A REDDITCH soldier who returned home from Iraq last week has spoken to the Advertiser about some of his experiences.

Royal Engineer Matthew Dare, 23, of the EOD bomb disposal regiment, returned to his Alderbrook Close home last Monday after four months in the war-torn country.

We reported in April that Matthew's close friend Luke Allsopp was killed along with Staff Sgt Simon Cullingworth, 36, following an ambush on their Land Rover in Al Zubayr in March.

Matthew, who has also served in Kosovo, said he and Luke, 24, had known each other for about six years after having completed their basic training together.

He said: "It was a real rollercoaster out there with so many ups and downs, but we just got on with it because we had to, it's what we do.

"The biggest lows were, of course, when we lost our friends and people were injured.

"So much happened and some of the stories are horrific but our experiences out there brought us closer together and at times it was amazing.

"But it's a bit weird to be back, it doesn't seem real at the moment."

Matthew added: "We talked about Si and Luke all the time to get ourselves through what had happened, although some took it worse than others."

He said a charity run took place at the end of May from Basra International Airport to Kuwait Airport, more than 100 miles, to raise money for the four young children of Sapper Allsopp, Staff Sgt Cullingworth and another EOD casualty, Staff Sgt Chris Muir.

He added: "One of the engineering regiments actually built a bridge called Cullingworth Bridge with a plaque mounted on it in memory of him and Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra is now named after Luke."

Matthew, whose main duties involved clearing mines and booby traps laid by the retreating Iraqi army, said he was trying to clear one route into Iraq when a little girl picked up a bomb which went off, killing her, and in Kuwait a scud missile missed him by just 400m.

Matthew said he communicated with the Iraqi soldiers through a mixture of sign language and pictures and the impression they gave was that they did not want to fight.

And Matthew said while the majority of Iraqi people welcomed the soldiers straight away, others in certain areas stoned them as they tried to pass through.

Matthew is due to return to his Carver Barracks base in Essex in August.