Treats for the troops

She and her husband David, from Cepen Park North, Chippenham, were among the scores of readers who packed up boxes of gifts for soldiers from 21 Signals at Azimghur Barracks, in Colerne, who were posted to the Gulf at the outbreak of war.

The Gazette offices in Chippenham and Devizes were overflowing with shoeboxes filled with sweets, toiletries, magazines and messages of support after the Treats for the Troops campaign was launched on April 3.

Mrs Phillips said she really enjoyed selecting gifts for the two boxes she packed up, one for a man and one for a woman. "My son was a Merchant Navy officer for 12 years and he always appreciated it when we sent him things," she said.

"I think when you are away from home it can be difficult. Receiving something from home can really make a difference,"

Mrs Phillips comes from a military background as her husband spent six years in the British Army and her father spent the whole of his working life in the Army in South Africa.

And when the thank you letters arrived from lieutenants Chris Hill and Zoe White last week Mrs Phillips was overjoyed.

"We appreciated them greatly. They were really nice," she said.

"They were not just thank you letters they were news letters. It is very nice that they took the trouble to write back to us."

Major Steven France, officer commanding the 40 soldiers of the regiment who remain in Basrah, said they had been overwhelmed by the generosity of readers. "We have received hundreds of shoeboxes packed with toiletries, sweets, books and games, all of which have been great for moral," he said.

"Amongst the boxes there have been postcards and letters wishing us well and asking us to keep safe. There have been letters with reports of what has been happening in the news and even on Coronation Street as well as good wishes from all including those from fellow old soldiers.

"We are all very grateful to those who have sent out parcels and their good wishes."

The campaign was originally thought up by Army wives Sharon Shakespeare, 41, and Jeanne Murphy, 34, from Corsham, who approached the Gazette with the idea.

Mrs Shakespeare's husband Gary, a 42-year-old captain, had been in the Gulf with the Royal Signals, based at Basil Hill, near Corsham, for the two months before Easter.

She said: "I woke up one day feeling sad and a little down after watching the news from Iraq.

"All I could think about was sending some kind of message to the troops to let them know we are all thinking about them. So I came up with the idea of sending them some goodies. "

Gazette editor Gary Lawrence thanked all those who helped. He said: "I'm not surprised we had such a great response, our readers have always shown how caring they can be.

"Whatever people think about the rights or wrongs of the war, they recognise the men and women out there are doing their jobs. They deserve to have a few comforts from home and to know that people back here are thinking about them."

Letter from Lieutenant Zoe White, dated July 11:

Dear Mr and Mrs Phillips,

Thank you very much for your kind gifts for us here in sunny Basra. We have only just received the parcels due to delays in postage but please be assured that the contents are very much gratefully received.

We are still in the Basra area and our deployment looks to remain out here until October. Hopefully by this time the temperatures may have dropped somewhat. It is currently 48 degrees centigrade and has hit over 60 degrees out by our helicopters.

Thankfully we are expecting the real summer to start in a couple of weeks so the sunbathing will begin in earnest then.

We are currently renovating two of the local schools in the Meral Marsh Arab areas north of Basra as an effort to improve the general conditions of the local children.

We shall keep as many people informed as possible through the local papers.

Thank you again for the generous gifts. Your kindness is very, very much appreciated. Thank you and keep well.

Regards Lt Zoe White.

Letter from Lieutenant Chris Hill, dated July 17:

Dear David and Shelagh,

Thank you very much for your box of goodies, which must have taken quite the long way round Chippenham, Colerne to Basra! It arrived today!

Life out here is settling after quite a busy June. Obviously the papers don't portray events entirely correctly, they do give an idea however.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chris. I'm 24. I have been out for six weeks although personnel from Colerne have been here since February.

This is my first operational tour and being a single young bloke count myself lucky not to be separated from wife or family. Many here are.

October looks around the latest for us coming home. Some of us will be back around August but as of yet it's unclear.

Thank you once again for your kind gift. The lads say a big thank you!

I should perhaps get back to work!

Thanks once again, Chris