THE families and loved ones of Swindon servicemen in the Gulf have spoken about their hopes and fears for the war with Iraq.

Soldiers and other personnel attached to A Squadron of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry will be serving on the front line, counting on their specialist knowledge as nuclear biological and chemical decontamination experts.

Working alongside the regular army, many of the 106 soldiers, based at the Territorial Army Centre in Church Place, know little of what to expect.

Lance Corporal Andy Hyde, 28, was among those deployed to the Middle East with A Squadron. His father John, 55, of Stallpitts Road, Shrivenham, is an ex-serviceman now working as a military policeman. He backs the coalition-led invasion of Iraq and said: "I have been watching events unfold on the news and it concerns me that the Iraqis might launch a chemical attack on our boys.

"But if anyone is going to be safe then it's the lads from Swindon who are specially trained in exactly that situation.

"Everyone with children serving in the Gulf is worried, but at the end of the day they all joined up, like I did when I was younger, knowing this could happen - and I agree with what is going on.

"I firmly believe we should go straight in there and get rid of Saddam Hussein. He is an evil tyrant, a mass murderer ask any southern Turk or Kurd.

"Who is to say he's not going to turn weapons on wherever he wants, even the countries next to Iraq, because he's not been all that friendly with them in the past.

"Our thoughts are with Andy and the rest of the British servicemen fighting for our country in the Gulf at the moment I wish them well"

Andy left for the Middle East with the rest of his squadron two weeks ago when they flew out from RAF Brize Norton. A Squadron is in the Gulf as part of a specialist team trained at nuclear, chemical and biological decontamination of soldiers and vehicles and will be working alongside the regular army.

This is the first time since World War II that the Yeomanry the TA equivalent of the Cavalry has been deployed for military action. The unit is currently the largest single collection of TA soldiers to be compulsorily mobilised in support of the regular army. Like the rest of the Allied forces in the Middle East, their deployment is indefinite.

They have all trained to provide vital decontamination skills and assistance in addition to reinforcement for chemical and nuclear reconnaissance.

Sarah Jane Masters, 27, is also serving with A Squadron. She revealed in her Gulf War diary, serialised in the Evening Advertiser on Tuesday, that she wanted to come home. For her boyfriend Steve Pennicott, 34, the news that the coalition had finally gone to war was met with a mixture of nervousness and expectation.

He said: "You know you are supposed to feel something, but I don't know what. I got all the information from the news and spoke to Sarah on Wednesday morning. She sounded so much more upbeat about the general situation.

"Because of the phone call I received on Tuesday I feel happy that Sarah now has the provisions she wanted. That has instilled more confidence in me.

"All I can do is pray she comes back home safely.

"There was always a possibility this could happen and she was aware of that. I just hope and pray things go well I can't do much else."

At RAF Lyneham, Flt Lt John Makinson-Sanders said: "Our men, women and aircraft are in place and we are ready to react when the politicians say. Deployment has already taken place and we provide a transport role in close association with RAF Brize Norton, transporting anything from parts to keep the aircraft up in the air to supplies for personnel on the ground."

He added that the majority of the station's 51 Hercules transport aircraft will be committed to Gulf duty.

Squadron Leader David Rowe, of RAF Brize Norton, said: "We are awaiting developments, like the rest of the world. Once our aircraft are deployed into the theatre of operations they become the property of the commanders in the field."

Seven VC10 and two Tri-Star aircraft from the Oxfordshire base are fulfilling roles of tankers for air-to-air refuelling.

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