TONY Blair faces yet another grilling at the dispatch box when the House of Commons debates the Government's handling of Iraq later this week.

But the Prime Minister's discomfort will be nothing compared to that felt by hundreds of families in Catterick Garrison.

Europe's biggest Army base will be strangely quiet this Christmas, because 5,500 soldiers from the 19 Light Brigade - about four-fifths of the garrison - will be doing their duty in Basra.

The husbands, wives and children left behind will have been heartened by the Prime Minister's promise to give the Army "anything it wants" to get the job done.

But they will be dismayed by the comments of General Lord Guthrie, former chief of defence staff, who believes our forces are now dangerously overstretched.

He branded the decision to send men to Afghanistan, even as the situation in Iraq deteriorated, as "cuckoo".

No doubt the Prime Minister was sincere when he pledged to provide whatever the armed forces need. But, as Lord Guthrie himself said, what our soldiers need is more attack and troop transport helicopters, as well as the pilots to fly them. Our senior commanders also need more infantry to more easily repel daily attacks by the ever-bolder insurgents.

Sadly, we cannot provide more helicopters, because we have none, and the shortage of infantry is caused by a fall in recruitment. The political will may be there, but the equipment and manpower are not.

The men and women serving with the British Army deserve our unstinting support. It is high time ministers made sure they do not go into battle so ill-equipped to deal with the dangers they face.