British Order of Battle at the Aden Emergency
The following units of the British Armed Forces participated in the Aden Emergency (1963–67).
Royal Air Force
All based at RAF Khormaksar, Aden unless noted:
- No. 8 Squadron RAF with the Hawker Hunter FGA.9[1]
- No. 21 Squadron RAF with the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer CC.1, Douglas Dakota & Hawker Siddeley Andover CC.2[2]
- No. 26 Squadron RAF with the Bristol Belvedere HC.1 (1963-65)[3]
- No. 36 Squadron RAF with the Lockheed C-130K Hercules C.1, based at RAF Lyneham[4][5]
- No. 37 Squadron RAF with the Avro Shackleton MR.2[6][7]
- No. 43 Squadron RAF with the Hunter FGA.9[8][7]
- No. 78 Squadron RAF with the Twin Pioneer CC.1[9] & Wessex HC.2[10]
- No. 84 Squadron RAF with the Blackburn Beverley C.1[11][9]
- No. 105 Squadron RAF with the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C.1[12]
- No. 208 Squadron RAF with the Hunter FGA.9[13][7]
- No. 233 Squadron RAF with the Vickers Valetta C.1[14]
- No. 1417 (Fighter Reconnaissance) Flight RAF with the Hunter T.7 & FR.10[15]
- Middle East Command Communication Squadron RAF with the English Electric Canberra B.2, Dakota C.4, Handley Page Hastings C.4 & Valetta C.2[16]
- RAF Police Joint Service Command
- No. 123 Signals Unit RAF
- RAF Regiment
- No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment[17] 1965/66?
- No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment[17] 1965?
- No. 37 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- No. 48 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
Royal Navy
Task Force 318 - consisted of 10 RFA vessels along with Royal Navy vessels as part of Operation Magister for the withdrawal from Aden.[18]
- Ton-class minesweeper HMS Appleton[19] - last Royal Navy vessel to leave Aden[20]
- Retainer class armament stores ship RFA Resurgent[19]
- Tide-class replenishment oiler RFA Tidespring[18]
- Dale-class tanker RFA Dewdale[19]
- Leander-class frigate HMS Minerva[19]
- Leander-class frigate HMS Phoebe
- Leander-class frigate HMS Ajax[19]
- Tribal-class frigate HMS Ashanti
- Battle-class destroyer HMS Barrosa[19]
- C-class destroyer HMS Cambrian
- County-class destroyer HMS Hampshire[21]
- County-class destroyer HMS London[19]
- Round Table-class landing ship logistics RFA Sir Galahad[19]
- Fearless-class landing platform dock HMS Fearless[21]
- Fearless-class landing platform dock HMS Intrepid[22][19]
- Audacious-class aircraft carrier HMS Eagle[23][19]
- 800 Naval Air Squadron[24][25][21] with Buccaneer S.2s[26][27]
- 820 Naval Air Squadron[24]
- 899 Naval Air Squadron with Sea Vixen FAW.2s[26][28]
- Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS Albion[29][23][19]
- Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark
- Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS Centaur[32][33][34]
- 892 Naval Air Squadron[31] with Sea Vixen FAW.1s[35]
- 815 Naval Air Squadron[31]
- Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS Hermes[23][36]
- 892 Naval Air Squadron with Sea Vixen FAW.2's[26][35]
- 809 Naval Air Squadron[37]
- 826 Naval Air Squadron[37]
- Amphion-class submarine HMS Auriga[21]
- Illustrious-class aircraft carrier HMS Victorious
- Royal Marines
British Army
- 22 SAS Regiment
- Royal Armoured Corps
- Guards Division
- 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
- 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
- Infantry
- 1st Battalion, Royal Scots
- 4th Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)
- 1st Battalion, King's Own Royal Border Regiment (Various companies in support)
- 1st Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers
- 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers
- B Company
- 1st Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment[44]
- 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers[45]
- Royal Anglian Regiment
- 1st East Anglian Regiment[43]
- 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment[46]
- 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment[45][46]
- 4th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment[46] (1965)
- C Company (1967)
- 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
- 1st Battalion, Lancashire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
- 1st Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry[47]
- 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
- 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders[45]
- 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
- 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers
- Parachute Regiment
- Royal Artillery
- 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery[48]
- 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
- 'J' (Sidi Rezegh) Battery[51]
- 7th (Parachute) Regiment Royal Horse Artillery[52]
- 19th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery[48]
- Helicopters from 47th Light Regiment, Royal Artillery[53]
- 95th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery
- Royal Engineers
- 10 Field Squadron (Airfields), Royal Engineers (Nov 1964 - 13 Dec 1967, last unit to leave)
- 12 Field Squadron
- 2 Troop[54]
- 13 Field Survey Squadron Royal Engineers (15 Jan 1964 - 29 Jun 1967)
- 24 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (15 Oct 1964 - 12 Jul 1965)
- 30 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Sep 1966 - Apr 1967)
- 34 Independent Field Squadron Royal Engineers
- 2 Troop
- 39 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Apr 1967 - Oct 1967)
- 50 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Aug 1964 - ?)
