Against the backdrop of a steel-grey sky, a chill wind, cheering crowds and the ringing bells of Great St Mary’s Church, the city of Cambridge played host yesterday to the homecoming march of the Royal Anglian Regiment, nicknamed the ‘Vikings’, which has recently returned to Britain after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Two hundred soldiers from the Regiment marched through Cambridge yesterday evening, accompanied by a military band, exercising the Regiment’s honorary freedom of the city. The march, which aims to celebrate the link between the Royal Anglian Regiment and the city of Cambridge, was led by the Regiment’s D Company, which recruits from Cambridgeshire. The procession of soldiers began at Shire Hall at 6pm, before continuing through the city centre towards King’s Parade.

The commanding officer of the Regiment’s 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel James Woodham, described the public presence of the streets of Cambridge as "just extraordinary." "It means so much to myself and my soldiers," said Lieutenant Colonel Woodhams. "It’s very difficult not to smirk."

A salute was taken in front of King’s College by dignitaries including the mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Sheila Stuart, University Vice-Chancellor Alison Richard, and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Anglian Regiment. Afterwards, a civic reception was held for the returning soldiers in the Guildhall.

After inspecting the troops with the mayor of Cambridge, the Duke paid tribute to the Regiment’s work in Helmand province, saying that they had "left Helmand a safer and more secure place."

As well as fighting insurgents, the Royal Anglian Regiment has spent the last six months in Afghanistan supporting the local government, and training the Afghan army and police force.

The Regiment’s soldiers were "tough when required," said the Duke, "but compassionate towards the Afghan people."

Although the British Armed Forces did not always receive the support which they deserved, the Duke continued, this was not the case in Cambridge.

The Duke also paid tribute to Lance Corporal Scott Hardy, Private James Grigg, Captain Martin Driver, Private Robert Hayes and Lance Corporal Adam Drane, five soldiers from the Regiment who did not return from Afghanistan.

He acknowledged that the Regiment had made many sacrifices in its commitment to the Afghan mission, including those made by the many more soldiers who were injured whilst carrying out their duties.

Only a handful of anti-war protesters appeared at the march, carrying placards supporting a withdrawal of all British troops from Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Woodham claimed not even to have noticed the demonstrators, saying that the support from the people of Cambridge was much more in evidence: "I think these sort of occasions bring the best out of society. All of my soldiers were just awestruck."

His appreciation of the public’s support was echoed by Lance Corporal Hugh Murphy. "It’s good to know your work’s appreciated", he said, adding that the feeling amongst the troops was that the protesters had a right to their opinion, and that it did not diminish the happiness of returning home.

"The food," said Lance Corporal Murphy, 20, when Varsity asked what he missed most about Britain whilst away on duty. "The rations are all right, but if you’re eating the same thing day after day, [you start to think], ‘same again’".

Lance Corporal Murphy believes that the role of British troops is generally appreciated by the Afghan population. "There was quite a lot of resistance where we were. But after we managed to quell the resistance, the town was transformed. We set up schools, mosques, and the people really appreciated what we’d done."

The return of the troops was overshadowed by a bomb scare and an attempted arson attack elsewhere in the city. A controlled explosion was carried out on a vehicle at Cambridge railway station, while an arson attack disrupted proceedings at Cambridge County Court.

It is not yet known whether the attacks were linked to the timing of the parade.

Passengers were held inside the station and trains were prevented from arriving while officers carried out three controlled explosions. Access to East Road was restricted by police.Varsity writer Jessica Jennings was at the scene. She said: "The police are not saying anything other than that it’s a bomb disposal operation. There have been three explosions."

A witness described how the police started cordoning off an area around a car at 12.30pm. At 2pm, they evacuated passengers to the platform, and shortly afterwards a robot was used to remove the doors from the vehicle.

Arrivals into the station resumed at around 2.45pm, but passengers were kept inside for some time afterwards."Cambridge station was closed shortly before 14.30 hours today, Monday 14 June, whilst Cambridgeshire Police were dealing with a suspect vehicle," a statement issued by the British Transport Police said. "A controlled explosion has been carried out." The station was fully reopened shortly before 4pm.

The bomb scare was linked to an arson attack at Cambridge County Court in East Road earlier in the day. Emergency services were called to the court at about noon to deal with a fire in a room on the second floor of the three-storey building.

Overall, though, the homecoming march was a cheerful occasion, both for the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment and for residents of Cambridge.

The printed placards being held in the anti-war protesters’ enclosure looked undersized compared with the huge home-made banners being waved enthusiastically by cheering supporters on the other side of King’s Parade. These bore a simple message: "Welcome Home".