THIS is the moment that Lance Corporal Jason Hopkins had waited six long months for - to see his baby son.

Tears streamed down the 29-year-old's face as he was reunited with his young family after serving a tour of duty in Iraq.

It was a story repeated scores of times as soldiers from the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment's 1st Battalion - formerly known as the Hampshire Regiment - returned home to their base in Tidworth in Wiltshire after serving a six-month tour of duty in the war-torn town of Amara in southern Iraq.

Jason was met by his emotional wife Emma, 21, and his young sons Josh, two, and eight-month old Jake when the regiment, known as the Tigers, arrived home last night.

Hugging Jake and Josh tightly, Jason said he was "overwhelmed" to be back home.

Of his time in Iraq, he joked: "It has been an experience, put it that way."

Jason left for Iraq just eight weeks after Jake was born. His emotional young wife Emma, from Southampton, e-mailed pictures of the boys to her hero husband during his time away.

Now, the young family are looking forward to spending a week together where Jason can take a well-earned rest - and get to know the latest addition to the family.

Emma said: "It is going to take time but he will get there in the end. It is absolutely brilliant he is back. I am so happy."

There were tears and shouts of joy as Hampshire's returning heroes were greeted by their loved ones at the base.

A military band played the regiment's march, 'We are soldiers of the Queen', as the soldiers stepped out of a fleet of coaches, which had ferried them from RAF Brize Norton.

Among the other families waiting to greet the soldiers were Pauline Chance, 35, and her three children, Georgina, ten, David, eight, and Luke, five.

Husband Glyn, 35, a Lance Corporal with the regiment, from Lee-on-the-Solent, had telephoned his young family from Iraq regularly to try to and keep in touch.

Pauline said: "Every time he phoned, the children would ask: 'When is daddy coming home?'"

She added: "You just get used to it. We have been married for 11 years and you learn to do everything for yourself while he is away.

"You don't watch the TV a lot, especially with the kids around."

When Glyn eventually stepped off the coach he was submerged under a sea of bodies as his young family mobbed him.

Clearly very emotional, he could only say: "I am overwhelmed."

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, the regiment's 2nd Battalion will begin a six-month deployment in the Basra region just before Christmas.