A senior Army officer whose soldiers have returned from six months’ on the front line in Afghanistan said his men had endured their toughest ever tour of duty.

Lieutenant Colonel Owen Adams, Commanding Officer of the 40th Regiment Royal Artillery, was speaking as dozens of his soldiers were reunited with their families in Lisburn last night.

“ The soldiers of 40th Regiment feel very proud of their performance in the most demanding operational tour of their lives so far,” he said.

During their deployment which began in April, the gunners, based at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, were at the forefront of military operations including Operation Panther’s Claw.

The unit also provided security during the Afghan elections in August and gave vital fire support to troops patrolling from the various forward operating bases across the deadly Helmand Province.

Two Royal Artillery soldiers Bombardier Craig Hopson and Lance Bombardier Mathew Hatton were killed during the gruelling six month operational tour.

Lt Colonel Adams added: “We have all been devastated by the loss of these fine young men who died in the service of their Battery, their Regiment and their country.”

The 40th Royal Artillery soldiers flew into RAF Aldergrove last night after a five-hour flight from Cyprus.

Family members and friends greeted them as they were piped into Thiepval Barracks by the Pipes and Drums 40th Regiment Royal Artillery.

Brown announces troop deployment, P20\[Lucy Gollogly\]Added Lt Colonel Adams: “The life of a field gunner on operations is a mix of intense action, firing concentrated artillery barrages, followed by periods of sustained inactivity.

“The soldiers slept in the compounds or under the sky in mosquito nets. They mainly ate army rations which were supplemented with fresh where possible. They had very limited access to welfare facilities, most often TV or internet shared amongst them all. They washed under solar showers in the open. It has been an almost medieval existence for the soldiers; but they are well trained and hardened.

“The Fire Support Teams (FSTs) have been embedded with their infantry colleagues across Helmand. They have lived and patrolled throughout the infamous green zone, a complex network of earthen compounds along an intricate system of irrigation canals in the midst of low density jungle-type vegetation and crops. It has been unbearably hot, reaching upwards of 45 degrees Celsius; highly pressured and frightening. They have lived amongst the ever present improvised explosive device (IED) and small arms threat whilst knowingly putting themselves in danger right at the front, or at the extreme edges, of the advancing forces to ensure that they gain positive identification of the enemy.”

Earlier this month soldiers from the 2nd battalion The Mercian Regiment, 2nd Battalion The Rifles and 38 Engineer Regiment were welcomed back to their Northern Ireland bases.