To many people the words 'RAF Lyneham' and 'Wootton Bassett' are these days too redolent of the sad 'Repatriation' ceremonies as the good people of the town pay their last respects to our fallen troops.

And what a wonderful job they have done for three or four years now standing proxy for the grief of the Nation, standing as they do and bowing their heads for a couple of minutes, often twice a week, and in all weathers.

Well that will all come to an end in August this year when the Hercules fleet is transferred to RAF Brize Norton preparatory to closing the air base by December 2012.

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"I was delighted that Mr Speaker Bercow has made it possible for me to have a debate next Wednesday January 26th on the subject of how suitable RAF Lyneham would be for the Army," said North Wiltshire MP James Gray speaking from Westminster this morning.

"I intend to let the Secretary of State for Defence have a dossier of information on how ideal the vacated Lyneham site would be for the Army prior to the debate."

"If we are – very sadly – to lose the RAF from Lyneham then we must now fight for the Army to move there as they return from Germany, " said North Wiltshire MP James Gray speaking after raising the matter with the Prime Minister during yesterday's Strategic Defence Review Statement.

Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): The communities of Wootton Bassett and Calne, as well as that of Lyneham itself, will deeply regret the loss of the RAF from my constituency to that of the Prime Minister. Will he accept that those communities are absolutely ready to accept soldiers into the vacated base, and that the base itself, which will be vacant by the end of next year and is close to Salisbury plain, is ideally suited brigades returning from Germany?

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Thursday 7^th January

Following a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday 6^th January, James Gray MP has published a dossier* on a number of significant changes in the Air Transport Fleet which should result in the decision to close RAF Lyneham being reversed. In case you missed James's Westminster Hall debate, you can either watch it via Parliament's Video and Audio website or read through Hansard.

*PDF copy of The Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham can be downloaded here.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray has renewed his efforts to save RAF Lyneham by calling a 1 ½ hour Westminster Hall debate for Wednesday 6th January at 9.30am. Speaking in advance of the debate, which will be on the subject of 'The RAF Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham,' Mr Gray said:

“I have called this debate not only because I am the local MP for RAF Lyneham which is threatened with closure , but also because in preparing for it, I have become more and more convinced that the Government is ignoring our real strategic and tactical Air Transport requirements in a number of decisions made over the last few years. So I will be calling for the whole question of our Air Transport Operations to become a central part of the Strategic Defence Review which is planned by both Parties after the General Election and for all further work or decision making to be suspended in the meantime.

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“I am delighted that Mr Speaker has granted me the opportunity of a 1 ½ hour Westminster Hall debate on 6th January on the subject of the Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham,” said North Wiltshire MP James Gray this morning.

“I have campaigned long and hard to save RAF Lyneham and now believe that a number of changes in the wider Air Transport Fleet just may conceivably offer us a window of opportunity.”

“With the help of a number of well informed advisors, I have drafted a dossier on all of these air transport changes, explaining why I believe that they should result in the decision to close Lyneham being reversed.”

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