HUNDREDS of Stapleford people braved the rain on Saturday to greet 100 soldiers who marched through the town.
The 170 Engineer Group (Infrastructure Support), based in Chilwell, marched after being awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Broxtowe.
They were accompanied by the Nottinghamshire band of the Royal Engineers and a group of veterans from the Royal Engineers' Association.
Unit 67 of the 170 Engineer Group was formed in 2011 as a shot-term group to oversee the transition out of Afghanistan.
They were stationed there between November 2011 and May 2012, but with Britain withdrawing from Afghanistan, Unit 67 are disbanding and the soldiers re-housed.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Mark Mortiboy, 38, was thrilled with the reaction of the townsfolk. "This has been such a great reception," he said. "It clearly means a lot to all the guys in the squadron, especially when crowds turn up in the wind and rain."
WO1 Mortiboy's role in Afghanistan was to manage projects to build and repair roads, bridges and canals.
"The number of people here today shows the support of the public," he added. "It makes us feel really appreciated."
Lieutenant-Colonel Brian Williams, 42, was sad to see the end of 67 Unit but said it served well and a fresh start would open new doors to many troops stationed in Notts over the last two years.
"It was a bit of a mixed emotion today," he said. "On the one hand I'm extremely proud that we were given this historic privilege, but ultimately it's the end of the 67 Unit, which was always a particularly close-knit group because we all started and finished together."
Lieutenant-Colonel Williams is leaving the Army to put his engineering skills to use on the East Coast Mainline railway.
Major Dave Hemming, 41, of 170 Engineer Group, added: "When you're in the armed forces you are used to moving around quite a lot. The community here has been great; a lot of our wives have jobs here, our children go to school here and we've been touched by the support we've had today."
