51. > :17:56.Regardless, it was a really valuable experience. I want to say
:17:56. > :17:59.Beijing was a steep learning curve. Hopefully I have made all the
:17:59. > :18:02.mistakes they come against the experience, and I hope to do my
:18:02. > :18:05.best in London. This time it is a three-pronged attack as she swims
:18:05. > :18:10.in the 100m breaststoke, 200m individual medley and the 50m
:18:10. > :18:15.freestyle. It is good for Kate to have a range because we are
:18:15. > :18:20.training for the lot and then just get in and get her in good shape
:18:20. > :18:24.and she raises and enjoys herself. It is about performing in that week,
:18:24. > :18:28.and if it does not work out there is not much you can do about it.
:18:28. > :18:33.But I will be very disappointed if I do not come away with a medal
:18:33. > :18:36.from London, but I have to make the team first of all! One step at a
:18:36. > :18:40.time, you have to be realistic. Kate is clearly not taking anything
:18:40. > :18:43.for granted, but right now she is on schedule to make London 2012 and
:18:43. > :18:49.hopefully go one better than Beijing.
:18:49. > :18:55.A charming young woman, fingers crossed for Kate Grey. The next in
:18:55. > :19:01.the series is next Friday on Points West. Just to reiterate on the
:19:01. > :19:06.cricket, Gloucestershire fans over there enjoying a two wicket victory.
:19:06. > :19:14.A great win for Gloucestershire, Jack Taylor was man-of-the-match.
:19:15. > :19:24.19 years of age, what a gay people stop thank you, Jeff -- what a
:19:25. > :19:25.
:19:25. > :19:29.Andy Murray is out, but we can hope for one day. One ten-year-old
:19:29. > :19:32.Somerset girl is being tipped as a future champion.
:19:32. > :19:36.Ola Pittak is already ranked the number one tennis player for her
:19:36. > :19:38.age in the country. And her coaches say she has what it takes to get to
:19:39. > :19:41.the very top. Clinton Rogers has been to meet her. What did
:19:41. > :19:45.Alexander Fleming discovered? At St George's Primary School in
:19:45. > :19:52.Taunton today they were learning about famous Britons. We might be
:19:52. > :19:57.able to add one more famous Briton to our list, someone who comes from
:19:57. > :20:01.Class 5 in St George's Primary School. Who might that be? Yes, she
:20:01. > :20:08.may only be 10 years old, but there is a belief that this girl has what
:20:08. > :20:11.it takes to become a tennis star of the future. Ola and her older
:20:11. > :20:13.sister Kasia came to this country from Poland in 2004, speaking no
:20:13. > :20:19.English. But their language developed quickly. Their tennis
:20:19. > :20:23.skills even quicker. Both are coached by their father and are top
:20:24. > :20:30.junior players. But it is Ola that is being tipped for big things. She
:20:30. > :20:37.is already ranked number one for her age in the country. Those in
:20:37. > :20:41.tennis say she is a rare talent. But a future Wimbledon champ?
:20:41. > :20:45.too young to say right now, it is too early in her development to
:20:45. > :20:52.make a call like that. It would be nice if we could, but she is
:20:52. > :20:57.definitely on track. Time now to really test her talents. Who needs
:20:57. > :21:02.tennis kit? What is your big ambition one day? I hope to be the
:21:02. > :21:09.No. 1 player in the world. Wimbledon champion? Yes. You had
:21:09. > :21:14.better get that shot them. I, no! Somehow, I think there will be
:21:14. > :21:18.tougher challenges ahead. I am not sure he will be giving
:21:18. > :21:23.Rafael Nadal any sleepless nights! You never know, the way that
:21:23. > :21:31.British tennis is going! Next move on to the weather, and
:21:31. > :21:36.It has come and it will continue into the weekend, one way or
:21:36. > :21:39.another. Variable cloud around said the sunshine will come and go, but
:21:39. > :21:44.high pressure dominating as we go through the weekend and it will
:21:44. > :21:48.stay that way until at least Monday and Tuesday next week until things
:21:48. > :21:52.turn more unsettled from the West. Through the course of this evening
:21:52. > :21:56.and tonight, losing some cloud cover, so there will be prolonged
:21:56. > :22:01.clear spells across much of our Districts and the temperatures will
:22:01. > :22:10.drop away accordingly, but not as chilly as the last two nights at
:22:10. > :22:16.least. Tomorrow we will start again with a good deal of sunshine around
:22:16. > :22:21.for most of us. A familiar pattern from the last couple of days, the
:22:21. > :22:25.cloud starts to bubble up and will tend to flatten to become more
:22:25. > :22:30.extensive inland as we get through the day, but pleasant sunshine,
:22:30. > :22:36.light winds everywhere, so feeling warm in those conditions.
:22:36. > :22:40.Temperatures up a degree or two on today. It bodes well for the St
:22:41. > :22:49.Paul's Carnival. Also if you want to go down towards Burnham-on-Sea
:22:49. > :22:55.for the Somerset church fete, at 2pm until 4:30pm. Sunday is going
:22:55. > :23:04.to be an even warmer day to come, it would get to 22 Aug 23 Celsius,
:23:04. > :23:13.and we have cricket in Somerset where they are playing Winscombe
:23:13. > :23:17.against Bristol. Sunday is a decent day, sunny spells, Variable cloud.
