The Aden Emergency was an insurgency against the British Crown forces in the British controlled territories of South Arabia which now form part of the Yemen. Partly inspired by Nasser's pan Arab nationalism, it began on 10 December 1963 with the throwing of a grenade at a gathering of British officials at Aden Airport. A state of emergency was then declared in the British Crown colony of Aden and its hinterland, the Aden Protectorate.
The Radfan Campaign was a series of British military actions during the Aden Emergency. It took place in the mountainous Radfan region near the border with Yemen. Local tribesmen connected with the NLF began raiding the road connecting with Aden with the town of Dhala. In January 1964 the local army sent three battalions supported by the RAF to restore order. Trouble flared up again and in April British ground troops were sent in; by May they had taken the main rebel stronghold and the revolt had been suppressed. The NLF then switched its attention to Aden itself.
The emergency escalated in 1967 and hastened the end of British rule in the territory which had begun in 1839. On 30 November 1967, British forces withdrew and the independent People's Republic of South Yemen was proclaimed.
653 Squadron served with Beavers and Scouts, of 8 and 13 Flts, from Falaise Camp in Little Aden from 9 March 1961 until It was disbanded on 19 Oct 1967. 13 Flt had operated some Auster AOP 9s prior to 1965 and 15? Flt Beavers from 1964 to withdrawal. The Skeeter was trialled but couldn't cope with the heat.
8 and 13 Flts operated Scouts from 1964. Much of their time was spent identifying usable landing zones and providing armed cover to RN and RAF units. Forward patrol bases were established by troop-lifting, which would carry out cordon/search operations and respond to contact reports. With two skid-mounted GPMGs and one mounted in the rear cabin, the Scouts were available to escort other aircraft on "checkout" tasks. Isolated and concealed SAS patrols often provided tip-offs for checkout locations, via whispered radio transmissions.
Sioux independents flights, attached to individual regiments (2 Infantry, 2 Cavalry and 1 artillery) from 1965.
1964 May 26: The CO of 3 Para, Lt Col Anthony Farrar-Hockley, used a Scout to reconnoitre the Wadi Dhubsan area, in the Radfan Hills, on 26 May 1964. The aircraft was hit by enemy fire and the pilot made an emergency landing behind enemy lines. Farrar-Hockley rejoined the unit and was awarded the Bar to his Distinguished Service Order for his leadership. The aircraft was subsequently recovered.
1966 May 16, Scout XR634: Pilot error whilst landing, caused an 8 Flt Scout, XR634, to spin twice before hitting the ground. Although initially repairable the Scout was subsequently damaged beyond economic repair when it was dropped by the RAF Wessex sent to recover it.
1967 May 05, Scout XT635: A Scout from 13 Flt, 653 Sqn, (XT635) flew into a hillside during a night patrol at Jebal, on 5 May 1967, killing the two crew from 13 Flt, Lt David Anthony Morgan, RASC/RCT and Cpl Christopher Timothy Gibb, REME (23), and the two passengers: Anthony John Dunn, 45 Commando, Royal Marines (24) and Taff Iles, also known as John, Royal Engineers, serving with 22 Special Air Service.
1967 May 30: On 30 May 1967, a Royal Engineers convoy had come under attack from around 30 men in the Wadi Matlah in the South Arabian Federation. Two Scouts set out to the area, one armed and one for casulty evacuation. The armed Scout was fitted with a fixed firing GMPG on each skid, operated by the pilot, plus a side door pintle-mounted GPMG operated by the air-gunner. Flown by Lt David John Ralls, RCT, it came under fire but returned it and marked the enemy's position with a smoke grenade. He then guided in three Hawker Hunter ground-attack aircraft onto the enemy positions. The Scout then came under fire from another location, this time from near a cave. Lt Ralls led the incoming RAF Wessex helicoper, with Royal Marines on board, to a site above the cave. Stopping to pick up four casualties from the ambush position, Ralls returned to the base at Habilayn to refuel. But the aircraft was so badly damaged by enemy fire that it was assessed as no longer airworthy and so Ralls and his air gunner had to take a different Scout back to the ambush area. Halls was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day.
1967 Sep 03, Scout XT641: Scout XT641 went down in the mountains in Wahidi of Radfan, during a 50-mile flight on 3 September 1967. The aircraft appears to have been destroyed on the ground and the pilot (Staff Sergeant John Francis Baulcomb) and the British political officer (Major Peter Frederick Gooch), on board, were believed to have been killed by local tribesmen. The other passenger, the "Hakim", or head of government, of Wahidi was not found.
*Wikipedia article ratings, in order of quality: Stub, Start, C, B, GA