A soldier who faced rocket-propelled grenades, machine gun fire and mortar bombs in the killing fields of southern Iraq has returned to spend Christmas with his family.

Lance Corporal Marcus Scott, of the First Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, told today how he fought off insurgents with a bayonet during a six-month tour of duty.

The 23-year-old, who will receive a hero's welcome when he returns to his home town of Henfield, is one of only a handful of British soldiers to give a detailed account of the horrors of war in Iraq.

L-Cpl Scott was part of a daring mission to take the volatile southern town of Al Amarah from insurgents, as colleagues in the Armoured Tigers regiment were gunned down in ferocious battles with militiamen.

He also came under attack after the Tigers were called to the aid of another unit at a vehicle checkpoint on the main supply route 15km south of Al Amarah.

The regiment fought off the ambush, bravely charging at the enemy with bayonets - killing 30 insurgents and taking nine prisoners.

He said: "We got a rocket-propelled grenade through the side of the Warrior (vehicle) and it set fire to the kit in the back.

"We were disabled for a while so it was quite stressful. We managed to get out and lift the people we were there to pick up.

"We were there for six or seven hours and it was dark when we got back."

L-Cpl Scott, who joined the Army three years ago, was among 600 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment soldiers patrolling towns and vehicle checkpoints in the war-torn Maysan province as part of a 9,000-strong multinational force in southern Iraq.

His tour started amid heightened tensions leading up to the transfer of sovereignty and the explosion of violence following the uprising by the Sadr militia, the followers of the rebel cleric Moqtada al Sadr.

His regiment was tasked with re-establishing an Iraqi police force in the region.

During the first six weeks of his tour of duty L-Cpl Scott and his comrades came under attack from insurgents 212 times and were targeted by a sustained assault lasting 24 days as temperatures soared to 58C.

He said: "I was in charge of up to 12 men at a time. I was promoted to Lance Corporal on the day we landed at the beginning of April.

"I took part in a major operation in May to retake the town of Al Amarah from the insurgents.

"We pushed in during the early hours of the morning and it took about 36 hours to complete.

"It worked well but there were lots of attacks and it was the first time I had actually fired at people.

"I didn't feel much at the time because I was too busy pushing forward and worrying about the guys.

"One of my mates was hit by mortar shrapnel and spent a week in hospital."

L-Cpl Scott, a former pupil of St Peter's School, Henfield, is looking forward to spending Christmas with his parents John and Elaine Scott, after a short time at the Tigers' barracks in Tidworth Camp, Wiltshire.

He said: "I've really missed the greenness of England and being in a place where things don't bite you."

Batallion leader Lieutenant Colonel Matt Maer described Al Amarah as "noisier than Aldershot but quieter than Stalingrad".

He said: "Every single member of the battle group was asked to do something they did not expect, at a level which has been intense.

"Those soldiers were everything you would ever want - calm, professional, courageous and enduring. Not a single one of them did one thing wrong during the whole period. They were magnificent."

Last week The Argus reported on a letter sent by soldier David O'Shea, 22, from Southwick, who described the horrors of war he witnessed in Iraq.

Mr O'Shea, who is serving alongside the Black Watch, spoke of life living in a war-zone, where the force has been repeatedly targeted with mortars since arriving in the north of the country on October 29.

Five Black Watch soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter have since died.

L-Cpl Scott plans to marry his sweetheart Lorna Rolfe, 21, from Cowfold.

He said: "We go on leave on December 3. We've been told we should not have to go back out there for a year.

"After that, we could be looking at another deployment.

"It's brilliant to be back in England but it's still strange getting used to being here because everything is so different.

"The worst thing about the tour in Iraq, apart from the danger, is you are often very isolated in remote places.

"You are surrounded by your mates but the work is very stressful. As a team commander, I had me to worry about but my main concern was my team."