THEY were the unsung heroes of the war against Saddam Hussein.

Two ships operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service supplied British and American troops with vital back-up during the frontline fighting in Iraq.

Yesterday RFA Sir Bedivere and RFA Sir Percivale returned to a

rousing reception at Marchwood Military Port after several long months away from home.

The first to arrive was RFA Sir Bedivere, a veteran of the Falklands conflict and the first Gulf War.

Second Officer Eric McQuade, 51, grabbed his bagpipes and played When the Battle's Over as the 137-metre ship sailed up Southampton Water.

Relatives waiting on the quayside included Donald and Mary Jones, of Verwood, near Fordingbridge, whose son Shaun joined the vessel as her new captain last month.

Little Ashley Stather, four, of Barnsley, Yorkshire, ran along the jetty to greet his dad, communications officer Daniel Stather.

The 60-strong crew also included stewardess Debbie Smith, 44, who lived at Freshfield Road, Southamp-ton, before moving to Weymouth

earlier this year.

Waiting to greet her was fiance Barry Hamilton, 39, who was working in Algeria while his bride-to-be served in the war zone.

The former RFA crewman said: "I was very worried about her, esp-

ecially when the war was actually going on. Luckily it didn't last too long."

Debbie said: "One of the main problems about being in the Gulf was the heat. It was often in the 40s, which was unbelievable."

RFA Sir Bedivere refuelled a fleet of 12 British and American mine-

sweepers as well as supplying them with ammunition, stores and

engineering support.

Debbie added: "We were quite close to the action but weren't always aware of exactly what was going on. I tried not to think about it."

RFA Sir Bedivere's arrival was

followed an hour later by that of RFA Sir Percivale, which had left March-wood on January 15 as part of the amphibious task group.

She transported hundreds of Royal Marines to the Gulf and also delivered 240 pallets of humanitarian aid to the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.