To say most relatives would be worrying day and night is probably an understatement.

We often hear about the experiences of war through a soldier's eyes but it's often quite easy to forget how much it affects the families back at home.

Alison Wells was four months pregnant when her husband Captain Martin Wells was deployed to the north of Basra in March this year.

Captain Wells is part of the 21 Air Assault Battery, 47th Regiment based at Thorney Island in Emsworth. He was told in May his baby daughter Harriet had been born and he returned home to see her for the first time in September.

Mrs Wells kept in contact with her husband through the occasional phone call and also with a new internet programme called 'E-blueys' which allows families and friends to send text and photos to the forces during an operation.

"Within hours it was like he was never away," said Mrs Wells.

"It was surreal when he came back. And Harriet absolutely loves him. I tried for hours and hours to get a smile from her and he got a smile straight away.

"I think three weeks was the longest I wasn't in contact with Martin and that time dragged a bit.

"All you have to do for the E-blueys is log on to the internet and you can send a photo with text. It usually gets there within 24 hours."

Mrs Wells and Harriet were there to support Captain Wells at a medal parade for the 21 Battery on December 9, for their services in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They were sent to the Middle East to support operation Desert Hawk ? a surveillance piece of equipment known as the 'eyes and ears of the battlefield'.

After soldiers received their medals, Major General Barney White-Spunner, the General Officer Commanding 3rd Division of the United Kingdom, said: "Thank you very much to all of the families for their support.

"It is often easy to be in Afghanistan rather than be the one who stays at home and copes with all the worries, particularly when soldiers are away over the long summer period.

"The army is extremely grateful to the families.

"This army would not function without the families behind it."

Major Matthew Moore, who lives with his wife Rebecca and two daughters Milly (seven) and Harriet (five) in Westbourne, worked alongside the 21 Battery. He is part of the 42 Battery from the 32 regiment, based in Salisbury.

"It's always tough being away," said Major Moore.

"It's a huge task but we have to work very hard and we have got to keep focused.

"Communication is limited at times.

"We have got a phone allowance but everyone wants to use it.

"The welfare officers back at home ensure families are looked after and updated."

BLUEYS AND E-BLUEYS

Families and friends can send aerograms to the British Forces, which are commonly known as 'blueys' because of their colour.

The British Forces Post Office has been working with SuperLetter.com to pioneer an electronic form of the 'bluey' known as an 'e-bluey'.

The e-bluey is a mail system which allows friends and family to have private contact with each other during operations lasting more than 60 days.

The system is two-way which means the forces with access to the internet can send e-blueys back home.

THORNEY ISLAND

Thorney Island is a peninsula in Chichester Harbour. The population
of the island is made up entirely of soldiers from 47 Regt Royal Artillery and 12 Regt Royal Artillery, and their families.

47 Regt comprises four Batteries, 31HQ, 10, 21 and 25/170, a REME Workshops and 63 Sigs Sqn (V) TA. 12 Regt is made up of 12 (Minden) Bty, 9 (Plassey) Bty, 58 (Eyres) Bty and T(HQ) Bty.

Around 250 families are quartered on the island, with further quarters in Emsworth, Gosport and Chichester.