Written after the Leicester reunion May 2009

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Allen, Brooks and Byrne were there and helped to make the party

Chamberlain, Elsworth and Gardiner all three looked hale and hearty

Hale, Hartley, Herbert, Meakin and McBain

All met up quite recently and will meet up yet again

Nottingham, Phillips, Santos, and a guy called Pidd

said they'd make the party and were so pleased they did

Saywell, Scott, slaughter plus Watkins and a guy named Wood

had a get together in Leicester, Didn't we do good

 

The Aden Firm and Associates. The "ORIGINAL DIRTY THIRTY"

 

There was a job to do in the Middle East it was running over time

A party was needed to who were good at the job and could bring it back in line.

THe MOD did cast its net, the question was, " Just Who"

There's a good crowd out in Hameln who's cry was " We can Do"

 

The boss is a Major Nottingham a man who demands the best

The Squadron he heads is 30 who play hard and win every test

This was not just some local exercise and conditions would be grim

Dirty hot and dusty and the rations would be thin

 

Destination Aden, Floppy hats and desert boots, the base

camp was at Habilyan where we soon put down our roots

Tents in line and sandbags filled, funk hole outside the door

Sergeant Major Evans was a man who knew the score

 

Vehicles, plant and machinery neglected and in a plight

were soon up and running after working through the night

This Aden crew were a right old mix, clerical, plant and MT

All with lots of tasks to do in support of the field oggie

 

Let's not forget the boys back home who kept things up together

An important but distant part of the job but they missed out on the warmer weather

We had our share of incidents but no sad tales of woe,

The task complete a job well done back to our families we did go

 

Many years have passed since those busy days, they now number 43

But not one of that crowd will ever forget the laughs and camaraderie

 

This bunch of guys really where a right old motley crew

But get them all together; there is nothing they can't do

 

We were known as Dirty Thirty but were the brightest and the best

And so we proved to everyone when they put us to the test

We will always be Dirty Thirty a name of which we're proud

So sing the Squadron song now boys and sing it well and loud