ROYAL Marines based at Norton Manor Camp are hoping to arrive back home from the war in Iraq by the end of May.

Lt Col Gordon Messenger, Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, said gifts and messages of support -- including several which appeared in the County Gazette -- acted as "an enormous reassurance."

With the initial hostilities over the Marines are spending much of their time distributing humanitarian aid and overseeing the restoration of the Iraqi infrastructure.

See the County Gazette (Friday, May 2) for the full letter.