RISCA news cameraman Dai Baker,who works with ITN with reporter Philip Reay-Smith, is in Iraq with the 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery. This is his report from the British front line, north of Basra, filed yesterday.

On Saturday, a column of 25 Iraqi tanks was spotted advancing towards our troops. They were obviously intent on taking us. Ever-yone leapt into position.

The guns of the Royal Horse Artillery opened fire together and took them out in a battle, with a great deal of firing on both sides.

It was an impressive sound, hearing the RHA guns firing altogether. They have different categories of charge, from one to four, with a super-charge category.

I was filming next to a charge four when it went off and it literally blew my goggles off my head. An hour later, I was physically sick because of it.

Since then, we have been moving positions every day, digging in. It seems the Iraqis do not know where we are, but they are taking potshots in our general direction.

Now, we are in a stalemate in the desert north of Basra, the furthest north into Iraq of any British troops.

If they do not fire at us, we do not fire at them. The RHA seem in control of the situation.

The closest incoming fire we have had since then is about 100 metres away. Our task is to guard the oilfields in this area near the River Euphrates. Some of the troops are disappointed that we are going no further - they would like to go all the way to Baghdad.

There are three battalions here, and each is being given 24 hours off. I used mine to go with the troops to a disused oil- pumping station which has one shower, which between 80 and 90 of us shared.

It felt like The Hilton, our first shower in two weeks. I saw fellow Risca man Tim Parr on Monday.

He was well and fit and had received a letter from his sister about the last article in the Argus which featured him. He was delighted.

I speak to my wife, Karen, and my mum and dad in Risca every two or three days, and they are kept in contact with what is going on every day by ITN.

I had a couple of parcels with socks and underwear in, and liquorice Allsorts, which some of the boys here are delighted with.

They are getting mail from home and morale is good. The only injuries here have been a few fingers trapped in the guns. We hear reports on the World Service about what is going on, about the suicide bombers at checkpoints.

Here, there are barriers set up so that anyone approaching has to get through about eight before they get near British soldiers.

There are few people out here, maybe a few civilian oil workers, and we get the thumbs-up from any I have seen.

We have taken some prisoners of war, but they are whisked off quickly to the US forces, and I have not seen them.

I am supposed to be going to my best mate's wedding on Saturday, which I will obviously now not be able to do.

My mate, Ross Edwards, from Risca, who was the best man at my wedding, is getting married in Bristol, and even though I won't be there, I want to wish him all the best, and that he is as happy as I have been since I married last June.