2009 Meeting

2009 sees the 60th anniversary of the founding of The Aden Dinner Club. Our lunch this year will therefore be a celebration Diamond Anniversary lunch. We will meet, as usual, at the Royal OverSeas League, St James's Street, London SW1 on Saturday, 12th September at midday for one o'clock. 

Tickets will be available in due course. For further information please contact Helen Balkwill-Clark, Secretary on royclark2@compuserve.com or 023 92412683.

Sorting Coffee Beans

Controversial French poet, Arthur Rimbaud, (1854-1891) turned his back on the literary world in 1873 at age 20 and set off in search of fortune. In August 1880 he arrived in Aden and with introduction in hand approached Pierre Bardey, partner of Bardey & Co.

The company was in the business of exporting coffee and other items from Aden from their 3-level property on Esplanade Road in Crater, close by the old solitary minaret,  and facing Front Bay and Sirah Island. Rimbaud was employed as foreman in the coffee-sorting warehouse for 7 francs a day including board and lodging.