The Daily Echo reflects on the role Hampshire soldiers have played in the 13-year conflict in Afghanistan

The final extraction of British soldiers started at dawn and saw waves of aircraft depart what was once a sprawling military base in the heart of Helmand Province.

On board five Hercules aircraft, two Chinooks, four US Sea Stallions and two Hueys were 950 UK and US personnel who would be making that journey for the final time. Military chiefs could not afford for anything to go wrong.

Among the final troops to leave were Hampshire soldiers, who are returning home to their families knowing their mission is complete and a job has been well done.

Very little was left behind. Most equipment that had not been given to Afghan forces who are now controlling security in their own country was cleaned, packed and brought home in a mammoth logistics operation.

A carefully built memorial wall in honour of the 453 British soldiers who have lost their lives since 2001 was dismantled piece by piece.

The last union flag is lowered as troops prepare to leave

Among the inscriptions were the names of two members of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (nicknamed The Tigers) whose lives were claimed on the frontline.

They were Pte Jonathan Monk, from 2nd Battalion, who was killed in June 2010, and Pte Thomas Lake of the 1st Battalion, killed in November 2011. Both were on patrol when they were blown up by a bomb.

Many more have returned bearing the physical and mental scars of a 13-year battle that will last a lifetime and, for many, signal the end of their Army careers.

They include Sgt Jay Baldwin, 28, who lost both legs after standing on a hidden bomb planted by insurgents.

In their final deployment to Afghanistan, reported by the Daily Echo in May this year, about 100 soldiers returned to the country for a final operational tour – significantly fewer than first anticipated as the British military began its drawdown.

Some of them are already home – and a Ministry of Defence spokesman said the remainder would be safely back at their base at Barker Barracks, in Paderborn, Germany “over the next few days”.

They sign off knowing they have played a crucial role in the 13-year operation – befitting to a regiment renowned for being among Britain’s best.

The PWRR is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Queen’s Division, and is revered for its courage, determination and commitment, with a proud military heritage.

Formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of The Royal Hampshire Regiment and The Queen’s Regiment, it also holds the earliest battle honour in the British Army – Tangier, 1662 to 1680.

Tigers and Afghan Police destroy IED components

It was back in December 2001, in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11, that the 2nd Battalion, PWRR were put on standby for deployment to Afghanistan, but in the end the troops were not deployed.

Two years later a platoon of the 3rd Battalion, PWRR, the Army Reserve infantry unit for the south-east of England, was posted to Kabul on Operation Fingal, a six-month tour of duty.

Members of the battalion, which is operationally focused and often has Army Reserve officers and soldiers deployed supporting the Regular Army, was tasked with the vital roles of escorting convoys and guarding sensitive military installations in the war of attrition against the Taliban.

By the summer of 2008 the first wave of Hampshire soldiers had arrived in Afghanistan ahead of 1PWRR’s forthcoming tour of duty.

On the frontline, they became the lead for UK forces in the country once the full deployment was completed in late September.

Soldiers meeting Afghan locals

Nicknamed the “Armoured Tigers”, the troops flew out from their usual headquarters in Germany and took up position in their base in Helmand Province.

At the time the Commanding Officer of 1PWRR, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Sykes, said: “The soldiers are hugely proud to have been selected for the operation and are determined to live up to their hard-won reputation as the most highly decorated battalion in the Army.”

During their time the soldiers played a pivotal part in smashing a £50m drugs operation in Afghanistan.

Operation Diesel seized heroin, drug-making equipment and weaponry in the heart of the Taliban’s Helmand stronghold.

1PWRR provided a decoy operation to draw the enemy out of the target areas, which intelligence showed were being used to manufacture drugs.

Once the Taliban had moved away, the Tigers helped secure a helicopter landing site. This enabled troops to be brought in for the second phase of the operation, when the real attacks were launched.

Hampshire soldiers also provided a flank along a key area that meant the Taliban were unable to bring in reinforcements or escape.

One of the most significant contributions made by the PWRR to the Afghanistan campaign came from the 2nd Battalion, from its base in Cyprus.

For over a year, from 2008 to 2009, the battalion took the Theatre Reserve role. This involved continual deployment to Afghanistan of at least one company, often two, along with Battalion Headquarters.

A variety of tasks were undertaken, including leading battle-group attacks, which took the fight to the Taliban, and maintaining peace-keeping operations.

To illustrate the regiment’s commitment, three Military Crosses were awarded to members of the PWRR in September, 2009 – one from the 1st Battalion and two from the 2nd Battalion.

In more recent times, during 2011 and 2012, the 1st Battalion, PWRR headed up the Police Mentoring and Advisory Group training centre in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, along with Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) and Royal Military Police (RMP).

Here recruits were schooled in weaponhandling, checkpoint defence and patrolling skills by instructors from PWRR, while the MDP and RMP trained the recruits in a range of policing practices including evidence- handling, and arrest and detention procedures.

Elements of the PWRR were also attached and reinforced other British units as well as Danish forces on the ground.

Tigers and Afghan forces seize drugs

In May of this year a small contingent of Hampshire Tigers landed back in the harsh Afghanistan conditions for the final time at Camp Bastion in war ravaged Helmand Province.

Their role was to help close down British military operations in Afghanistan for good by the end of this year.

At one time all of the 600 strong soldiers of the Ist Battalion were on standby but in reality a significantly lower number of about 50 soldiers ended up deploying.

Although this number might seem small their work, including close protection as well as reconnaissance and logistical support, was key to the safe withdrawal of British troops.