Warm welcome in Wiltshire for returning heroes
6:42pm Monday 7th December 2009 in News By Gazette Reporter
Crowds cheered on nearly 500 soldiers as they marched through a Wiltshire city centre after a gruelling tour of Afghanistan.
Soldiers from 4th Battalion The Rifles, strode proudly through Salisbury, accompanied by the Band and Bugles of The Rifles.
Following an invitation from the city council, the 450 troops, wearing their desert combat uniforms, were led Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Jones.
The men recently returned to their barracks at nearby Bulford after five months in Helmand province. Three soldiers from the battalion were killed during the tour.
There are currently 137 soldiers from 4 Rifles in Afghanistan, who are due to return in spring next year.
The march came after a private service of commemoration at Salisbury Cathedral where the battalion, accompanied by bereaved families, remembered fallen comrades.
