Three soldier brothers from Birkenhead will join 350 members of their Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) for a series of spectacular parades through Wirral and Cheshire.

On parade on June 5 will be Lance Corporal Chris Kilby, 22, and his younger brothers, Mike, 20, and Darren, 18 (both privates), who serve with the regiment's 1st Battalion. Supported by the Band of the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment, hundreds of soldiers will parade through the streets.

The parades will take place at the following times:

June 2, at Congleton, starting at 10.45am, Nantwich, starting at 2.45pm.

June 3, Runcorn, starting at 9.45am, Chester, at 1pm.

June 5, Ellesmere Port, at 11am and Birkenhead, starting at 2pm.

The 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment Cheshire - formerly the 1st Battalion The 22nd Cheshire Regiment - has served continuously at home and abroad for over 320 years since its inception at The Roodee, Chester, in 1689.

An infantry unit, the battalion recruits its soldiers from across the Cheshire and Wirral region. It completed a six-month operational tour in Iraq last year and has deployed three Company Groups to the Falkland Islands over the last five months.

The battalion is based in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, and is training towards future deployments, including a six-week training exercise in Kenya later this year.

A spokesman from the battalion said: “The parades offer the soldiers a great opportunity to spend some well earned time in their home county and should be a real spectacle for all those that come and show support to their local regiment.”

Lieutenant Colonel Andy Hadfield, Commanding Officer of 1st Mercian, will lead the battalion through the parades.

Members of the public, former Cheshire soldiers and families and friends of those on parade are encouraged to attend to show support to the soldiers of their local infantry regiment.