Some 80 British troops have spent the past week in Gozo on an Adventure Training Exercise aimed at team and character building - weeks after a deployment to Afghanistan.

They took a break from their activities and donned their uniforms this afternoon for a parade at the foot of the War Memorial in Floriana to pay  tribute to soldiers from their regiment who died defending Malta during World War II.

The Mercian Regiment, formerly known as the Cheshire Regiment, left Afghanistan last April after completing a deployment in Helmand Province.

The 1st Cheshire Battalion served at the dockyard in Grand Harbour between April 1941 and March 1943.

The soldiers of the current regiment were joined at the War Memorial by  British High Commissioner Rob Luke and officers from the Armed Forces of Malta.

Others who were also present under the blazing sun included  82-year-old war veteran Alan Kennedy who had formed part of the Cheshire Regiment during World War II.

He is spending his retirement in Malta.

The Adventure Training Exercise did not involve the use of weapons but focused on kayaking, climbing, swimming and other team-building events. The soldiers go home later this week.