Disgraced troops have been jailed – for staging a parade ground protest.

The soldiers from the former 1st Battalion (Yorkshire Regiment) – including Afghanistan veterans –  moaned they were “led by muppets” and staged a sit-in.

Ringleader Cpl Anthony Brown was thrown out of the army and two lance corporals were stripped of their rank at a court martial after the incident in Kenya which took place in front of 1,000 people.

The other 13 soldiers involved were all jailed.

The men said they staged the protest at their Kenya base at the end of the Askari Thunder exercise in February because they were “not well managed” by two commanding officers.

They talked of “being led by muppets” before the parade. All admitted disobeying orders to stand up.

At the time of the incident all the soldiers were serving with 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, but, following restructuring, that unit has now become 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment

At their court martial in Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire, Colonel Clive Whitwham, prosecuting, said problems surfaced when their commanders got drunk before a 16-mile training march in freezing conditions in the Brecon Beacons, mid-Wales, last winter.

The troops were furious at finding the pair sleeping off their hangovers at the finish line instead of greet their returning soldiers.

Jonathan Lynch, defending, said: 'This is not a case of inflated egos but a case of mismanagement.'

The judge advocate told the Afghanistan veterans they had “brought shame on the British Army” and handed them all prison terms for disobedience of a lawful command under the Armed Forces Act.

Brown, 29, and Lance Cpls Miles Smith and Steven Tidesley got 60 days at Bulford military court, Wiltshire. The 13 privates got 40 days.

Sentencing, Judge Advocate Alan Large said they had committed a “serious” disciplinary offence and “must have known” that it was wrong.

Judge Large said: “This does not reflect well on you. Sitting down brought shame on you, your regiment and the British Army as a whole.

“You were chosen to serve in this recce platoon because you were good soldiers – responsible, dependable and steadfast in the face of adversity.

“Those of you who served in Operation Herrick proved you had those qualities in spades while serving in a challenging situation.

“You engaged the enemy, you forged links with local people and you earned the respect of your peers and superiors in the way in which you composed yourselves in the face of adversity and tragedy.”