Hundreds of people, young and old, lined the streets to welcome back RAF personnel from a tour of duty overseas. Andy Walker joined them.

A SEA of smiling, supportive faces greeted troops as they marked their safe return from Afghanistan with an emotional parade and medals ceremony.

More than 100 personnel from RAF Leeming marched through the nearby town of Bedale, in North Yorkshire, yesterday.

Schoolchildren waved Union flags and members of the public called out words of encouragement as the parade, which brought the town to a standstill, passed by.

Members of 2 Force Protection Wing and 34 Squadron took part in the homecoming, having returned from a sevenmonth stint in Helmand Province before Christmas.

For 20-year-old Senior Aircraftsman Gavin Mason, from Fishburn, near Sedgefield, County Durham, being in a war zone was a new experience.

“It was hard work, dealing with the heat and the extra weight of our armour,” he said. “There weren’t too many hairy moments, but there were some difficult times.

“It was just a case of coping with the everyday danger out there.”

Reflecting on the parade, SAC Mason said: “It was total shock at the amount of people who turned up.

“It was amazing and just shows how much people appreciate what we are doing.

“Days like this are what you sign up for.”

The parade, along South End and Market Place, was accompanied by the RAF band.

It was followed by a medal presentation outside Bedale Hall, attended by the mayor, Councillor Wanda Reynolds.

The parade had been due to be held before Christmas, but was cancelled after the troops were held up in Afghanistan.

Coun Reynolds said the rearranged celebration had been worth waiting for.

“This is the first event of this kind in Bedale,” she said.

“If they have another deployment, we’d be delighted to welcome them home again.”

Tight security was in place for the parade, with members of the RAF’s police force on patrol, alongside civilian police officers.

Although the mood was mostly upbeat, there was also time for reflection.

The squadron lost one of its members, Corporal Marcin Wojtak, to an improvised explosive device, on October 1.

Squadron Leader George Formby, commanding officer of 34 Squadron, said the tour was one of the toughest he had experienced.

He said: “The parade is about celebrating homecoming, but also remembering those that did not make it.

“It was a very poignant day, with the high point of coming back set against the low point of losing Cpl Wojtak.

“It was a fitting opportunity for the whole squadron to remember him together, as not everybody was able to attend his funeral.”

The airmen and women are now enjoying some downtime – including a skiing trip next week – before resuming training in April, ahead of a planned return to Afghanistan in the autumn.

■ 2 Force Protection Wing worked to protect Camp Bastion, particularly air traffic, conducting daily patrols and forming relationships with the local community.

34 Squadron formed part of a medical evacuation team, attending to military and sometimes civilian casualties.