Guards home from 'demanding' tour

Dylan Taylor, 10, at Lille Barracks in Aldershot, as he waits and is finally reunited with his father, Company Sgt Carl Taylor of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards have returned to base in Hampshire after what a senior officer called a "demanding" Afghanistan tour.

The battalion suffered the loss of seven of its soldiers, including its commanding officer, during six months duty in Helmand province.

Family members welcomed around 130 troops as they arrived in Aldershot.

Major Dai Bevan said it had been "a very anxious six months for all the families".

The Welsh Guards' commanding officer, Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe MBE, 39, became the most senior British army officer to die in action since the Falklands War when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province in July.

An 18-year-old trooper from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Joshua Hammond, from Plymouth, died in the same explosion when an improvised explosive device was detonated under their Viking armoured vehicle.

Six other Welsh Guards have also been killed during the tour.

CASE STUDY Sarah Rees, mother of Lloyd Jones, serving with the Royal Artillery in Afghanistan Lloyd is extremely tired at the moment, somewhat emotional and extremely ready to come home sometime in the next seven days. It's getting to the stage where you're starting to allow yourself to believe that your son is coming home. You have a self-preservation mechanism that kicks in. It's a rollercoaster. It's been a very tough tour. We've lost numerous troops on any particular day. That's hard for any parent to swallow, knowing that your son is out there. When you've got somebody serving in the forces you have to push the politics aside. They are over there and we are having to deal with that. There has been a remarkable change in the attitude towards our troops. It's taken many servicemen having to lose their lives to make the British public realise that they are there and doing their job.

The Welsh Guards are based at Lille barracks in Aldershot.

Maj Bevan said: "The last six months has been an incredibly successful tour for the Welsh Guards but equally it has been an extremely challenging and demanding tour."

He said the Guards had been part of a coalition helping the people of Helmand build peace and stability in a troubled region.

"The Welsh Guards have faced the challenges with typical professionalism and determination and earned the respect of local and Afghan population," said Maj Bevan.

"However, the Welsh Guards have suffered significant losses during the tour and our thoughts and prayers are with their families at this difficult time."

He said the soldiers formed part of a larger battle group with coalition troops, mostly notably Estonians.

Lt Col Thorneloe had been part of a resupply convoy heading towards troops engaged in hostile territory when he was killed.

Prince Charles, who is colonel-in-chief of the regiment, said the news of his death was "completely heartbreaking".

Maj Bevan said: "Lt Col Thorneloe was well aware of the dangers and the threat to the men under his command. Lt Col Thorneloe was a man who led by example and from the front and faced the same threats and dangers.

'Tragic death'

"And, therefore, while it's certainly unusual for a commanding officer to be killed in action, it was certainly a risk that he was prepared to take in order to lead his men into action."

WELSH GUARDS' ROLL OF HONOUR Guardsman Christopher King, 20, West Buckland, Devon, died in an explosion while he was on foot patrol in the Nad e Ali district of Helmand province on 22 July. Pte John Brackpool, 27, of Crawley, West Sussex, died after suffering a gunshot wound during a battle in the Lashkar Gah area. 9 July. L/Cpl Dane Elson, 22, Zimbabwe, killed by improvised explosive device during attack on a compound in Helmand. 5 July Lt/Col Rupert Thorneloe, 39, Oxfordshire, commanding officer killed by improvised explosive device in Helmand. 1 July Maj Sean Birchall, 33, Guilford, Surrey, killed in explosion on patrol in Helmand. 19 June. Lt Mark Evison, 26, London, died in hospital in Birmingham after shooting in Helmand. 12 May Lt/Sgt Tobie Fasfous, 29, Bridgend, killed by explosion while on foot patrol in Helmand. 28 April

Maj Bevan, 36, said he had known Lt Col Thorneloe throughout his own 12 years in the Army and had witnessed his "meteoric rise".

He said: "As the chief of the general staff said, he was at the leading edge of his peer group and had an extremely bright future ahead of him.

"His tragic death has had a deep effect on the Welsh Guards and its wider community.

"Clearly this has been a very anxious six months for all the families, not least the fact that they have been made aware of the dangers by the media. They are extremely relieved and happy to have their loved ones back home."

Lance Sergeant Paul Ratcliffe, 31, from Newport, South Wales, said the loss of the CO "hit the men hard".

"But with all our training, we had to put it to the back of our minds," he said.

"The boys just got on with the job. At the end of the day the training kicks in. It is always harrowing. People say it gets better but it is always going to be harrowing."

Around 100 family members were expected to be at the barracks for the return of their loved ones.

Padre Timothy Cole, deputy assistant chaplain general to 145 brigade, has provided pastoral care for relatives during the tour.

He said: "It has been a very challenging tour and it has been hard for families, although you find military communities pull together to support one another.

"The wives get together for coffee mornings and the welfare officer plays a vital role."

Maj Bevan said the returning guards could look forward to around six weeks' leave.

"The main point is to normalise their lives and get back into the family way of life."

Maj Bevan has remained at the base in charge of "the rear party," sending out newly trained soldiers and additional supplies as well as looking after the welfare of Welsh Guard families.

Advertisement

Guardsman Marcus Whitehouse said it had been a "quite testing" tour