CAMP CARDBOARD; EXCLUSIVE: Life behind sandbags on the Helmand front line.

Byline: CHRIS HUGHES

TALIBAN fighters are in trenches 450 metres away, ready to unleash a volley of deadly fire at any minute.

But here, behind the barbed wire and sandbags, British troops are bickering and joking as if they were in a pub back home.

It is their way of dealing with the constant threat of attack in the searing heat.

To break the tension, Fusiliers "Tez" Terence Scanlon, 28, and Brian "Tesco" Sainsbury, 24, play Fantasy Officer Boxing.

It involves pairing up officers against each other in imaginary fights.

Tesco, a Geordie, says: "Get lost, Tez. That officer could easily batter the one you named. He's much bigger."

Tez, from Coventry, gets him back by secretly recording his mate singing a song about an officer then playing it loudly as the young lieutenant walks by.

Welcome to Forward Patrol Base Woqab, the most northern UK camp in war-torn Helmand province, Afghanistan.

A sun-scorched dust bowl, it is surrounded by barbed wire and 10ft mud walls protected by heavy machine-guns.

The rooms are mud caves dug into the earth. Cupboards are fashioned from ration boxes. For the next five months, the troops of B Company, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, will call it home.

They have just been fighting in Operation Mar Lewe (Pashtu for Snake-Wolf) in which they drove the Taliban front line back by two kilometres.

Now it is back to "normal life" and the "home comforts" of FPB Woqab, where the best present is a letter from home.

Sergeant Major Aaron Waddell, 34, admits barracks rules are fairly relaxed but never forgets his men are under intense pressure.

He said: "Morale is everything here and Tez is a good soldier. You see a bloke who is always keeping the guys on their toes, taking the mickey viciously. You've got to be pretty sharp to take him on but he's a great morale-booster. When a soldier's feeling down, he will notice immediately and take care of it."

When pushed, Tez admits to his serious side. He is missing his sons Leo, six, and Brandon, two, and girlfriend Angela, 35.

He said: "I miss them all. I miss playing X-box with the kids and little Brandon always asking me daft questions.

"Leo doesn't talk about me being out here and Brandon just gets excited about me getting on a plane to go abroad. Of course, he doesn't really know about Afghanistan.

I really miss them." Corporal Dex Ansell, 36, the oldest in the camp, was holed up during Operation Mar Lewe when his daughter Aimee had her birthday party.

He said: "I really missed speaking to her on her 11th birthday, but I couldn't as we were a bit busy at the time."

Sgt Maj Waddell knows his men need to relax. But the observation posts are permanently manned, backed by artillery and air support. At the shout of "stand to", the troops will man the firing points. But for now, those not on lookout duty are relaxing.

They are cooling off in a filthy but cold canal flowing through the base, washing clothes, cutting hair, reading letters - and constantly taking the mickey out of each other.

Inevitably, most talk is about sex. But some soldiers mention family back home before walking quietly away.

Now and then, they also talk about injured or fallen comrades.

Everyone misses Fusilier Patrick Suesue, 27. He became the battalion's only death when he was shot by the Taliban last month.

Sgt Maj Waddell said: "Suesue was incredibly popular and the younger guys looked up to him. It hit us hard and we'll never forget him. I miss him a great deal.

"The thing about it is, you cannot take your eye off what we are doing here, but we do think about things when there is a quiet moment."

He, too, is thinking of family - his wife Tracy and two children.

He added: "Even on operations, when you take a break and it goes quiet, you think of family and that's hard. You can try as hard as you can not to do it, but they always pop up in your mind.

"That's the hardest bit for me."58,000 NATO TROOPS SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN, INCLUDING 8,100 BRITISH SOLDIERSI really missed speaking to my daughter on her 11th birthday... but we were a bit busy at the time CORPORAL DEX ANSELLMorale is every- thinhere and Tez is a great morale- boosterWhen a soldier's down, he'll take care of it SERGEANT MAJOR AARON WADDELL

CAPTION(S):

WASHING DAY Soldier cleans his kit in small bowl BEAT THE HEAT Troops grab the chance to cool off in canal flowing through their sun-scorched camp WITNESS Mirror's Roger Allen and Chris Hughes, right CLOSE SHAVE Soldier cuts mate's hair at base camp SENTRY DUTY Keeping close watch for Taliban attacks from heavily armed lookout post FISTFUL OF FUN Fusiliers Tez and Tesco joke to ease the tension of warfare