British soldiers reunited with their families

Pvt. Liam Tracey and his son, Leo

Soldiers have been reunited with their families after a six-month tour of Afghanistan.

The 99 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh were welcomed home to their barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire, by more than 300 family and friends.

The troops from B Company - known as Rorke's Drift Company - spent the last six months in Helmand and Kandahar Provinces, where they have been holding ground and rebuilding vital communications routes. It marks the end of two years of operations for the battalion, first deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009.

In the 24 months since then three members of the battalion have lost their lives and many more have been wounded.

In March 2009, Lance Corporal Christopher Harkett, 22, became the 150th British serviceman to die in the country since 2001. Five months later his colleague, Private Richard Hunt, 21, became the 200th. Private James Prosser, 21, was killed in September 2009.