They came from counties far and wide,

Ex-servicemen who served with pride,

In Aden, (that’s a port in Yemen),

From the year of sixty seven,

To a reunion planned by Ian,

Of English, Welsh and Jacobean,

Many of them are now retired,

With stories that are still inspired,

Their youth now has since long gone,

But still they play out life’s swan song,

They plan to do this every year,

Chatting, eating and drinking beer,

Telling stories of their campaign,

Doubting they’ll be the same again,

But who will deny them all their glory,

In telling the same old war story,

Each year seeming so much stranger,

When these men lived in mortal danger,

Dodging bullets, bombs and such,

Teenagers thinking. “This is just too much”.