IT'S not every day that you are faced with a hostile mob, petrol bombs, and gunfire.
But that's exactly what Bebington-born soldier Peter Barnes and his colleagues in 'B' company 1st Battalion of The Cheshire Regiment came up against on a fraught day while on patrol in Northern Ireland last September.
A crowd of over 300 marchers made up of members of the protestant Orange Order and Marching Bands attacked the police and soldiers after the route of their march was blocked to prevent intrusion into a predominantly Catholic area.
During the riot that ensued a number of police and soldiers sustained serious injuries and a number of military vehicles were destroyed by petrol bombs.
In recognition of their conduct on the day Corporal Gary Stratton , 25, from Ellesmere Port and Private Peter Barnes, who is 22, of Bebington were recently awarded a Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
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