The Paras "Leaving ofAden"
Throughout the day planes of the airlift shuttled through the runway as naval aircraft patrolled high above and helicopters prowled the perimeter wire. By afternoon the last planeload of Argylls was gone. Just before sunset, figures came out of the saltpans from the direction of Sheik Othman and swarmed at the far end of the runway like an apparition in the heat haze.
They had cut the perimeter wire and come through trailing rifles. More than five hundred dusted off their red berets, formed ranks of eight abreast and marched straight down the runway. A patrolling helicopter dipped in salute.A middle-aged RAF man, dressed only in tropical shorts, stood on the tarmac watching, tears of pride streaming down his face.
The First Paras, young veterans of eight hundred terrorist assaults with rockets, mortars, grenades and machine-guns in the Sheik Othman hell-hole, came out of the harsh saltpan positions they called the Pennine Chain. They were smart and proud as on passing out parade. A thin line of green-bereted men of 42 Commando had relieved them in the discomfort of their Pennine Chain line. The battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Walsh, marched at their head. He explained,'We wanted to show that three months of tedious duty holding a quiet line sincewe pulled back from Sheik Othman has not made us in the least slipshod.'
General Sir Philip Tower, himself a para, took the salute. He told them,' You have lived up to the standards set by your predecessors at Arnhem. You have stuck out months and months in horrible conditions.'The First Paras had captured one hundred and twenty-eight terrorists, lost three killed and twenty-five wounded. They were flow nhomeward in a continuous stream of RAF transport planes that landed and took off through all that night.
Just wanted to remind us, as to what was happening on the ground.
JohnB