Speaking to the News Letter amid criticism from some soldiers' families who felt they should have had a public welcome at the point where they returned to Northern Ireland on Monday, the woman said that she did not want to be named as her son had not wanted to publicise the issue in case he was censured.

PICTURE GALLERY: Ulster troops return home

Emotional return for TA soldiers

But the News Letter can reveal that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) only decided to bring the TA soldiers back from England on Monday after pressure from politicians, who had been contacted by anxious family members.

More than 15 Royal Irish soldiers, frustrated at a series of delays and facing the prospect of more than six hours in a coach to get to Stranraer before crossing on the Stena HSS, paid to travel with civilian airlines, some paying £120 to fly with easyJet.

The MoD had planned to fly the TA troops – numbering more than 100 – together into RAF Aldergrove where they would all meet their families.

Instead, they arrived in early morning darkness at Belfast harbour, travelling on a civilian ferry before being brought by coach to TA centres across Northern Ireland.

At Abbotscroft TA centre on the outskirts of north Belfast, the News Letter watched two Royal Irish pipers play as troops disembarked from their coach before being mobbed by emotional families.

But the Fermanagh soldier's mother said that had not been the case in other parts of the Province.

"Outside the Belfast area, there was nothing for the lads to come home to," she said.

"It was a disaster – even the people in Enniskillen (TA centre) didn't know what was happening.

"I think it's ridiculous that fellas who have been out for six months putting their life on the line should be treated so badly by their own people.

"The guys who didn't fly home themselves had to travel up to Stranraer for about seven or eight hours and then get the boat home.

"My son phoned me about a quarter past midnight and they were on the way up on the motorway at that time.

"They were exhausted and I thought they could even have shipped them out of Liverpool, which is close to Tern Hill barracks, where they were.

"We were told there was going to be a big welcome home at RAF Aldergrove and they would all come back together, but that never happened."

The MoD has argued that it brought the soldiers back by ferry from Stranraer because it was the shortest sea route between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

A spokesman said that the RAF's "operational requirements" took precedence over transporting troops home and said that operational commitments meant the RAF was unable to fly soldiers home together on a C17 transport plane, as had been planned.

He said that he was not aware of political intervention to speed up the troops' return.