IT was a welcome homecoming for Territorial Army soldiers of the Devon and Dorset's Rifle Volunteers, who returned from their six-month mission to Basra this week having survived several hair-raising attacks.

Around 80 volunteers flew back to Chilwell at the weekend, where they were demobbed.

Among them was Captain Adrian Roberts, from Wimborne, who was clearly relieved to be home.

Capt Roberts, who is an area sales manager for a marine equipment company, explained how his TA company had survived mortar attacks, rocket fire and an ambush while on "routine" transportation duties and protecting Basra Palace from attack.

He said: "We had about 40 'contacts', including 15 to 20 attacks from mortar and rocket fire. One of our volunteers from Exeter was shot in his lower abdomen and lost a kidney. He was treated at base and then flown home but he is all right."

Capt Roberts was surprised at how little these so-called skirmishes are reported by the media.

"August was a crazy month because it was the month of the uprising when the extremist militant Moqtada Sadr's army was in town. The Cheshire battle group retook their base along with 15 tonnes of weapons."

He added: "We have made an enormous difference out there to the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Many of them came and told us that and I would like to see more of this in the news."

Like most of his men, Captain Roberts is now looking forward to 40 days off, during which time he is hoping to relax with his fiancee.

Now he can concentrate on his wedding in May. It will be a case of second time around, as he and his wife-to-be had to postpone their initial wedding date in September after he discovered he would be in Iraq.

"I'll probably get roped in to doing a few household chores, no doubt, but I don't mind"

"I'm just glad to be back," he added.

First published: October 28