Mourners react as a procession of hearses carrying the bodies of eight British soldiers killed in Afghanistan in a 24 hour period parade through the streets of Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, on July 14, 2009. The bodies of eight soldiers killed in Britain's bloodiest 24-hour period in Afghanistan were flown home on Tuesday as the head of the army said they had not died in vain. The families of the men, three of whom were 18-year-olds, were at the RAF Lyneham airbase in southwest England to see the coffins draped in the Union Jack flag carried slowly one by one from the transport plane. Thousands of people, including many soldiers, lined the streets of the nearby town of Wootton Bassett to pay their respects as the eight hearses were driven past, following a private ceremony at a chapel of rest for the families.
