The Manchester Evening News is helping to keep families in touch with loved ones out in the Gulf, via its website, ManchesterOnline.

The newspaper's war correspondent, Martin Dillon, is currenly reporting on the conflict in the Middle East, based with the 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery from Aldershot, Hants.

The 35-year-old, who has been with the MEN for three years, is in the Gulf as part of the Regional Press Corps.

And as well as filing copy to be used by the MEN and other regional newspapers, he is also recording an online diary of his experiences, which is being published on ManchesterOnline.

This has become very popular with the Aldershot families of the regiment he is based with, and they are using the site to keep in touch and even go into the family welfare centre there to access the website.

Content editor Sarah Hartley said: "I am very pleased that ManchesterOnline has been able to link up families in this way.

"It just shows what a global medium the Internet is when so many people in Aldershot find the news they are looking for here in Manchester."

So far Martin has told how he has been forced to lie in a trench in the pouring rain as enemy shells landed nearby and how a horrendous storm left him soaking wet and able to only catch a few hours sleep.

On another night he was caught out by a 3am gas alert where he had to scramble to put on his trousers, socks and boots before rushing to the cab to get his chemical suit after foolishly thinking it would be okay to sleep in just his boxer shorts and jumper.

He has also been enjoying army rations with the help of some Tabasco sauce he was advised to bring out with him, and is trying hard to stay clean despite the dust and dirt and sleeping on the floor.

However he says that the morale of the troops has remained high, with the recent delivery of parcels from home a welcome boost.

The 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery is part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, which was the first British regiment into battle in Iraq.

The regiment was initailly stationed at Camp Eagle 3 in Kuwait, just 25 miles from the border but is now inside southern Iraq.

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