‘ Big bird, big bird, hot zone ‘
I scream into the mike
Can’t let the chopper land here
And let the enemy strike

Not fair to put their lives at risk
It’s bad enough our own
Fifteen British soldiers
Ambushed and alone

‘ Helmand Province ‘ we were told
Was quiet this dark night
‘ Patrol the eastern valley,
Till early morning light ‘

Then came the first explosion
‘ Big Jimmy ‘ taken out
Walking proud one minute
He was our best lead scout

‘ Zero, this is Bravo-three,
Contact, hit, wait out ‘
I scream into my radio
So much noise I shout

‘ Gormless Eddie ‘ next man down
Hit by one stray round
Though heavily outnumbered
He stood and fought his ground

‘ Medic, Medic ‘ came the shout
A screaming comrade dying
A medic crying for himself
He died by me whilst trying

We were going down like flies
An ambush perfect set
Caught out in the open
No cover we could get

‘ Chippy, Chalky, Half-pint ‘
They went down one by one
By then I’d just stopped counting
My mind switched off and gone

This was my nineteenth birthday
My last year as a teen
A battle hardened soldier
Such horrors I have seen

To watch your best friends blown apart
Their blood, and limbs, and bone
The nightmares of the battlefield
I just want to go home

Nine young soldiers lost that night
Though some of us survived
Four were badly wounded
But six of us alive

And in the next day’s papers
Small paragraph’s re-formed
‘ Nine brave soldiers lost their lives,
Next-of-kin informed ! ‘