A BARRY mum has spoken of her joy, after an emotional homecoming reunion with her Canadian-born soldier son.

Lieutenant Nathan Chronik, 28, has been serving with 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, as part of B (Rorke’s Drift) Company, in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces for seven months.

And Barry-born Liz Chronik, 53, last week surprised her son by travelling from their home in Canada to welcome him back.

Liz and husband Dan, 55, were joined by a crowd of 300 well-wishers, as the returning soldiers marched into the Lucknow Barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire, last Thursday (February 24).

Liz, who left Barry when she was 23 to teach ballet, said: "Nathan didn’t even know we were in the country - and had no idea we were coming.

"He thought that we might show up in Barry, but definitely not at Tidworth!

"It was so emotional when he saw his dad, as he was not anticipating us being there at the time."

Nathan, who has dual nationality and usually stays with his aunt Margaret Wakefield in Barry when not at his base in Tidworth, said: "To see my parents when I came back was a bit of a shock.

"I wasn’t expecting anyone to know that I was coming back – but it was a good surprise!"

Although born in Canada, he briefly attended Colcot Primary when he was five years old during a family visit back to Barry, and said he joined the Welsh regiment as ‘half of my family is from south Wales’.

On this tour of duty, the soldiers from B (Rorke’s Drift) Company were training the Afghan police and army, and helping rebuild vital communications in the area.

“Being in Afghanistan was a mixed bag of good and bad days, but it’s an experience I wouldn’t change for the world," added Nathan.

His aunt Margaret said: "When he’s not at his base he comes here - Barry is like his second home.

"It’s wonderful having him back. We worried about him the whole time."