THEY'RE coming home.

After seven months in one of the world's most dangerous places, Hampshire soldiers are counting the days before they return to their families.

Since April the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, has been stationed in southern Iraq where it has played a major role in the multi-national forces' operations.

The soldiers have faced exhausting heat, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Centigrade, and endless operations that have seen them living in the back of armoured vehicles for days at a time.

However, in just over a week's time they will be back home in their battalion base in northern Germany - and back with the families and children they left behind.

The 600 Armoured Tigers - recruited from across the south - will be flown back to Paderborn on four different flights in coming days.

They have already packed up and moved from their base in Shaibah, south of Basra, and are spending their final days in Iraq stationed at Basra airport.

The soldiers, worn out after their stint on Operation Telic 8, will be flown out of the city by Hercules aircraft and will transfer on to Germany on a charter plane from Qatar.

When they are all reassembled in Paderborn they will collectively take part in a de-brief and be allowed to spend time with their relatives, many of whom are flying out to greet them from their homes in Hampshire.

Capt Jay Smith. 28, said: "The tour has been very interesting and challenging, not knowing what the next day will bring. I think the nature of the tour has made it a case of 'expect the unexpected', as we were in a role as the Divisional Reserve troops where we've been faced with a number of challenges.

"I think the deployment to Maysaan Province will be seen as one of the highlights. For others the best part will be looking back on the times the Battle Group was called into a high risk environment to ensure that the overarching mission was achieved.

"At the moment a lot of the guys are focussed on getting to the end of the tour - they will not take their mind off the job until the very end.

"In the new year we'll start putting down the foundations for our next deployment."