BRITAIN:As the freed Royal Navy marines and sailors lined up to face the world's media yesterday, the enormity of their ordeal appeared to hit them.
Relief at being back on British soil merged with fatigue and nervous exhaustion. Some smiled, while others looked pensive.
They had shed the ill-fitting grey suits given to them by the Iranian government on their release in favour of desert fatigues or naval uniform according to their regiment.
Standing on the Tarmac at London's Heathrow airport, the air was heavy with the smell of airline fuel burned off by the waiting Sea King helicopters.
Each former captive clutched a tapestry-style gift along with a matching sports bag to hold their few possessions.
Leading seaman Faye Turney made a joke to her colleagues standing next to her and both gave a relieved smile. As the battery of cameras from TV stations, photographers and other journalists flashed, they stood quietly, once or twice turning to their neighbour to make a quiet remark. But the din created by the two helicopters made it impossible to overhear them or to hear the shouted questions from journalists.
Machinegun-toting police kept watch over the released crew. Earlier they had been escorted from the aircraft - which touched down on the southern runway just after noon - by senior naval officers Lieut Andy Price and Capt Andrew Jamieson.
Rather than take a bus the short distance from the aircraft to where the helicopters sat, rotor blades whirling, they chose instead to walk across the Tarmac just yards away from the waiting media.
Once they were split into two groups to board the helicopters that would take them back to Devon and to their families, they seemed to relax. One sailor sat at the open door of the aircraft smiling and briefly waving to airline staff and media before take-off. The two huge aircraft finally took off at 12.38pm before roaring overhead in the direction of RAF Chivenor.
The uniforms had been flown to Iran by British Airways when it became clear that the crew could be released.
Although they had enjoyed the comfort of business class and had been kept apart from other passengers to preserve their privacy on the flight, the strain of the journey and the previous days was clearly etched on each face.
Their commanding officers had even warned them not to unwind with the free champagne laid on for business class passengers because they were still on duty. - (PA)