Families thankful as Fusiliers’ tour ends
Commanding officer praises company after loss of seven comrades
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BRITISH soldiers returning home from Afghanistan were greeted as heroes by their wives and children last night.
The soldiers of A Company, The Second Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Fusiliers (2 RRF), were embraced by their families as they arrived back at their west London base in Hounslow.
Their six-month tour in Helmand Province saw the loss of seven comrades as they aimed to improve the lives of the local population by increasing security and freedoms.
Fellow soldiers lined the final leg of the route as the buses carrying the Fusiliers from RAF Brize Norton arrived at their home barracks to loud cheers from the waiting families.
The three young daughters of 29-year-old Corporal Phillip Carr were back in his arms within moments of his arrival.
As he embraced Samantha, six, Joanna, four, and Stephanie, two, his wife Nicole, 28, said: “We’re glad it’s all over, glad that he’s home now and back with us.”
Fellow soldier Corporal Matt Hale-Smith, 22, of Sussex, saw his 10-month-old daughter Skye walk for the first time as he stepped off the bus.
Earlier, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Calder, commanding officer of 2 RRF, said: “All Fusiliers can return proud in the knowledge that they left their little bit of Afghanistan significantly better than they found it.”
The soldiers faced roadside bombs, rifle and machine-gun fire and mortar attacks as they carried out operations in Sangin and Musa Qal’ah.
A spokesman for 2 RRF said their prayers remained with the families of the seven soldiers who died during the tour. They were Fusilier Petero “Pat” Suesue, 28, from Fiji; Corporal Joseph Etchells, 22, from Mossley, Greater Manchester; Sergeant Simon Valentine, 29, from Bedworth, Warwickshire; Fusilier Simon Annis, 22, from Salford; Fusilier Louis Carter, 18, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire; Lance Corporal James Fullarton, 24, from Coventry; and Fusilier Shaun Bush, 24, from Coventry.
