LIEUTENANT Colonel Jorge Mendonca, commanding officer of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, is on leave from Iraq and spending precious time with his wife and two young boys.

He found time to talk to reporter Ian Singleton about the death of a colleague, facing rioters, combating Saddam's hidden followers and how he motivates 620 young soldiers in such intolerable conditions...

EAST Lancashire families who sent relatives to Iraq with the QLR on June 26 will welcome back very different people when they return from active service.

In just over two months the young soldiers have witnessed horrors unimaginable to loved ones living at home.

They have fought rioters, had stones thrown at them, had grenades thrown at them and seen the most heartbreaking poverty as they worked as many as 20 hours a day to create stability for the one-and-a-half million inhabitants in central Basra.

The regiment's lowest point was the death of a friend, Captain David 'Dai' Jones, from Lincolnshire, who was killed when the ambulance he was driving was bombed.

But, despite experiencing grief in addition to fatigue, fear and shock, the soldier's resolve that they are doing good is unshakable and they continue to be fiercely determined to do their job.

Lt Col Mendonca, who is in charge of the 608 men and 12 woman, most of whom are in their 20s and 99 per cent of whom are from East Lancashire, said: "We have a lot of young lads who have grown up enormously.

"What is important is that the guys know why they are on duty. We took some time to explain why we are in Basra and what we are trying to achieve so they understand we are trying to improve the security for the people living there. Then they can put it into context.

"When I came home for Dai Jones' funeral my wife said 'Let's just leave and pull out of the bleeding place'. I said that, when you see the children on the streets, you have to make it work for them. I know the place would be in a state of anarchy if we weren't there.

"I have a two-year-old and a one-year-old son and see people the same size as my older boy with nothing on from the waist down, absolutely filthy and running around in sewage and rubbish covered streets and it is heartbreaking.

"It is hugely rewarding and challenging to make a success of it and give the children a better future."

There is no such thing as a typical day in Basra. The QLR arrived in a city which was in a state of anarchy and structural ruin following the coalition force's capture of Iraq.

The soldiers spend most of their time out patrolling in temperatures of up to 50C, grabbing between four and eight hours' rest a day. Their aim is to create a stable environment and combat lawlessness to help rebuild the city. They hand out food, search for illegal weapons, raid illegal arms markets, stop looters and generally police the city.

But terrifying situations can erupt, prompted by loyal followers of fallen leader Saddam Hussain, who largely remain unseen and underground but give away their existence by spreading discontent and inciting violence.

Lt Col Mendonca explained: "We have made huge strides in improving the overall security. Basra is a volatile city. Despite the majority supporting us, there are a number of groups determined to prevent us.

"While there was criminal activity going on and people were unhappy those people those loyal to Saddam didn't do anything.

"But, because we were making great strides that particular element realised they had to get on and do something. Then we started to get bombings and things like that. There is a lot more confidence about the place, but there is this element of terrorism creeping in. If we know who Saddam's supporters are we will most probably arrest them. They don't come out and they operate behind the scenes.

"They never claim their activities. We believe they blew up Dai Jones' ambulance but they didn't admit it, leaving it open to suggestion."

Captain Jones' death actually made QLR more determined, Lt Col Mendonca said. He added: "It was a great shock. There were some very upset lads, but to their enormous credit they got on with the job. If something like that happens there are only two ways it can go: you can feel sorry for yourself and grind to a halt or you can recognise it is a tragedy and get on with your job.

"There was a lot of grit and determination about trying to improve security and also to improve intelligence to catch the guys who did it.

"My soldiers have had to cope with a variety of complex, demanding and often dangerous tasks, and they have done so superbly."

One of the most demanding tasks was when a riot of about 400 people broke due to a shortage of petrol. Some 50 QLR soldiers held back the mob and guarded a petrol station.

Lt Col Mendonca said: "We bore the brunt of the disturbance. It went on for about an hour-and-a-half. We were being pelted with rocks and sometimes grenades and we were firing back plastic bullets. We spoke to them to explain the situation and see how we could disperse the crowd and that worked in the end."

Despite the troubles, Lt Col Mendonca said he could see progress being made: "The general feeling on the streets is good. When you arrest someone and all the crowds break into applause and stick their thumbs up -- that's great. If you arrest the right bad guys they think that is great. The mood on the streets has been positive towards us. There has also been much sympathy about the deaths and people have been coming up and saying how sorry they were. There is quite a lot of positive stuff going on out there. It is hugely rewarding."

QLR has two months left in Iraqi before it is stationed in Cyprus. Lt Col Mendonca said: "I am completely confident that our Lancastrian lads will come out of this will a sense of pride at what has been achieved."