THE Cheshire Regiment has a proud tradition, spanning more than three centuries, of keeping the peace in the world's troublespots.

Its latest tour of duty in Basra is little different from its first sortie in 1782 - it may be a different time, different place, and with different faces in the regiment but the same traditions apply, even among the rubble-strewn ghettos of Basra in May 2004.

Almost on the anniversary of the day coalition forces stormed into Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein's regime from power, the 1st Battalion the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment arrived in Basra three weeks ago to help restore order to a community ravaged by two Gulf Wars and decades of political turmoil.

Amid a tense atmosphere of mobs loyal to Muqtaeda Al Sadr and wanting to spill coalition blood is a battle to win hearts and minds and a six-week struggle to nudge the Shi'ite province back into the hands of a democratic government.

Captain Richard Sernberg, of the Cheshires, arrived with 460 members of the regiment into a 44-degree melting pot of empty littered streets, polluted canals and damaged buildings inhabited by people battered by conflict, clutching for peace and searching for medicine.

He said: 'My first impression of Basra is that obviously it is a neglected city, neglected over a long time. There were many buildings damaged or demolished from at least 10 years of the old regime.

'There is rubbish everywhere, all over the streets, and it is proving quite an uphill struggle to clean it all up. There are a lot of rivers and canals in Basra and they are all stagnant and in a horrible condition.

'One of our tasks is to help set up a proper sanitary system for the city. The litter and the state of the city was a big shock.

'Life in Basra is very different to the UK, that is the one thing that strikes you, but life is going on here. It is actually fairly bustling.'

Members of the regiment rolled up their sleeves, mucking in with the locals to return some semblance of order to the region.

The soldiers are overseeing a $94,000 project to convert a swathe of derelict buildings into a bustling commercial sector that will help kick-start a crucial part of the city and provide employment opportunities and empower the Iraqis who are slowly rebuilding their country.

They are at the heart of a project to construct a fruit and produce market, as well as repairing roads, covering dust tracks with tarmac and installing electricity

The need for improvements was identified by coalition forces working in Basra and agreed by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

The regiment's Companies A, B and C are in Iraq, along with Support Company, which provides extra firepower, and Headquarters Company, which ensures the infrastructure, comprising signallers, drivers, mechanics and medics, is in place.

A Company is based in one of Saddam's former palaces at Shatt al Arab. B Company is based in old state buildings in the Al Ashar district. C Company is located in the former Ba'ath Party headquarters and patrols districts including an area inhabited by the Marsh Arabs, who were forcibly resettled from their homes in the southern marshes by the old regime.

Meanwhile, in the UK, soldiers' wives and families, who are based at the Bulford Camp near Salisbury in Wiltshire, are being looked after by the Unit Welfare Office staff and Wives Club Committee.

To relax in Basra, the Cheshires are keeping themselves fit. They've built a makeshift gym and volleyball court, watch TV and contact their families as often as they can via telephone, e-mail and letters.

'We have been keeping with how things are going back home, we have access to the internet and have Sky News and BBC News 24,' said Capt Sernberg.

It is not a 9-5 job, though - they have to provide a lifeline to people who need clean water, medicine, food, information and advice.

Capt Sernberg said: 'We are very busy. There is a lot to keep us occupied, there are essential duties such as the distribution of medical supplies, we are heavily involved in training of the Iraqi police. We are, in effect, mentoring them, giving them weapons training and teaching them new skills all the time.' The soldiers of the regiment patrol in two ways: they go out in armed vehicles and oversee law and order in the streets and they go out on foot to talk to the residents.

Capt Sernberg said: 'The reports from the soldiers on the many patrols we are doing is that they are getting on well with the local people, who are coming up to us and talking. They tend to be friendly, they are just trying to get on with their lives.'

MOD spokesman Paul Starbuck added: 'A colleague of mine in the Cheshires went out on a patrol and the children kept coming up to him, shaking his hand. It just goes to show how friendly the people are.

'Of course, there is an anti-coalition feeling, but the soldiers of all regiments have dealt with all incidents magnificently.'

The biggest complaint for the regiment is the heat. During the afternoon the Iraqi sun strikes out an average 40-plus degrees, which is sweltering for armed professionals wearing webbing and uniform.

Capt Sernberg said: 'The biggest theme of complaint is certainly the heat, even in the tents it's very hot.

'But soldiers' morale is very good.

They have been well trained and are prepared for what is certainly a demanding and challenging environment.'

Capt Sernberg said the regiment's professionalism will help them overcome the expected pitfalls on the rocky road to official democracy in six weeks. He said: 'We expect there are probably going to be some problems up to June 30. We don't know exactly what they will be but we will deal with them professionally.'