"There's daddy!" the blonde, pigtailed toddler squealed at the top of her tiny voice.

"Where?" shouted her playmate, equally as loudly.

"There, there, there. He's the one with the hat on."

Before them, streams of soldiers - all in identical berets - lined up for the camera.

It may have been a little difficult for us civilians looking on to spot daddy among the dozens of "hats" but the pint-sized tot knew for sure.

She listened intently to his somewhat muffled, but nevertheless heartfelt, message then went back to her crisps, munching contentedly.

The film showing in the Musket Club at Colchester Garrison last night was no ordinary blockbuster.

It was filmed by soldiers out in the former Yugoslavia and contained loving messages home to wives, husbands and children

Amanda McCaldin knows only too well the pain of Army separation.

She has been married to Calum, of 10 Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, for six years and in that time he has been away on four tours of duty, twice to Bosnia and twice to Northern Ireland.

Mrs McCaldin, 25, stays in Colchester with their daughter, two-year-old Paige, whose almost weekly changes pass by, unseen by her daddy.

Mum makes a video of their little girl and sends it to Corporal McCaldin, a Royal Signals instructor, but she admits it's difficult.

She said: "It's hard. It was easier when I didn't have Paige. Every day she cries for her daddy and often it's through the night as well.

"Her dad made a video of the two of them together and she plays it every single day."

Last night, at the first of what is hoped will be a monthly showing of the video diaries, Colchester mayor and mayoress David and Nancy Cannon and deputy mayor and mayoress Martin and Rita Hunt called in to the Musket Club and chatted to the women and children.

Mr Cannon said: "The lads do a great job out there particularly at the moment when things in neighbouring provinces are very heated."

Clare Lawrie, 25, went along to the video showing with her son Callum, aged two and one-year-old daughter Codie-Lou.

Callum is at an age now where he knows his daddy - staff sergeant "Red" Lawrie - has gone away and Mrs Lawrie said it was harder on them.

"You get used to it, or you try to, but the children don't always understand why."

Linda Gardiner, 34, has more Army experience than most and said she was slowly getting used to the separation.

She and husband Sergeant Ceri "Taff" Gardiner have been together for 11 years - all of those while he was in the services.

Mrs Gardiner said, he will "really miss" their children, Grant, aged seven and five-year-old Jade.

"They are getting used to it ... slowly," she added.

At just over eleven months old, Eleanor Cook is probably too young to miss her dad Michael, but mum Louisa, like Mrs Gardiner, is growing used to time apart.

She too is videoing every small progress in their daughter's life and saving it for his return.

"You do get used to it. They are in the Army so that's what you expect."

A total of 22 Colchester-based soldiers from 10 Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, are in Bosnia.

They are building tented villages for the thousands of Kosovar refugees and also transporting fuel, food and equipment to the 4,000 British troops based there. Others are in Split in Croatia providing vital back-up.

Look mummy ... daddy's on TV!

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.