The final soldiers of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) returned home to Scotland this weekend at the end of a gruelling 7 month tour in Afghanistan.

Over 100 members of B Company landed at Edinburgh Airport on Saturday 7 November. They were escorted into Arrivals by a Royal Regiment of Scotland piper, and were met with a warm welcome from family members, friends, airport staff and the public alike.

The Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lt Colonel Stephen Cartwright, said: "I'm very proud of all of the soldiers. It was a tough tour and they did themselves proud. We took part in a lot of operations against insurgents, most notably Operation Panther's Claw in the summer."

During the tour, the 3 SCOTS battle group lost five Scottish soldiers, a member of the Royal Artillery and three Afghan soldiers who were attached to them. Lt Col Cartwright said: "We will have a small Remembrance Day service just by ourselves, and will remember those we lost specifically."

The Officer Commanding B Company, Major Al Steele, got off the plane to find his parents and sister waiting for him. His dad David, said, "It's just great to know that he's back and he's all right."

Another B Company soldier, Cpl Duncan Bruce, was very happy to see some chilly Scottish weather. "You have no idea how hot it is out there. This is really great weather!"

The Battalion have some well-earned leave and they will then parade in Inverness, Perth, Dundee, Perthshire and Fife, to thank the people of their traditional recruiting areas for the support they have given them over the last few months.

You can listen to audio interviews conducted at the airport by Garrison FM using the players on the right.