There is something cathartic about a respectful silence, when a whole town falls quiet to honour the dead, and something unbearable when it is ripped asunder.

Yesterday the Wiltshire market town of Wootton Bassett stood silent as the bodies of five British soldiers were driven through it on the journey back from Afghanistan.

As many as 2,000 people lined the streets as five hearses made their way from RAF Lyneham to Oxford.

It is a ritual of compassion and respect that has grown spontaneously during the past two years; there are no speeches, no grand ceremonial, no military bands, just quiet solemnity.

The people of Wootton Bassett know the drill only too well. The bell of St Bartholomew’s Church heralds the arrival of the hearses and the whole town falls quiet: then, at the single command “Up” from the president of the local branch of the Royal British Legion, the Legion’s standards are lowered and the salute is given.

It is a moving moment, and for the grandmother of one of the soldiers who died this week, it was too much. Her wailing cut through the silence with a dreadful intensity that moved all who heard it. The silence of remembrance is no match for the lacerating pain of raw grief.

That Anne Smith should bear her loss so hard would have come as no surprise to anyone who had spoken to her. Half an hour earlier she spoke to The Times of her pride in her grandson, Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 22, of the 1st Welsh Guards — “He was a gorgeous young man” — and her bitterness at the war that sent him to his death. “I am angry. He should not have been there, none of our boys should be there. It’s for what? So they can have elections? It’s terrible. My grandson has died for nothing.”

Her strongest attack was reserved for Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary. “He is a despicable man — how can he go on the telly showing no compassion, no caring, and calmly tell us there will be more deaths? It’s not what our lads deserve.”

Her grief was echoed by one of Lance Corporal Elson’s great-uncles, Frank Elson, who said: “We’ve all got a little bit older today because of what has happened. The loss and the sorrow — it’s unbearable.” But their grief was tempered by their gratitude to the townspeople. “They are absolutely amazing,” said Lance Corporal Elson’s other grandmother, Kitty Elson. “They are so kind and caring. It is amazing that everybody has turned out to pay their respects.”

Earlier, as the town waited for the hearses bearing the remains of Lance Corporal Elson and the four other soldiers — Lance Corporal David Dennis, 29, and Trooper Christopher Whiteside, 20, of the Light Dragoons, Private Robert Laws, 18, of 2 Mercian, Captain Ben Babington-Browne, 27, of 22 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers — some voiced doubts about the Afghan campaign. “They should pull soldiers out,” said Paul Gardiner, of the British Legion. “There are innocent lives being lost for no apparent reason.

“Everybody here stands shoulder to shoulder with the lads. But at the end of the day they should come home.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• The playboy and the Tory party leader
• Bin Laden's family tree is impenetrable jungle
• Paul McCartney