Aden Protectorate Levies
Encyclopedia
The Aden Protectorate Levies (APL) were a militia
force for local defense of the Aden Protectorate
. The Levies were drawn from all parts of the Protectorate and were armed and officered by the British military. They used the Lahej emblem of crossed jambiyah (traditional curved double-edged dagger) as their badge.
stations following the change of status of Aden to an Air Command in April 1927. Their secondary role was to be that of assisting the civil police. The APL also formed a Camel Troop.
Colonel M.C. Lake of the British Indian Army
was the first Commanding Officer until Lt. Col. J.C. (Robby) Robinson took over command in 1929 and remained as C.O. till 1939. In 1928 the APL comprised two British officers and six platoons of Arabs (each one officer and 34 men) recruited from tribes in the Western Protectorate states, they had 48 camels and 8 mules. The APL recruited from the various tribes which lived in the foothills or the higher mountainous regions of the protectorate.
Based in Aden Colony was the APL Depot Battalion, the Levies Base and Training Organisation. The Depot included married quarters, a neonatal clinic, a school for children, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. Air supply and other repair and supply units also were based there.
The APL Hospital (ALH), located near Khormaksar
, was a 160 bed RAF general hospital where free medical care was given to the APL's 1,500 men active members and their families, and also to former members, about 10,000 people in all. The ALH also provided the veterinary medicines to the APL. The hospital CO was an RAF doctor assisted by two RAF warrant officers, and an administration and supplies staff. Medical coverage was provided by three RAF doctors and a surgeon who were assisted by local doctors. The other RAF personnel were two male nurses, two laboratory technicians and a Pharmacist. Local people made up the rest of the staff and all of them would have been trained on site.
Arab Officers (Bimbashis), one of whom in each Battalion was responsible to the Commanding Officer for Arab Administration, held Governor's Commissions as 2nd Lieutenant (MulazimIth Thani); Lieutenant (Mulazim Al Awal); Captain (Rais); and Major (Wakil Qaid Ith Thani). The senior Arab was a Lieutanant Colonel (Qaid Al Awal).
the APL consisted of 1,600 men operating in Aden and the Western Aden Protectorate but also providing garrisons at Socotra Island and Sharjah.
In 1942 British Army
personnel started being replaced over a period of 6 years by RAF Regiment
officers and airmen by 1948.
, were seen to turn a blind eye to the violence and themselves fired indiscriminately on the Jews, killing many.
In 1960 the APL consisted of four rifle battalions each of which had 3" mortars, medium machine guns and signallers, and a Mechanical Transport Platoon. The APL was a brigade-equivalent with its own air supply and air liaison officers and the Senior Arab Officer. Plus there was the APL Armoured Car Squadron, the APL Signal Squadron, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. The APL Camel troop was a ceremonial unit conducted many public appearances.
On 30 November 1961, following the creation of the Federation, the APL changed name to the Federal Regular Army.
one D.S.O.
,
seven M.C.
s,
two M.M.
s,
one O.B.E.,
three M.B.E.s and
one B.E.M.
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
force for local defense of the Aden Protectorate
Aden Protectorate
The Aden Protectorate was a British protectorate in southern Arabia which evolved in the hinterland of Aden following the acquisition of that port by Britain in 1839 as an anti-piracy station, and it continued until the 1960s. For administrative purposes it was divided into the Western...
. The Levies were drawn from all parts of the Protectorate and were armed and officered by the British military. They used the Lahej emblem of crossed jambiyah (traditional curved double-edged dagger) as their badge.
History
The APL were formed on 1 April 1928 primarily to protect Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
stations following the change of status of Aden to an Air Command in April 1927. Their secondary role was to be that of assisting the civil police. The APL also formed a Camel Troop.
Colonel M.C. Lake of the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
was the first Commanding Officer until Lt. Col. J.C. (Robby) Robinson took over command in 1929 and remained as C.O. till 1939. In 1928 the APL comprised two British officers and six platoons of Arabs (each one officer and 34 men) recruited from tribes in the Western Protectorate states, they had 48 camels and 8 mules. The APL recruited from the various tribes which lived in the foothills or the higher mountainous regions of the protectorate.
Based in Aden Colony was the APL Depot Battalion, the Levies Base and Training Organisation. The Depot included married quarters, a neonatal clinic, a school for children, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. Air supply and other repair and supply units also were based there.
The APL Hospital (ALH), located near Khormaksar
Khormaksar
Khormaksar , is a city district in Aden Governorate, Yemen, with a population of 47,044 according to 2004 census.-History:As part of Aden Colony Khormaksar was a military base for the British forces who built multiple barracks in the area. Its importance strengthened further after the Royal Air...
, was a 160 bed RAF general hospital where free medical care was given to the APL's 1,500 men active members and their families, and also to former members, about 10,000 people in all. The ALH also provided the veterinary medicines to the APL. The hospital CO was an RAF doctor assisted by two RAF warrant officers, and an administration and supplies staff. Medical coverage was provided by three RAF doctors and a surgeon who were assisted by local doctors. The other RAF personnel were two male nurses, two laboratory technicians and a Pharmacist. Local people made up the rest of the staff and all of them would have been trained on site.
Arab Officers (Bimbashis), one of whom in each Battalion was responsible to the Commanding Officer for Arab Administration, held Governor's Commissions as 2nd Lieutenant (MulazimIth Thani); Lieutenant (Mulazim Al Awal); Captain (Rais); and Major (Wakil Qaid Ith Thani). The senior Arab was a Lieutanant Colonel (Qaid Al Awal).
World War Two
By 1939 the APL Anti-aircraft Wing shot down an Italian plane. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the APL consisted of 1,600 men operating in Aden and the Western Aden Protectorate but also providing garrisons at Socotra Island and Sharjah.
In 1942 British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
personnel started being replaced over a period of 6 years by RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
officers and airmen by 1948.
Postwar
During the December 1947 anti-Jewish riots, when there were no regular British troops in Aden at that particular time, Aden's Jewish community felt some relief when they heard that the APL were to be bought in to protect them. But the Levies, being Arab MuslimsArab Muslims
Arab Muslims are adherents of the religion of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, or genealogically as Arabs. They greatly outnumber other ethnic groups in the Middle East. Muslims who are not Arabs are called mawali by Arab Muslims....
, were seen to turn a blind eye to the violence and themselves fired indiscriminately on the Jews, killing many.
In 1960 the APL consisted of four rifle battalions each of which had 3" mortars, medium machine guns and signallers, and a Mechanical Transport Platoon. The APL was a brigade-equivalent with its own air supply and air liaison officers and the Senior Arab Officer. Plus there was the APL Armoured Car Squadron, the APL Signal Squadron, the APL Band and the APL Camel Troop. The APL Camel troop was a ceremonial unit conducted many public appearances.
On 30 November 1961, following the creation of the Federation, the APL changed name to the Federal Regular Army.
Awards
The Levies were awarded the following:one D.S.O.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
,
seven M.C.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
s,
two M.M.
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
s,
one O.B.E.,
three M.B.E.s and
one B.E.M.
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...