A painting of Hercules 179 which crashed in IraqGAZETTE & HERALD: "I COULDN'T put together a finer bunch of blokes. They were my most trusted and respected crew and will be almost impossible to replace."

These were the words of Wing Commander Mike Neville yesterday, speaking for the first time since last month's Hercules tragedy in Iraq.

Now the Gazette has joined with the base to raise money for a lasting memorial to the men who died.

Five men from Wg Cdr Neville's squadron, 47 Squadron, were killed in the crash.

He paid tribute to the men, who he regarded as close personal friends.

"They were outstanding aviators and worked extremely well as a crew," he said.

"They will be almost impossible to replace in terms of expertise but impossible to replace in terms of character."

Wg Cdr Neville, 41, was standing in for Station Commander Paul Oborn on that fateful day.

His first knowledge of the crash was a Sky news flash just minutes after it happened.

It said an RAF C130 had come down in Iraq and Wg Cdr Neville said his heart sank.

"I knew it was one of ours," he said. "It was a hugely worrying time." Just 30 minutes later he had confirmation that his squadron had been involved.

"You always have a sense of disbelief and hope that it isn't your aircraft. There is also an even bigger sense of hope that there will be survivors.

"But as a professional aviator I knew the chances were remote."

The following morning Wg Cdr Neville, who has been based at RAF Lyneham for two years, pulled his squadron together to break the harrowing news.

"I gave them a brief about what had happened and told them it was five of our chaps. I explained how difficult it would be in the weeks and months ahead.

"They had lost so many friends and I told them there would be times to remember the boys for the good times and to draw strength from that. My main thrust was that they were not alone everyone was feeling the same.

"That evening we threw a party for the boys. It was a big station effort and was a really big release of emotions. It is an RAF tradition when you lose people in action."

Over the next few days, Wg Cdr Neville visited all the widows and families of the men lost from 47 Squadron.

"On the Tuesday I went round to see the navigator's wife and comforted her as best I could. On the Wednesday I went to Doncaster to see Mrs Smith, the mother of Smudge, Andrew Smith and on Thursday I visited the loadmaster's wife and family.

"I saw them all one by one and did what I could. Families want to have direct contact with the air force because it's played such a big part in their lives. They like to know that their loved ones were loved and respected."

Wg Cdr Neville said he consoled the relatives throughout the repatriation ceremony, and made sure his squadron was present to pay their respects.

"Repatriation is for the families and bringing the boys home but I made a point of having my squadron lined up to pay their respects to the boys," he said. "It's important for them to say farewell to their mates."

Then, 11 days after the crash, the squadron had a get-together in memory of their colleagues.

"We had a barbecue and drinks and videos for the kids," he said. "We wanted to remember the boys. What was particularly nice was that quite a few of the widows came along which I thought was amazingly brave of them. They were very strong and it gave everyone else a great deal of comfort.

"We go flying together all the time and the boys in the squadron who live, and die, for flying have to trust one another implicitly. We are very close and it's something never experienced outside the forces. Other people marvel at how close we are it's like a family here."

Wg Cdr Neville said two of the men, Gary Nicholson and Mark Gibson, were on his first ever squadron.

"We were very close friends and it's been an extremely difficult time," he said. "But my squadron is coping really well. We've bonded even more and if anything we're stronger now than before. This always was the best squadron at RAF Lyneham."