A SECOND lieutenant who feared his order had led to a fellow soldier being killed during an ambush in Yemen has been reunited with him exactly 50 years after it happened.

Nick Beard, from Salisbury, was a 20-year-old serving in Aden with the 60 Squadron Royal Corps of Transport when his vehicle was ambushed by the South Arabian Armed Police Force.

Under fire for three hours, eight soldiers were killed and five wounded out of 19 members of the party.

Describing the events of June 20, 1967 Mr Beard said: “Our truck stopped about 100 yards in front of the barracks and Captain Peter Godwin managed to get most of the party to a small mound of sand nearby.

“Initially I stayed beside the vehicle unloading ammunition and throwing bandoliers (a pocketed belt for holding ammunition) over to the main group.

“Two soldiers with me were killed so I moved over to the main party and said I would get help.

“A little later I found myself behind a small sand mound and about 15 yards away to my right there was another soldier, Driver Dennis Lewty.

Between us was a bandolier on the ground. I called out to him saying ‘when I say ‘go’ I will run to the next mound, you run to this one and pick up the bandolier on the way’. I said ‘go’, got up and ran with heavy fire coming in just behind me – the enemy were on the barracks roofs and wall.

“The fire continued heavily at my mound and when it eased I looked across to see Driver Lewty lying with blood streaming from his head by the mound I had just left. I thought he was dead and was devastated, I thought he had been killed as a direct result of my order.

“In fact he survived but I never saw him again because I was in hospital that night with a flesh wound and he was operated on before being evacuated back to England the next day.”

Two weeks ago Mr Beard was able to speak to Mr Lewty on the phone for the first time since that day after meeting someone who knew him.

“When I was explaining to him what had happened, he instantly said ‘I got the bandolier to them!’ Altogether on that day in 1967, 23 British servicemen were killed in separate ambushes.

On Tuesday the two men met at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, 50 years to the day of the ambush.

Joining them was one other survivor, Captain Godwin.

Mr Beard said: “It was a poignant meeting.

“I greeted Dennis with ‘Well done on getting the bandolier to them but I’m sorry about the consequences’.

“He laughed but memories came flooding back for both of us and for Peter.

“We attended the 11am service held in the chapel there and walked up to the wall where the names of our eight comrades are inscribed.”

He added: “It was a well worthwhile reunion, we have vowed we won’t leave it 50 years until the next one.”