MORE than 250 Army signallers were reunited with their loved ones at the weekend after a six-month tour in war-torn Afghanistan.

The soldiers, many from Yorkshire and the North-East, were tasked with keeping British and Nato troops on the airwaves during their deployment.

But their tour was not without incident, and one group escaped death at the hands of a suicide bomber.

Corporal John Dunwoody, formerly of Richmond, but now living in York, said: "One of our convoys got hit in Kabul by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device -basically a suicide bomber in a car.

"Two drivers had burns on their hands, but basically six people walked away from it. It just proves that armoured cars work. It drives home the reality that these things do happen."

He and Lance Corporal James Reeves drove Saxon armoured vehicles through Kabul on force protection duties and escorting VIPs.

Cpl Dunwoody, who was welcomed back by wife Emma and sons Aaron, 11, and James, 13, said: "The tour has been hard and long and only been broken by two weeks' leave.

"It is good to be back home.

"The boys were really chuffed to see me and wanted to know if I was back for good."

The soldiers, from 2 Signal Regiment, were based throughout Afghanistan, from Kabul in the north to Kandahar and Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, and several detachments further south. Now they will spend time at Imphal Barracks, in York, where they will readjust to life in England and catch up on changes at work.

Major Craig Sutherland, second-in-command of the regiment, said: "This is part of a post-operational stress management programme where they receive advice on adjusting to life back in the UK after having been in a stressful operational environment.

"There are opportunities to talk about what they have been through, as well as advice on how to approach life back at home."

Another group of 86 York signallers from the regiment's 214 Signal Squadron, who left for Afghanistan in April, continue their tour of duty and are expected to return in October, when they will be replaced by 246 Gurkha Signal Squadron.