IT WILL be Christmas away from home for two West Devon soldiers. Private Simon White, 22, from Tavistock and Private Stuart Moore, 21, from Okehampton, are both with the 1st Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment.
They will be on duty at the Regiment's base at South Armagh in Northern Ireland during the festive season.
Private White, a former student of Tavistock College, joined the Army more than four years ago as an infantry soldier. He said: 'This is my second operation tour of Northern Ireland and I'm really enjoying the challenge.
'We provide whatever support the police require, and daily tasks include patrolling and guard duty.
'We spend most of our free time training in the gym to keep up our level of fitness.'
Private Moore is a former student of Okehampton College and has been in the Army for three years. He said: 'So far I've been to Austria and Kenya and this is my first tour of Northern Ireland.
'I'm enjoying it here, it's a great learning experience. I also enjoyed my last post, which was conducting ceremonial duties for the Queen.
'This tour is hard work, but I'm gaining a lot from it. It has helped build my confidence as we are in the public eye a lot.'
The battalion's six-month operational tour of South Armagh began in September and in the autumn next year the battalion will go to Belize for a jungle training exercise.