British soldiers who played a vital role in the reconstruction of Iraq have received their operation medals from the Prince of Wales.

Servicemen from the Mercian Regiment were presented with their military awards by Charles - their Colonel-in-chief - at a ceremony at Clarence House in London.

The regiment's 1st Battalion was the unit being honoured after seven months work in Basra, Baghdad and the port city of Umm Qasr.

Among the soldiers were Privates Mike Kilby, 21, and Darren Kilby, 19 - two of three brothers from Birkenhead who were all deployed to the Middle East country with the Mercians in November.

Before the ceremony began around 170 soldiers and officers marched from the nearby Wellington Barracks into the grounds of Clarence House behind the Band of the Royal Artillery.

After they had lined up the Prince walked amongst the servicemen, dressed in camouflage fatigues, and chatted to them as he pinned medals on their chests.

As the soldiers stood in the blistering heat two were overcome by the temperatures and fainted but were soon revived and later joined a reception held for the men and their families.

The Battalion's commanding officer Colonel Ian Cave said: "I think having their medals presented by the Prince is fantastic and in addition they had the chance to march past Buckingham Palace which I haven't had the chance to do in my career.

"It's a recognition for their seven months in Iraq and the efforts of their families at home, which in some ways is a harder job."

The Battalion's C Company were tasked with maintaining the security of Umm Qasr, an important base for Iraq's oil industry, and training Iraqi border forces.

A and B Companies took it in turns to work in Baghdad, protecting British diplomats and senior Army officers, and being based in Basra, where they were involved in mentoring, monitoring and training Iraqi forces.

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