A YEAR on from a gruelling tour in the searing heat of southern Afghanistan, Colchester-based paratroopers have returned from the freezing cold of the Falkland Islands.

Some 160 men from 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, spent six weeks in the depths of the South Atlantic winter, serving as the island’s defence force.

But it was more than just an operational tour for the paras.

On June 14, 1982, 2 Para became the first soldiers into Port Stanley following the outbreak of the Falklands war.

Their journey had begun a month earlier on Blue Beach, Ajax Bay in San Carlos and had taken them across rough terrain, in harsh weather through two bloody battles in which 20 members of the battalion had been killed, including the commanding officer, Lt Col. H Jones VC.

In 2008, 2 Para fought in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province losing 15 members of the battlegroup, and suffering many more casualties.

While on the tour, as well as live-firing exercises and touring the battlefields from the war to eject Argentine invaders in 1982, 100 members of D Company walked 100km from Ajax Bay to Port Stanley. They recreated the march from the landing beaches to the islands’ capital to honour their former colleagues and raise money and awareness for the Airborne Forces Charities.

Captain Patrick de Vos, who is on exchange from the Dutch Army and second-in-command of D Company, said the three-day march was a “serious physical challenge across particularly difficult terrain”.

With a bitter wind and heavy snow, temperatures dropped as low as -25C, which Capt de Vos described as “useful” cold-weather experience ahead of the unit’s expected return to Afghanistan next winter.

He continued: “The Falklands is a grim and desolate place.

“We had some truly awful weather, which presents a challenge in itself, let alone what you’re trying to achieve.”

The march raised £3,000 for the charity, which supports injured paratroopers and bereaved families, as well as youth projects.

Capt de Vos said: “We decided to do the walk our predecessors made again, to honour what they did and raise money for a cause close to all our hearts. Many of our guys were injured in Afghanistan and have called on the charity’s assistance.”

The Parachute Regiment’s key role in the Falklands conflict makes the islands “a particularly significant place for the Paras to go to”.

Capt de Vos added: “We had some veterans travel out to talk about what they did and it was great to have their perspective.

“You look at the ground and think how did they do what they did? There’s absolutely no cover there and it was just pure bravery that saw them through.

“All the blokes have got a tremendous respect for what they did.”

Captain de Vos said: “Going to the Falklands is considered to be an operational tour, but it wasn’t as hot as Afghanistan – in all senses of the word.

“It’s really good to have been able to do something a little bit different so soon after a tour, because after leave and refresher training it can all get a bit flat.”

n The Airborne Forces Charity raises money for projects for the injured and bereaved families, as well as schemes to foster what is described as the “airborne spirit” in today’s youth.

To make a donation visit www.justgiving.co.uk/2PARA100K/