AROUND 75 Bordon soldiers have been mobilised to join the 30,000-strong force who are making preparations for a possible war with Iraq.

The selected troops from 4 Battalion REME received orders at the end of last week that they were to be split up to join around ten units, some already in Germany and others still in the UK, who are all making the final preparations in the event of Tony Blair ordering them into Iraq or Kuwait.

However with 80 other soldiers from the Battalion already in the Balkans on peace keeping duties, there is no chance of 4 Battalion as a whole being deployed just yet.

The remaining members of 4 Battalion, totalling around 200 soldiers and officers, will remain in Bordon and wait as politicians around the world debate the issues and decide what to do.

However their skills could also be called into use with lengthy and complex repairs still being carried out in Bordon.

Most of the 75 soldiers left Prince Philip Barracks this week to join their new temporary units, with the last few heading off in the next few days.

Throughout the week they have been busy with preparations for their deployments ensuring that everything is up to date, as well as receiving vaccinations from the medical centre.

Captain Brian Jones said: ÒThose that are going have been selected for their various skills and they range from clerks to engineers.

ÒBecause we have specialist skills we are quite well sought after for individual jobs but until last week we did not really know who was going and where they were going.

ÒAll that we can do is make sure that we are ready to go and that everything is in place.

ÒThose are are going are being split up to go to various places but there will be some people who will be kept together.Ó

Soldiers from 4 Battalion are primarily drawn from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), Royal Logistics Corps and Adjutant General Corps but also include some royal engineers soldiers.

The battalion consists of a wide range of technical tradesmen including electronic technicians, vehicle mechanics and technical storemen who can make repairs to a wide range of equipment.

Soldiers are also on hand to carry out lengthy and complex repair tasks away from the front lines and concentrate their efforts on armoured vehicle power pack, wheeled vehicle and electronic equipment repairs.

The youngest member of 4 Battalion on the move is Private Jenny Beck, 19, who is a military clerk and will be temporarily joining the HQ 1 Armoured Division in Germany.

This will be her first deployment and she is looking forward to the challenge.

She said: ÒI canÕt wait to get out there.Ó

Regimental specialist Lance Corporal Gaynor Ward, 23, is also relishing the challenge of temporarily joining another battalion.

The signaller, who deals with radio communications, is joining 2 Battalion who are also in Germany.

ÒI am a bit excited about it, I have been waiting for seven years to put my skills to use,Ó she said.

But although some of the soldiers were eagerly anticipating their new roles many had, and will have, tearful farewells to families who do not know when they will again see their loved ones.

Vehicle mechanic Sergeant Roy Deans, who is married and has two children aged seven and eight, is joining the Royal Tank Regiment which is currently in Germany.

He said: ÒI have been in the Army for 15 years and I have already done five tours, including a recent one in the Balkans.

ÒIt is very difficult because we have no idea how long we are going to be away for and we have not been able to plan anything at home.

ÒIt is very difficult for me because my wife is in full time education and my two children are at the age now where they have sussed out what is going on because they have seen it all on the television on the news.

ÒI have had to explain to them where I am going and what I will be doing, and it has been very hard.Ó

Cpt Jones told The Herald that it was the uncertainty which surrounded the situation in Iraq which was one of the most difficult things to cope with.

He said: ÒThere is not too much that we can tell you because there is not a lot that we know ourselves.

ÒWe are basically waiting for the politicians to make up their minds but at the moment all we know is where we are going without any idea when we will be back home again.Ó