THE parents of two Royal Marine brothers have told of their anxious ordeal as the casualty list grows in the war on Iraq.

Jem and Pat Rogers, of Bewdley, are longing to hear from their oldest son Robert, who is with 40 Commando Royal Marines, thought to be in the heart of action in southern Iraq.

They last spoke to him a few days before the war started and are desperately trying to follow the news from the front. Royal Marine Robert Rogers, 24, of Bewdley, serving in Iraq.

Mr Rogers said: "He will certainly be at the sharp end, in the thick of it. He was involved in the conflict in Afghanistan so is no stranger to this sort of situation.

"He doesn't really talk much about what he's going through. It's a worry for us but we are doing our best to stay calm. We just hope they all come back safely.

"Every time we hear a soldier has been killed the panic comes. It is the same for every parent - you just wait for any news which confirms it is not yours. It's awful but it's the same for us all."

Robert, 25 in May, has a younger brother Edward, 23, on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, base for the US Navy's Iraq-bound stealth bombers. He is on full war alert and unable to contact his family because of the island's involvement.

Edward was with 42 Commando Royal Marines until March when he was ordered to fulfil a previously arranged posting to the island despite requesting to stay with his comrades.

"I have to say I'm pleased he is there and not in Iraq," said Mr Rogers.

"It was marines from 42 Commando who were on the US helicopter that crashed, and Edward could well have been among them. He may well have known the lads who died.

"It brings home the risks they are taking," added Jem, whose sons both attended Wribbenhall First and Middle schools and Bewdley High before joining up.

For another Wyre Forest parent there was a brief moment of delight at the weekend when sailor son Steven Barnes managed to call home.

His mum Sara Foster was amazed and "completely overcome" to pick up the phone while at work at Stourport's Total garage and hear 21-year-old Steven's voice for the first time since the outbreak of hostilities. Sara Foster, whose son Steven is serving in the Gulf, watches the latest news on the conflict.

He is aboard HMS Ark Royal, where commanders lifted a ban on outside contact to allow troops to call home on Saturday after a dramatic crash involving two helicopters which left seven crew dead.

Sara, of Gilgal, Stourport, said: "I didn't know whether Steven was involved in the crash or not until midday and by that time I was at work tearing my hair and crying my eyes out."

The mum-of-five added: "But I was just so relieved to hear Steven's voice again when he rang to say he was OK. I was just weeping.

"He was down before the war but now I think anger and adrenaline have kicked in and they just all want to get Saddam out of the way and go home."

Her son told her there was a real fear of a chemical attack on the ship and they were regularly in gas masks and full chemical suits.

Mrs Foster joined other relatives of Gulf troops on the BBC's Kilroy show, broadcast yesterday, to discuss the effects of war. She found it a helpful experience to realise she was "not alone" in her anxieties.

"I just feel so drained and vulnerable - I live, eat and breathe the news. The telly is just constantly on."