SPECIALIST soldiers from Bovington are literally driving forward the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort.

Territorial Army volunteers from the base's Royal Wessex Yeomanry are being used to load armoured reconnaissance vehicles on to aircraft which will be flown out to troops on the front line.

Specialist drivers from the unit are undertaking the operations for the first time.

Sergeant Sean Allen, 36, the Squadron's Permanent Staff Instructor, who was leading up the team, said they all felt they were doing an important and worthwhile job.

"We are all responsible and experienced and very pleased to be able to provide this service.

"It relieves the pressure on regular soldiers giving them time to get on with training and other duties."

A Squadron Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY) is the only Armoured Replacement Squadron in the British Army.

Its 120 soldiers are capable of driving all British Army armoured fighting vehicles from heavy AS90s and Challenger tanks to small CVRTs such as Scimitar.

Teams have been driving CVRTs on to massive Antinov aircraft at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham.

The vehicles, typically six at a time, are delivered from depots such as Ashchurch. They are kept in a holding bay at the side of the airfield, and the specialist drivers move them to the aeroplane, carefully manoeuvring them up a ramp into the aircraft.

Trooper Wayne Dennis, 37, from Bovington, joined RWxY last September.

He only finished basic training a few weeks before driving CVRTs on to an Antinov aircraft at Brize Norton.

He said: "I'm really enjoying getting involved so early.

"I joined the TA not really knowing what the job entailed and this has really opened my eyes.

"I knew this would be my main job, but didn't realise I would be doing it so quickly."

He added: "I work as a civil servant at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit in Bovington, so I am driving tracked vehicles all the time.

"However, this is the first time that I have ever driven one on to a plane."

Specialist drivers from A Squadron have been moving armoured vehicles on and off tank transporters, trains and ships all around the world for the past eight years.

This is the first time they have been used for this particular job, and it is likely that they will be used more frequently in the future, freeing up regular soldiers for other tasks.