British Forces Aden was the name given to the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

stationed in the

Aden Protectorate The Aden Protectorate ( ar, محمية عدن ') was a British protectorate in South Arabia which evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut following the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British India ...

during part of the 20th century. Their purpose was to preserve the security of the Protectorate from both internal threats and external aggression.

History

British Forces Aden was originally formed as Aden Command in 1928.Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - Overseas Commands - Middle East and Mediterranean
On its establishment, Aden Command was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF)

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

which was responsible for the control all British armed forces in the Protectorate. It was renamed British Forces in Aden, or simply British Forces Aden, in 1936 and renamed again in 1956 as British Forces Arabian Peninsula. In 1959

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

was divided into two commands split by the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...

.''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the corps (1920-2001)'' by Cliff Lord and Graham Watson, Page 54
/ref> The two parts were ''British Forces Arabian Peninsular'', which was based at

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 peopl ...

, and the remnants in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

which on 1 March 1961 was renamed Near East Command. On 1 March 1961 British Forces Arabian Peninsula was renamed, again, this time as Middle East Command (Aden). The senior commanders were Air Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy, C-in-C Middle East; Rear Admiral Talbot,

Flag Officer, Middle East The Flag Officer, Middle East was a command appointment of the Royal Navy, established for two distinct periods from 194658 and then from . From the appointment was located in the Suez Canal Zone or, after the Suez Crisis, in the Cyprus area; when ...

; Major General Jim Robertson, GOC

Middle East Land Forces Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

; Air Vice Marshal David Lee, Air Officer Commanding, Air Forces Middle East, and GOC East Africa Command. The GOC and AOC were working from the command HQ at Aden while FOME initially was at Bahrain with his headquarters at HMS Juffair. FOME moved to

HMS Sheba HMS Sheba also known as HM Naval Base, Aden was a Royal Navy shore base at Steamer Point (now Tawahi) in Aden. It was closed after South Yemen achieved independence in 1967. During the Second World War World War II or the Second ...

in the naval dockyard at Steamer Point after the 1961 Kuwait crisis (Walker, Aden Insurgency, 90); Rear Admiral Talbot seemingly moved on May 1, 1962. Naval forces reportedly included three frigates, the Amphibious Warfare Squadron, the commando carrier , and

45 Commando Royal Marines 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the ...

based ashore at

. 45 Commando had arrived on 23 April 1960, disembarking from ''Dunera'', and settling in BP Camp, which had been turned over by 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. At the end of November 1967, following the British withdrawal from Aden at the end of the Emergency, the remaining British Forces in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

, including units at

Salalah Salalah ( ar, صَلَالَة, Ṣalālah) is the capital and largest city of the southern Omani governorate of Dhofar. Its population in 2009 was about 197,169. Salalah is the third-largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city ...

and

Masirah Masirah Island ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مَصِيْرَة, Jazīrat Maṣīrah), also referred to as Mazeira Island or ''Wilāyat Maṣīrah'' ( ar, وِلَايَة مَصِيْرَة), is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the ...

, were reorganized under Headquarters British Forces Gulf, which was based at

RAF Muharraq MUH or Muh may refer to: * Marsa Matruh International Airport, Egypt (IATA code) * Mathematical universe hypothesis, a "theory of everything" * MUH Arla MUH Arla is a cooperative dairy firm with its head office in Pronsfeld in the county of ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...

. British Forces Gulf was placed under the command of Rear Admiral John E. L. Martin, previously the last

, who handed over to Air Vice Marshal S B Grant on 4 April 1968. The command was disbanded on 15 December 1971.

Organization in 1939

The structure of the units based in Aden in 1939:

Aden Colony

* Headquarters * Aden Squadron,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

Aden Protectorate Levies The Aden Protectorate Levies (APL) were an Arab military force raised for the local defence of the Aden Protectorate under British rule. The Levies were drawn from all parts of the Protectorate and were armed and officered by the British militar ...

– 4 Battalions * 2/5th Battalion,

Mahratta Light Infantry The Maratha Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It traces its lineage to the Bombay Sepoys, raised in 1768, making it the most senior light infantry regiment in the Indian Army. The class composition of the regiment ...

* 20th Fortress Company,

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

* 5th Heavy Regiment,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

* 9th Field Battery,

* 15th Air Defence Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery

Commanders

Commanders have included:

Aden Command

*8 March 1928

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

W G S Mitchell *5 September 1929 Group Captain C T MacLean (later Air Commodore) *7 August 1931 Group Captain O T Boyd *20 January 1934 Group Captain C F A Portal (Air Commodore from January 1935) *2 December 1935

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

E L Gossage

British Forces Aden

*1 July 1936 Air Commodore W A McClaughry *28 September 1938 Air Vice-Marshal G R M Reid *10 September 1941 Air Vice-Marshal F G D Hards *12 January 1943 Air Vice-Marshal F H MacNamara (

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

) *12 March 1945 Air Vice-Marshal H T Lydford *8 March 1948 Air Vice-Marshal A C Stevens *1 March 1950 Air Vice-Marshal F J Fressanges *11 March 1952 Air Vice-Marshal D Macfadyen *12 October 1953 Air Vice-Marshal S O Bufton *17 September 1955 Air Vice-Marshal L F Sinclair

British Forces Arabian Peninsula

*30 September 1957 Air Vice-Marshal M L Heath *19 September 1959

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admi ...

Sir Hubert Patch *3 August 1960 Air Marshal Sir Charles Elworthy

Commanders (Air Forces)

Air Forces Middle East

* 1959 Air Chief Marshal DJ Pryer Lee * 1961 Air Chief Marshal F Rosier * 1963 Air commodore J E Johnson * 15 December 1965 Air Vice-Marshal AH Humphrey

References

Bibliography

* {{British armies, commands, and corps during the Second World War Royal Air Force commands Joint commands of the United Kingdom 20th-century establishments in the Aden Protectorate 1928 establishments in Asia 1928 establishments in the British Empire Military units and formations established in 1928 Aden in World War II Military units and formations in Aden in World War II Military history of Aden during World War II Military units and formations established in 1961