Mother’s relief as band of brothers returns from Iraq

May 29 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

A BIRKENHEAD mother has welcomed home her three eldest sons with relief after they completed a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.

The band of brothers have been part of the newly-formed 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) deployed in Basra, Baghdad and northern Iraq.

Christopher Kilby, 22, was separated from his younger brothers Michael, 20, and Darren, 18, to reduce the chances of family tragedy.

Each one has braved attacks and the trio have returned with some chilling memories.

Mike recalls one episode which still lingers in his mind: “I was sent with a small group on a sub-surface op, which is basically a brief to watch the convoys from a spot hidden underground.

“But when we were watching, a company convoy got blown up in front of our eyes and we couldn’t intervene because it would have given away our position. We just had to watch.

“We were there to catch bombs being set up but they’d already been laid.”

On top of the emotional trauma, he was forced to stay lying down for three days unable to even kneel.

Mother Jane Moitt, who finished her job at Cole Street primary school, in Birkenhead, to get married in January, having seen team commander Christopher return from Iraq once already.

This time, however, she found the Christmas period the most difficult.

She said: “It’s also Chris’s birthday close to that time, so it was very hard.

“But I am so proud of all of them as this was the first time they were all away at the same time.”

She is now looking forward to her sons coming round for Sunday tea on a regular basis, now that she has relocated to Catterick, North Yorkshire, where the Mercian regiment is based.

Yesterday’s gathering at the barracks was the first time she had seen either Mike or Chris for six months. Chris flew into Edinburgh in the small hours yesterday before driving down.

Mike and Darren, however, returned from training the Iraqi military on May 24.

richarddown