The men and women of 9 Supply Regiment Royal Logistical Corps, based at Hullavington, are packing for a six month stint in Iraq. For some it is their first operation. LILY CANTER meets the troops on the eve of departure.

MORALE is high at Hullavington Barracks as more than 475 soldiers prepare for their six-month operation in Iraq.

Private Fraser Munroe, 19, from Swindon, said he is really looking forward to putting all his training into action.

It will be his first operation and he hopes to make his parents very proud.

"I am quite excited as I have been here a year-and-a-half now and this is a good first operation to go on. I am worried about missing my family and friends though," said Pte Munroe.

The six foot seven inches tall private, nicknamed Tiny, is one of hundreds of men and woman who will be flying to the Gulf over the next two weeks.

"I think my brother is jealous because he is in the Royal Engineers and they are not going out until August," he added.

Captain Claire Cobley, from Devizes, said morale was extremely high and there was a buzz among the younger members of the regiment.

"We are the first regiment to be deployed to Iraq since the hostilities ceased to start relieving the troops already out there," she said.

"The troops will be very pleased to see us as they know when we turn up, they will be going home."

It is the first time that the entire 9 Supply Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) has been sent into the field together.

They will also be supported by 130 members of the Territorial Army.

"There is a real range of ages and nationalities. There are guys on their first operation and guys who have been doing it for years and it will probably be their last. The Gurkhas are also going out and guys from Jamaica, Fiji and Zimbabwe," said Capt Cobley.

The whole regiment will be deployed to UmQuasar by the end of May and then move into other areas of Iraq and Kuwait.

Their equipment, including Land Rovers and trucks, was shipped out ahead of them earlier this week.

The role of the RLC is to support and replace the existing troops in Iraq and to deploy supplies.

"We do everything from supplying other regiments with socks to sending information back to the families at home. We are the support and supply backbone of the Army. We have tradesman ranging from bakers and butchers to ammunition technicians and drivers," said Capt Cobley.

The RLC are also in charge of the military postal service that is a lifeline to the troops, according to Capt Cobley who has been in the Army for six years.

"The main thing the troops worry about is the postal facility. Just to get a letter means a lot to them. I have seen grown men cry because they have not had a letter for a day," she said.

But the regiment will also have more sophisticated means of communication whilst they are out in the desert.

Each soldier will have 20 minutes free phonecalls a week and regular Internet and e-mail access.

Capt Cobley, who was previously deployed to the Falklands, said it was really important that the troops' families were kept informed and were able to communicate with their loved ones.

"It is the families back home that feel the pain the most. Six months goes quickly for us because we are so busy, although some of the guys feel homesick after a few weeks," she said.

Capt Cobley, who in charge of welfare and discipline, said she would make sure the military families receive updates every one to two weeks.

"The families are obviously anxious but the regiment are trained to deal with every eventuality. There is always a risk everywhere we go," she said.

But Capt Cobley said the main risk would not be rebel attacks. It would be road traffic accidents.

"We cover so many miles all the time and most of what we do is driving. The conditions will be hot and sandy and acclimatisation can be a problem at first," she said.

The troops hope to be home before Christmas but there is no guarantee of that at this stage.

They will have a week's leave to spend valuable time with their families before they go to Iraq, where they will be facing temperatures of around 50 degrees centigrade.

Over the next six months the soldiers will be allowed just two weeks break, but many of them are taking crucial luxury items. "I have already packed my football," said Private Munroe.