:23:17. > :23:21.Still ball on Monday or Tuesday, the sign of a few showers are
:23:21. > :23:25.starting to appear at the end of Tuesday because, as we get towards
:23:25. > :23:29.the middle of the week, low- pressure coming off the Atlantic
:23:29. > :23:34.spins towards us, but I think it will be Wednesday, Thursday before
:23:34. > :23:37.we enter the more showery weather, which may well be out of the way
:23:37. > :23:47.back at least the second half of the following weekend. Decent for
:23:47. > :23:51.It has been another historic day in the West. Wiltshire said goodbye to
:23:52. > :23:56.the Hercules, the beginning of the end for RAF Lyneham.
:23:56. > :23:59.As the base enters its final months, we have looked through the archives
:23:59. > :24:03.remembering some of the most significant moments in its 70 year
:24:03. > :24:07.history. Originally an aircraft maintenance
:24:07. > :24:12.base, it also had a key role ferrying planes and personnel to
:24:12. > :24:19.the front in the Second World War. VIP passengers included Winston
:24:19. > :24:24.Churchill in his famous liberator, Nick gained Commanders. The hangars
:24:24. > :24:29.Inst in the background are there to this day. After the war, thousands
:24:29. > :24:33.of aircraft were stored here. No photograph to prove it, but there
:24:34. > :24:39.were so many that they put the Spitfires on their noses to a bit
:24:39. > :24:46.more of them in. Top security. Pathe cameraman John Parsons went
:24:46. > :24:50.out under sealed orders to airfield X to greet Britain's atomic expert.
:24:50. > :24:53.Airfield X was Lyneham, and reporters gathered to hear the
:24:54. > :25:01.scientist behind Britain's was Russian nuclear bomb test give a
:25:01. > :25:05.non-committal statement. What is your next move? I have to send in
:25:05. > :25:12.my report to the government. When I have done that I shall have a short
:25:12. > :25:17.holiday and I hope to play some golf. The Hercules arrived in 1967.
:25:17. > :25:21.The go anywhere, do anything workhorse, known affectionately as
:25:21. > :25:25.Fat Albert, has been involved in virtually every British military
:25:25. > :25:29.operation since, flying in troops and supplies as well as covert
:25:29. > :25:34.missions under the most dangerous conditions. It has taken great
:25:34. > :25:41.courage and skill. When Saddam Hussein set fire to the Kuwait
:25:41. > :25:44.oilfields in the first Gulf war, I saw it first hand, what aircrews
:25:44. > :25:50.had to go through. Like the turbulence which made the job
:25:50. > :25:55.highly dangerous. They say that they get used to working in
:25:55. > :26:01.conditions like this for the low- level supply drops. And some of
:26:01. > :26:06.them have actually fallen out, although Frank Foley still attached
:26:06. > :26:11.to the aircraft. On the ground, engineers became remarkably
:26:11. > :26:15.inventive. Some Iraqi fencing and a bucket is all that was needed to
:26:15. > :26:21.produce a refreshing shower. The leather armchair was flown out in
:26:21. > :26:28.the back of a Hercules. Back home in Wiltshire, facilities had always
:26:28. > :26:31.been rather better. In the 60s, RAF Lyneham's restaurant when the
:26:31. > :26:37.finest food in the most puzzling surroundings award two years
:26:37. > :26:42.running. And the brand new's sergeants mess always offered a
:26:42. > :26:46.pint of the best to drip your moustache in. It became such a busy
:26:46. > :26:51.transport hub that air stewards were introduced to to give airline-
:26:51. > :26:54.style service for cruise en route to foreign bases. The Royal Air
:26:54. > :26:58.Force transport brings the first casualties to reach England from
:26:58. > :27:03.Korea. For those coming back the other way, sometimes a more
:27:03. > :27:08.rudimentary said this was needed. mobile elevator waist picks and the
:27:08. > :27:12.men in their stretchers and can days than so they have as little
:27:13. > :27:18.Hambling as possible -- and conveys them so they have as little
:27:18. > :27:22.Hambling as possible. Among the more emotional homecomings, the
:27:22. > :27:26.Beirut hostages returned via RAF Lyneham after spending years in
:27:26. > :27:31.solitary confinement in the Middle East. To be able to sit and feel
:27:31. > :27:36.the wind on my face, and fill one warmth of the Sun, because I was in
:27:36. > :27:41.almost total darkness for two years. I thought, this is marvellous, this
:27:41. > :27:46.is freedom. Mind and gave me my freedom back, and helped me back
:27:46. > :27:51.into freedom -- RAF Lyneham. its more recent sad role in
:27:51. > :28:00.repatriating those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan has again put the
:28:00. > :28:06.station in the national spotlight. Pride in the base and its crews was
:28:06. > :28:10.no better shown than at RAF Lyneham's 60th anniversary. From
:28:10. > :28:14.mechanics to Cook's, they marched, heads held high, proud of their
:28:14. > :28:18.heritage, proud of their base in the Wiltshire countryside. They may
:28:18. > :28:25.be moving on now but it is hard to imagine they will never be
:28:25. > :28:30.forgotten. -- they will ever be forgotten.
:28:30. > :28:35.A remarkable it back. That is it from a later than usual
:28:35. > :28:39.Points West. Andrew Plant will be here with the day's News at Ten.