THEY should have been coming home from holiday with tans and smiles to nothing worse than a wait for their luggage.
Instead the first group of British holidaymakers murdered on a Tunisia beach returned in coffins, to loved ones waiting in tears, and a grim procession of hearses.
Grey-uniformed RAF personnel bore the eight brown caskets, decorated with white flowers.
They were saluted aboard a C-17 Globemaster plane for the 2,000-mile flight home from Tunis Carthage airport.
The coffins were ferried across the sun-baked tarmac to the gaping rear door of the slate grey aircraft at 10am local time.
By 3pm the flight arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire where grieving relatives were waiting with a military guard of honour.
The RAF Queen’s Colour Squadron were mustered to carry the coffins with minimum military pomp into hearses to be transported to the West London coroner’s office. A single inquest will be held before the bodies are released to families.
Thirty Brits are now confirmed among the 38 shot dead by IS follower Seifeddine Rezgui, 23, at Sousse on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We can say with a high degree of confidence that is now the final death toll of British nationals killed in this incident.”
On Thursday Morning Tunisia’s government announced 12 suspects had been arrested in connection with the deadly attack.
Four were subsequently released but the others, including a woman, remain in custody.
First from the plane was the casket of council worker Adrian Evans, 49, followed by his father Patrick, 78, and Patrick’s grandson Joel Richards, 19, all from the West Midlands.
A statement from Joel’s mum Suzanne said: “Nothing will ever be normal again.”
Her son Owen, 16, was the only survivor in the group. Ms Richards said: “They were so close that even in those minutes of pure panic the four stayed together. As a nation we must fight this evil.”
The body of fashion blogger Carly Lovett, 24, of Gainsborough, Lincs, was next. Her family described her as funny, clever and artistic. Then came the body of Stephen Mellor, 59, from Bodmin, Cornwall, who died shielding his wife Cheryl, 55.
She was one of four severely injured holidaymakers flown home on Tuesday.
Social worker John Stollery, 58, of Notts, was described by his wife as a “super husband and devoted dad”.
Also carried home were ex-Birmingham City footballer Denis Thwaites, 70, and wife Elaine, 69, from Blackpool. Daughter Lindsay said they were the “kindest, most loving parents”.
The latest victims to be named yesterday were Jim McQuire, 66, and wife Ann, 63, of Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire. Also Billy and Lisa Graham, of Bankfoot, near Perth, and Janet and John Stocker, aged 63 and 74.
Christopher and Sharon Bell, from Leeds, were also named as victims.
Delay let maniac return to kill more
From NICK PARKER in Tunis
DELAYS by cops gave gunman Seifeddine Rezgui time to return to the beach and finish off wounded tourists, it emerged yesterday.
The IS terrorist continued to kill for at least 20 minutes before an armed response.
Timings suggest as many as 17 victims died after Rezgui, 23, retraced his steps.
He had made a ten-second phone call at 11.53am, apparently a signal he was about to start his killing spree.
He then fired two test shots into the sand, startling holidaymakers who looked up to see him turning his gun on them.
An onlooker saw two National Guard cops in a boat watching the killing but they were not armed.
Rezgui then appears to have run out of bullets while moving among the wounded.
But police had still not appeared when, according to hotel staff, he laughed hysterically as he stopped to admire his grisly handiwork and pose for selfies with the dead.
Rezgui trained with the same Islamist cell which carried out March’s museum massacre in Tunis, in which 19 died, including British mum-of-three Sally Adey, it emerged yesterday.