Most of them were on the parade ground in the Middle East as the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglians came into being nearly 50 years ago.

Other past and presents members of the 1st Battalion – known as the Vikings – served in far-flung places such as Belize and Sierra Leone and lands closer to home like Northern Ireland and Bosnia.

But on Saturday night, 70 current and former Warrant Officers and senior NCOs were united under one roof as they attended a reunion at the Duke's Head Hotel, in King's Lynn.

Warrant Officer (Rtd) Ron Mortimer, Captain (Rtd) Malcolm Dawe and Warrant Officer (Rtd) Cal Callaghan organised Saturday night's combined dinner night.

'The reunion was born out of a number of suggestions over the last few years from a great number of sources and it was with great pleasure that we announced the first – and much overdue – combined dinner night,' Mr Mortimer said.

'The attendance was a resounding success. Seventy members and their ladies were in attendance with members coming from as far away as Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

'A typical Viking night was had by one and all.

'We hope this reunion is the forerunner of many more to come.'

On November 17, Mr Mortimer added, there would be an all-ranks reunion for veterans of the Aden and Radfan campaigns.