THERE were emotional scenes as the first UK land-based troops left their Yorkshire barracks for the Gulf yesterday.

A handful of wives and children gathered on the snow-covered parade ground at Cambrai Barracks in Catterick Garrison.

There were tears as soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Queen's Dragoons Guards, gathered up their kit bags and boarded two coaches taking them on the first stage of their journey to what seems likely to be another war with Iraq.

"It's what you expect as an Army wife but it doesn't make it any easier," said Julie Spittle, fighting back the tears after watching husband Mike climb aboard. "This has been on the cards for a long time and we just have to accept it."

However, young son Mark admitted he was "angry, upset and disappointed", saying he could not understand why his father was having to leave to deal with a crisis which dates back 13 years.

Newly-wed 18-year-old Vicky Lang was also struggling to come to terms with husband Rhys's call-up.

"It's just, he'll be gone for such a long time," she said. "I didn't think it would happen. It's just so difficult to let them go."

Much of the battalion's equipment is already in the Gulf and the soldiers have been told they will be living in a tented village somewhere in the desert; specific locations remain classified.

The unit, which recruits mostly in Wales, fulfils a reconnaissance role and is equipped with tracked Spartan, Scimitar and Striker vehicles.

If called into action, it will be asked to locate the enemy and relay information on numbers and positions to the battle group commanders.

Second-in-command, Major Anthony Pitman emphasised he was confident the battalion was well-prepared.

He said: "Morale is high as we have just finished our training year and are therefore at our peak readiness for a job such as this.

"The men have been issued with new desert uniforms with more new equipment rolling in all the time, the vehicles have all been readied and we are confident and we are well-prepared for the task."

Major Pitman confirmed the unit could be ready to fight within weeks if necessary but was reluctant to comment on the potential enemy.

"We are getting more information all the time but I am confident we have what we need to overcome whoever we have to fight - if we have to fight at all," he said.

Jokes about sun tans and a holiday away from the recent cold snap disguised any tension the soldiers may have been feeling.

Meanwhile, there was no time for last farewells at RAF Leeming where Tornado pilots were preparing for action in the Gulf.

Aircraft from Leeming's Tornado squadrons will form part of the 100-strong RAF deployment to the Middle East. If hostilities break out, the fighter-bombers will be in the thick of things from the very beginning.

The F3 Tornados have been practising for weeks ahead of the expected deployment. Some have already been repainted to make them more difficult to spot in desert conditions.

A wife of one serviceman who works at the base said: "All the goodbyes have already been said. We're just hoping they come back safely."