Hundreds of soldiers based in a Kent city will return home later today after a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Members of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) and territorial soldiers from the 3rd Batttalion, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, based at the city’s Howe Barracks, will be reunited with their friends and family.

However, the joy of returning home for the Argylls will also be tinged with sadness. In June, L Cpl James Johnson, known to his friends as Jimmy, was killed by a mine explosion as he took part in a vehicle checkpoint patrol in Lashkar Gar.

And the Argylls commanding officer, Lt Col David Richmond, 41, had his right leg shattered by an insurgent’s bullet while on duty in Helmand Province.

He returned home in June and has since been undergoing extensive rehabilitation but has vowed to be at Howe Barracks to welcome his troops home.