THE fallen of the two world wars and other conflicts were remembered at services across North Wiltshire and Swindon on Sunday.

In Wootton Basset a long column of marchers, led by the band of The Boys' Brigade 5th Swindon Company, paraded to St Bartholomew and All Saints' Church.

The ancient ceremonial sword of the old Borough of Wootton Bassett was held aloft by the town council's official sword bearer Fred "Boots" Deacon as the Mayor Coun Marion Sweet and other local dignitaries entered the church.

They were welcomed by the Royal British Legion branch chaplain, the Rev Bernard Garratt, whose address featured chilling excerpts from the diary of an Army chaplain on active service in 1944.

He revealed that one in ten service padres were injured or killed during the Second World War the highest percentage of casualties of any unit.

And, prior to the two minutes' silence, RBL branch president George Richardson read the names of more than 70 Wootton Bassett service personnel who lost their lives in two world wars.

In Calne, Ron Thomas, 83, who took part in the first wave of landings on D-Day, laid a wreath at the war memorial with his daughter Val Proctor.

Mr Thomas was a member of the assault infantry in the 6th Battalion Green Howards. He is currently vice-president of the Royal British Legion in Calne.

He took part in the ceremony at St Mary's Church on Sunday and then joined the parade to the war memorial. He said the day was very poignant for him and brought back lots of sad memories.

"There are not many of us left from my battalion. I don't know any around this way," he said.

"To be honest when we landed on the beach I was terrified. But we had a job to do and we did it.

"It was full of thick hedges and you couldn't see what was behind them. But we survived and we are still here in one piece."

He said he was carrying an injured man back to the casualty camp when he came round a hedge and was confronted by a German tank.

"He popped his head out and said my casualty camp was over there," Mr Thomas said.

"And what did I say? Thank you. And then he just turned around."

In Malmesbury The Field of Remembrance in the grounds of the abbey was full of more than 100 crosses, to remember all the Malmesbury men who died.

The wreath laying took place at the Second World War memorial gates at 10.15am on Sunday. It was followed by a service at the abbey at 3pm.

Before the service there was a procession of the warden and Freeman of Malmesbury with maces and the mayor and town council with their macebearer.

Members of the Gurkha Regiment formed a guard of honour at the entrance of the abbey and a Gurkha piper played.

On Tuesday a service was held in the abbey leading up to the 11th hour.

Poems and readings were given by the mayor, actor James Grout and others.

In Swindon war veterans joined the Remembrance Sunday parade along Commercial Road to Regent Circus.

There Mayor Derek Benfield laid a wreath of poppies at the base of the cenotaph and further tributes were placed by dignitaries and services associations.

Don Dedman, the Swindon president of the Royal British Legion, exhorted the crowd to keep alive the memory of fallen soldiers.

The Mayor's Chaplain, the Rev Beth Gardner, led a prayer to remember all those suffering as a result of war, including families separated by the conflict in Iraq.

Arthur Smith, 80, of Dickens Close, in Liden, Swindon, served in Africa in the Parachute Regiment, and many of his comrades were killed.

"I lost friends 60 years ago but the memories are still there," he said.

"This event is about remembering those who don't come back."

Frank Gething, 54, from Park North, served in Northern Ireland and Cyprus in the 1970s.

"When you go to these places some people aren't going to come back," he said. "But you volunteer because you want to defend your country against aggressors."

Walter Footner, 73, the secretary of the Swindon branch of the Burma Star Association, said each year's remembrance ceremony was an emotional affair. He served in Burma with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers during the 1940s.

He said younger generations should be kept aware of the sacrifices of his fallen comrades.

Reg Clarke, 84, of Linden Avenue, in Pinehurst, went to France in 1939 with the British Expeditionary Force.

Mr Clarke lost four comrades, including one of his closest friends, a man called John Fiddes.

"I think of him all the time but especially on occasions like this," he said.

After the remembrance ceremony was over and people had begun to disperse, John Carter, 60, from Rodbourne, of the Swindon Peace Pledge Union laid a wreath of white poppies at the foot of the monument, something he has been doing every year for the past 15 years.

"White poppies are for all those killed, maimed or displaced by military conflict worldwide," he said.