SOLDIERS from the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery welcomed the newly-appointed Master Gunner, General Sir Alex Harley to Tidworth.

He was at the regiment's Assaye Barracks to present medals to soldier who have completed a tour of the Balkans.

The Tidworth soldier were in the stricken region from 11 July until 6 December last year and the tour was the third deployment in the area in the past five years.

Many lives are believed to have been saved by the work of the soldiers but sadly they lost one of their number during the tour.

Lance Bombardier Christopher Manley of Chestnut Troop died aged 26 due to heart disease during the tour and a memorial to his memory is on a hillside over looking the camp at Sanski Most.

Captain Nigel Kalies said the soldiers were on six hours' notice during the tour and the accommodation was pretty basic.

"We did a number of things to help the local population including maintaining the wells that form the only source of water for the village," he said.

"There was also an 'open day' which was attended by members of all religions and we staged a football tournament."

The military aspect of the tour involved patrolling, providing artillery support to the battle group in the British sector of K4. Six of the regiment's awesome AS90 guns went to the Balkans.

Other tasks undertaken included a large-scale search for KLA weapons dumps, surveillance of the ground security zone with Serbia, riot prevention and support to the first democratic elections in Kosovo.

The soldiers enjoyed some well- earned leave over Christmas and some are now making preparations for another foreign trip in the summer.

They are due to take part in a six-week exercise at Wainwright in Canada as a light gun battery in support of 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets.