Dhala Camp [Aden] - 45 CdoRM 1960-61
by Ron Blemings, Ex RM14869.

Photographs from many sources... Credits under each one...

Picture by Mike Townsend

Hi Tony,

Many thanks indeed for the very best site on the web. You have given me, as well as many, many others, a great dwelling place. It's a wonderful site; well thought out and very well operated. Thanks a million. I was in 45 Cdo, Aden, 1960-61 and I was amazed to see not only a photo of the Dhala Camp at that time but also something special that I remember very well indeed.

If you look very carefully at the first tent in the centre row, you will see a rather strange object (vertically) rising above the left end! In the photo, it doesn't look as if it reached the ground by the side of the first tent, but I can assure you that it did! The mysterious object is six angle irons, bound together by whatever could be scrounged at the time, mostly wire, but string at the bottom end, and ( again, at that time,) a new fangled "Rhombic Antenna" at the top! The guy ropes weren't very good either; it took about ten bods to hoist the bloody thing and another ten to secure the guys! Bungy Williams was director of operations and with help, including Lt Ghandi, Blackie, the Armour, Mick Hughes, Jock Kennedy, Nick Nicholson and many others whose names I cant remember, we finally got the "thing " hoisted! Great care was taken to position this item to the N.W. If my memory serves me correctly, to 265degs. We plugged the hanging wire into a brand new ( and it really was Brand New) NINE Transistor Radio, that we had ordered a week or so previously from "Donkey" the Arab go-between us and Dhala Village. ( I'm sure many ex 45 in Dahla at the time will remember him!! ) Lo and behold, after a few minutes of fine tuning and violently wrenching of the antenna, we actually heard the magic "Bing Bing" of Radio Luxembourg, on 49.26m.

What a triumph! Even the signallers were astounded! ( Not as much as we were though!!) It was amazing; we had a contact with HOME, 5000 odd miles away; Letters took about 10 days at that time, there were no broadcast relay stations, no news at all in fact, apart from Radio Luxembourg, Transmitting on 208 Metres and 49.26 Meters on the short wave! We hung around that radio connected to the rhombic antenna whenever we could! Any news was good news at that time! I guess things have changed somewhat since then! But to us it was the only "live line" we actually had with the UK, albeit via Radio Luxembourg. Sadly, Radio Luxembourg no longer exists but I am sure that there are many ex-45's, who were in Dhala, 1961, who will remember that antenna well, because it gave us a connection with the UK which we would otherwise never have had!

Otherwise, the photo shows everything, as it was, at that time. The Galley on the left, and if you could outwit the shitehawks swooping to grab your nosh, the dining tent was on the right of the photo. Next tent up was the Signallers Tent; the Barbers Tent, and then the Co. Tent.

Should you wish to include this letter on the site, then fine with me; no problem at all. It might bring back a memory or two to all the guys with 45 at Dhala during 1961.

One thing I would like to know ; Please, who sent you the photo? I must know him;, I was there at the same time and I was the guy that designed and built the Rhombic!! I look forward to hearing from you. Any info you can give me would be welcome. I must have known the guy at the time!

May I take this opportunity to wish you personally, Your family and friends and the many thousands of Ex- Bootnecks reading your pages all the Very Best Wishes for A Very Prosperous and Happy Millennium.

Ron Blemings,
Ex RM14869.

No 1 Mortar Dhala. Black McShane No 1, Mic Crawford No 2, Jock Elliot No 3. 1966
Picture by Andy O'Pray Former WO2(HW)

No 1 sanger Dhala 1966
Picture by Andy O'Pray Former WO2(HW)

Mortar section mascot, Fanny, Dhala 1966.
Picture by Andy O'Pray Former WO2(HW)

Jim Bassett MFC Dhala 1966.
Picture by Andy O'Pray Former WO2(HW)