Page 143 - Demo

143Army garrison had left Aden prior to Indian independence and the residual British Army presence consisted of only a few small logistic and other specialised garrison sub8units. Then Palestine erupted, causing Arabs across the Middle East to turn on local Jews, of whom there were many in Aden. Five day%u2019s of anti8Jewish rioting in early December 1947, resulted in heavy loss of life on both sides, Jew and Arab. The reports tell of mass graves being needed, regardless of religion, for reasons of public health. Smoke and flame from massive fires in Crater City was likened to a re8awakening of the extinct volcano from which it is named. The indigenous Aden Armed Police were steady, but could not cope, so a Levy Wing was sent in to re8establish the peace, whilst an RAF Regiment Wing, with three squadrons (approx 500 men), plus two companies of infantry (approx 200 men) was summoned urgently from the Suez Canal Zone. Unfortunately, there was no Joint Operations Centre in Aden, making it almost impossible to exert effective command over the troops trying to control the unrest in Crater, Ma%u2019alla and Steamer Point. The %u2018scratch%u2019 British Force involved included APL and forty sailors from miscellaneous RN ships, all of them untrained in riot8control. Controversy remains as to whether the Levies were wholly loyal, but they were clearly ill8prepared for IS duties, because somebody ordered the firing of warning shots over the rioters, a practice that had been specifically prohibited throughout the British Empire since the Amritsar disaster of 1919. Warning shots cause an excited %u2018mob mind%u2019 to assume that the authorities are not serious, whilst agitators may exploit the situation, generating more fervour. As matters worsened, automatic fire was authorised; even more taboo after Amritsar. Much blood was shed over five days and the chaos worsened. At one point the Levies were withdrawn to barracks and disarmed on suspicion of treachery, before the Levy Force Commander, a (Territorial) Col Jones appeared on the scene and persuaded the Governor to reverse the decision after half an hour. After this Wg Cdr (later AVM) Donald Pocock, who had recently formed a third Levy Wing, relieved the first unit and on its very first operation his No 3 Wg successfully contained the situation until the RAF Regiment and the infantry arrived from Egypt on the fifth day. Upon its arrival, No 20 Wing RAF Regt took control, with the infantry companies