- A Troop (Sep 1967 - Nov 1967)
- 60 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Nov 1964 - Nov 1965, Mar 1967 - Oct 1967)
- 73 Field Squadron Royal Engineers (1965 - 1966)
- 131 Parachute Engineer Regiment (Territorial Army)
- 24th Brigade Postal and Courier Communications Unit Royal Engineers (1964 - 1967)
- Royal Corps of Signals
- 15 Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals (1965 - 1967)
- 222 (AF) Squadron Air Formation Signals (1959 - 1967)
- Royal Military Police
- Royal Corps of Transport
- Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Royal Army Medical Corps
- 10 Brigade. Group. Medical Company R.A.M.C.
- 24 Field Ambulance
- Royal Army Ordnance Corps
- Royal Army Pay Corps
- Army Air Corps
- 13 Flight[43]
- Intelligence Corps
- Royal Pioneer Corps (518 Company)
- Army Catering Corps
References
Citations
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 26.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 31.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 33.
- ^ Jefford 2001, p. 40.
- ^ a b "45 Royal Marine Commando Departs Aden [Allocated Title]". IWM. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 37.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Walker 2014, p. 97.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 39.
- ^ a b Walker 2014, p. 98.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 48.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 50.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 54.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 69.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 75.
- ^ Lake 1999, p. 88.
- ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 191.
- ^ a b c d e Oliver 1997, p. 228.
- ^ a b "RFA Tidespring". RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "British Withdrawal from Aden [Allocated Title]". IWM. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ "HMS Appleton". TON Class Association. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d "British Forces In Aden and South Arabia, 1945 - 1967". IWM. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Roberts 2009, p. 79–81.
- ^ a b c d Hobbs 1996, p. 34.
- ^ a b Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 396.
- ^ "The British Withdrawal From Aden, November 1967". IWM. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Walker 2014, p. 279.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 125.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 334.
- ^ Critchley 1980, p. 40.
- ^ a b c Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 393.
- ^ a b c d Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 395.
- ^ McCart 1997, p. 87.
- ^ McCart 1997, p. 95.
- ^ a b c Hobbs 1996, p. 72.
- ^ a b Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 321.
- ^ Hobbs 1996, p. 106.
- ^ a b Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 398.
- ^ a b c Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 402.
- ^ a b "Why did British troops leave Aden? - Task Force". IWM. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 99.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 264.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 80.
- ^ a b c d Walker 2014, p. 96.
- ^ "The British Army In Aden And The South Arabian Federation". IWM. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Aden Emergency". National Army Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Royal Anglian Regiment rounding up suspects, Aden, 1967 (c)". National Army Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "The British Army In Aden And The South Arabian Federation". IWM. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b Walker 2014, p. 157.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 193.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 212.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 83.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 156.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 265.
- ^ Walker 2014, p. 81.
Bibliography
- Critchley, Mike (1980). British Warships Since 1945 - Part 1. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 0-9506323-4-1.
- Hobbs, David (1996). Aircraft Carriers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies. London, UK: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-252-1.
- Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Lake, Alan (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
- McCart, Neil (1997). HMS Centaur, 1943-1972. Fan Publications.
- Oliver, Kingsley (1997). Through Adversity - The History of the Royal Air Force Regiment 1942-1992. UK: Forces & Corporate Publishing. ISBN 0-9529597-0-4.
- Roberts, John (2009). Safeguarding the Nation: The Story of the Modern Royal Navy. Annapolis, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-812-8.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Ballance, Theo (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.
- Walker, Jonathan (2014). Aden Insurgency. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-47382-763-9.