1964-66



Aden was occupied by the British in 1839 as it had a large harbour and it was used as a coaling station for ships on their way to India and the Far East. Aden State became a Crown Colony in 1939 and the hinterland was formed into the Western Aden Protectorate. This consisted of 17 independent states each with its own ruler.
 
Trouble in the area began soon after the Second World War as Britain began dismantle the Empire, and this increased dramatically after the Suez Crisis of 1956. With the rise of Arab nationalism, Yemen, supported by Egypt, laid claim to Aden. To counter this, Britain began to convert the Western Aden Protectorate into a Federation with a view to eventual independence.
 
Yemen and Egypt were determined to undermine the Federation and launched a campaign of guerrilla warfare in the mountainous regions and terrorism in the urban areas of Aden State. Britain gave support to the Federation’s rulers and the Radfan campaign was fought between April and June 1964. British control was re-established but the guerrilla war continued for another two and a half years.
 
The 2nd Battalion served in Aden between October 1964 and October 1965, and the 1st Battalion between October 1965 and April 1966.

 
The 2nd Battalion arrived in October 1964, and their main task was operating in the Radfan, where they aimed to dominate the area, keep the roads open and enforce the curfew. Most of the bases were between 2,000 and 4,000 feet above sea level in rocky, mountainous terrain. Defensive positions were sangars built of stone. The enemy operated in groups of 40-50 men and they were well armed with 81mm mortars, rockets and small arms. They always attacked after dark in order that they could be well away before dawn.
 
Time was spent patrolling, laying ambushes, clearing mines and manning many picquet posts. There were many encounters with the enemy, including being on the receiving end of full-scale attacks, involving mortars, rockets and grenades. Many casualties were inflicted on the enemy, but sadly several Coldstreamers were killed and many were wounded. Several gallantry awards were won by members of the Battalion.
 
The Battalion undertook four tours of duty in the Radfan, and in between they were based in Aden itself. Here they carried out some Internal Security duties, but their main task here was training and rest. In May 1965, No1 Company deployed to Mauritius to deal with rioting and violence there. They returned to Aden in July, and the whole battalion returned to the UK in October.
 
The 1st Battalion arrived in Aden in October 1965, but their tour was to be very different to that of the 2nd Battalion. Their main task was Internal Security duties within Aden itself, where they were trying to prevent the import of arms and ammunition, and to secure Khormaksar airfield which was very vulnerable to mortar fire. There were many roadblocks, but there were miles of open desert which made avoiding them very easy. The Second-in-Command, Major Stewart-Richardson, had the idea of building a barbed-wire fence from coast to coast, a distance of some 11 miles! The fence was duly built, and as major Stewart-Richardson’s nickname was ‘Scrubber’, it became known as the ‘Scrubber Line.’
 
The fence restricted entry to just three entry points which were each manned by a platoon. Khormaksar airfield was now well outside mortar range. There were incidents of grenade throwing and shootings most days, but the Battalion suffered no fatal casualties.
 
For much of the tour a company was detached to Radfan. Here it was under the command of a another regiment, and its experiences were similar to that of the 2nd Battalion. The majority of the Battalion were able to rotate through it so that they were able to experience the difficulties of the Radfan campaign.
 
The Battalion returned to Germany in April 1966.