Christmas in 2007 was always going to be different because a week earlier I was heading for a warzone – the notorious Helmand province in Afghanistan. As I was about to land in Kandahar I could not help but think: “What the f*** have I let myself in for this time?” Let’s just say say Christmas Day was just another day for the troops but they made the best of it.

CHRISTMAS was just another day for Scarborough soldiers serving in Afghanistan with military duties carried out as normal in the notorious Helmand province.

Soldiers tried to make the day special by salvaging festive food from their ration packs and welfare parcels or prepared freshly slaughtered chickens which they bought especially for the occasion from the Afghan people for a few dollars.

Sgt Major Mike Scott, from Skinningrove near Whitby, said his men would enjoy a Christmas menu which included noodle and chicken chilli soup, roast chicken and potatoes, and fruit pudding and custard for dessert.

As the area is alcohol-free for British troops, there was no mulled wine on offer. Instead hot Ribena with added cinnamon was served at a Christmas carol service at a base in Helmand.

While the Evening News was embedded with troops attached to the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards), a special convoy was sent to a remote patrol base, east of Gereshk, with supplies and welfare parcels in time for Christmas.

Capt Steve Gillette, who is attached to the Green Howards and serves with the Royal Tank Regiment, said: “It went okay and it was just a simple road move to a patrol base. It is a relatively high threat area but our vehicles are quite highly protected. It is not a journey we’d take out of choice.”

He added another purpose of the mission was to extract those who were due to fly back to the UK for their scheduled periods of rest and recuperation.

Capt Gillette added: “They wouldn’t have had mail for a week or two. We also took heaters and some more comfort items and it was a chance for the company commander to meet some of his troops that he hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks. The base has been attacked twice in the last couple of months.”

Last month British troops successfully supported an Afghan National Army led operation to liberate the former Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala and they were spending the festive season under very spartan conditions.

Lance Corporal Scott Ward, of Manor Road in Scarborough, said: “It’s been all right. I’ve quite enjoyed it. Initially it was a ghost town, when we first came here, there was no-one here. They slowly started getting back into the town as we started moving into this base.”

Lt Col Simon Downey, the officer commanding the Green Howards, said: “Conditions will get better as the bases get established. At the start you work with conditions as you find them – whether in the desert or in the town – they’ve done a really good job.”

From the Scarborough Evening News on Saturday, January 5, 2008.