There were tears on the parade ground in February when the Queen's Dragoon Guards left their North Yorkshire base for the Gulf.

There were more yesterday too - but, this time, they were shed in relief that the troops are coming home. Steve Parsley reports

LAUGHING, excited children tucked into their burgers with gusto - their smiling mothers proudly looking on. An everyday scene perhaps, but there was a real sense of relief and genuine happiness permeating through the children's chatter.

This was the moment when these Army families - who have had to put their lives on hold since the start of the war in Iraq - can once again look forward to resuming a life more ordinary.

Yesterday, amid the red and yellow corporate branding of McDonald's, the strain had lifted from the faces of the partners of soldiers serving with the Catterick-based 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards.

The reconnaissance unit, originally told to expect to serve six months in the desert, will begin the journey home in the middle of next month.

Ever since British and American troops massed on the Iraqi border, the lives of those left behind has been both uncertain and unnatural.

Living rooms across the globe have watched the conflict unfold - the most closely reported the world has ever witnessed.

News bulletins included body counts and news of casualties and, although the Families Office assured them they would be the first to know, they watched the coverage with a sense of dread.

Thankfully, all that is now behind them.

"The mood is ecstatic," said Maria Botsford, who is expecting her fourth child within weeks.

She was one of the wives and partners who attended the family get-together at McDonald's, in Catterick Garrison.

Her husband, Matthew - a major commanding A Squadron - was not expected home until August, but there is now an outside chance he could be back in time for the birth.

Michelle Thomas, Hazel Taylor and Ute Page all agreed they had been brought much closer together over the past few weeks.

Fighting back a few tears as she remembered how worried she was for her husband, Steven, Mrs Thomas admitted the threat of chemical weapons had worried her most.

"The worst part was the three weeks when we had no contact with them at all, but the Families Office has been fantastic. The regiment has served in Kosovo and Bosnia but this was different - this time, it was a war."

Children also found the prolonged separation from their fathers difficult, finding different ways to vent their confusion.

"My daughter started having nightmares and had stress-related eczema, but it's already begun to clear and she's fine now," said Mrs Taylor.

Mrs Thomas said: "My son, Ben, is almost two and I'm not sure he'll recognise his dad when he comes home. He may have to get to know him all over again."

Yesterday, the mood was resolutely upbeat and more family events are planned before the regiment begins arriving home.

"The regiment has always been family orientated, but people have been so supportive over the past few weeks, which is what you expect in these circumstances," said Mrs Thomas.