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The Duchess presents Iraq tour medals to 4th Battalion The Rifles

14th December 2007

The Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to to the soldiers of 4th Battalion The Rifles today as she presented them with Iraq tour medals.

The regiment, of which The Duchess is Royal Colonel, recently returned from six months in the Gulf, during which time they saw some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign, earning themselves the nickname "Lions of Basra".

Five soldiers from the battalion died during the tour.

In a speech to the regiment at Kiwi Barracks parade square, Bulford Camp, Wiltshire, Her Royal Highness said:

"All of these men gave their lives selflessly – in many cases to save others. We salute them and will always remember them. My heart goes out to their families, whose lives have been devastated by their deaths, but who are, I hope, sustained in some way by the regimental family, and the extraordinarily strong bonds I have seen between you all."

Her Royal Highness told the battalion: "You have made your Royal Colonel very proud, proud of you and proud to be British, and I believe this country owes you a huge debt of gratitude."

She wore a specially designed outfit of a Rifles-green crepe dress and military frock coat made from 4 Rifles wool.

Among those The Duchess presented with Operation Telic medals was Rifleman Stephen Vause, 20, from Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, who suffered severe brain injuries in a mortar attack and remains wheelchair-bound.

The Duchess told Rifleman Vause: "Congratulations, Stephen. Seeing you again is wonderful. You are a real star. Next time I hope to see you walking. I know you are going to get better."

Her Royal Highness has followed Rifleman Vause's recovery since he was injured. He was on a life-support machine initially and doctors feared he would die.

Rifleman Vause, moved to tears, instructed colleague Captain Dean Murch to read a message to The Duchess. In it he thanked her for her hand-written letters of support to him, his girlfriend, Sam, 20, and his family, all attending today.

He told her: "One day I will be able to drink the whisky you gave me and toast your good health."

Rifleman Vause's mother, Jessica Cheeseman, looking on, said: "I could not be more proud. It's indescribable to see him here today."

For the first four months, 4 Rifles were based at Basra Palace, helping quell the insurgency before its handover to local control in September.

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Sanders, commander of 4 Rifles, said having The Duchess to present the campaign medals was "incredibly special".

"She bled with us throughout the tour," he said.

"She wrote by hand to all the wounded and the families of those killed. She gave each of the wounded presents - whisky or hampers.

"We feel incredibly lucky to have her as our Royal Colonel. At a time when people in England did not really know what we were going through, she did."

After presenting the medals, The Duchess of Cornwall met privately the families of soldiers who were injured or killed. She then mingled with soldiers and their families at a reception on the base.

The 4 Rifles, formerly the 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets, was formed in February this year.

The soldiers from the battalion who died were Corporal Jeremy Brookes, 28, Corporal Rodney Wilson, 30, Major Paul Harding, 48, Corporal John Rigby, 24, and Rifleman Edward Vakuba, 23.

The 4 Rifles battle group, to which soldiers from other regiments were attached, lost 11 men overall.

Two other soldiers from the battalion, Lance Corporal Nathan Long, 22, and Lance Corporal Paul Knight, 20, died in a road accident outside Bulford Camp on 21st November, just hours after returning from Iraq.

Click here to read The Duchess's speech.