Swindon soldier Tpr Phil Tollafield, 19, LCpl Pete Shepherd, 21, and Tpr Stefan Vandan-Smith, 19, in front of their Snatch vehicles SOLDIERS from Swindon are settling into a new way of life in war-torn Iraq far away from the anarchy of the Magic Roundabout.

The troops from the King's Royal Hussars, normally based at Tidworth, have been settling in for their six-month tour of duty.

They have been put into a variety of buildings and tented accommodation in Basra and Maysan.

Around 400 soldiers from the cavalry regiment, which recruits heavily in Swindon and the rest of Wiltshire, will brave temperatures up to 50 degrees in Iraq.

In early March, the Adver joined soldiers from Swindon and the rest of the regiment on their last exercise before they went out.

Army spokesman Charles Smith said: "The troops will provide protection to the local population, buildings and convoys, patrol borders and help build up the local infrastructure.

"But the priority now is to train and support the Iraqi security forces such as the police service, border guards and newly fledged Iraq army, to become confident and capable enough to manage the security themselves, which will lead to the eventual withdrawal of the multinational force. Although parts of the region are impoverished, hundreds of projects are underway to improve life for the local people."

Phil Tollafield, 19, from Swindon, is on his first tour. Also in Iraq are Lance Cpl Robert Warren, 31, and his brother Cpl Michael Warren from Toothill, Phillip Tolly, 19, of Nythe and Lance Cpl Pete Pollard, 28, of Old Town.

Phil is part of the squadron leader's Rover group.

It consists of four armoured Snatch Land Rovers that have an opening in the roof for two soldiers to do top cover. He is normally a crewman on a Challenger tank, but is working as one of the Snatch vehicle drivers.

He said: "We take the Snatch vehicles on roads first as they are heavy and cannot go too fast.

"Then we learn some cross-country driving and offensive positioning on the road.

"I've been driving nearly two years, and am a little apprehensive as I've heard a lot of tales of the drivers out here. We'll see."

Entrances, doors and walls at the army camps in southern Iraq now have hundreds of distinctive crimson and primrose signs with the Prussian hawk in the centre.

The hawk is the cap badge of the King's Royal Hussars.

Dave Andrew