DORSET veterans will greet the funeral cortege of Rifleman Philip Allen from Verwood when it arrives at RAF Lyneham on Monday, November 16.
Rifleman Allen, 20, from Verwood, died in an explosion and the veterans make the journey whatever the dead man’s cap badge.
They will gather at a quiet spot near the College Farm pub outside Swindon as the cortege moves from Wootton Bassett to Oxford.
The police outriders stop the traffic, and the veterans move to a windswept roundabout, remove their jackets to show their blazers and ties, and give the coffin a final salute.
Colour Sgt Malcolm Wilson, 65, Wareham branch secretary, said: “It’s one day out of our lives. These men haven’t got any more days left, so I don’t think it’s a big thing for us to do really.”
Read the full article from the Bournemouth Echo here,
