Wednesday 27th September 2023
St John’s Place, Lower Road, Bemerton, SP2 9NP
7.30-9.30pm
The abandonment of the Aden colony in 1967 was widely seen as an ignominious retreat. Politically and by reputation it was. However, despite intense attacks against the security forces in the build-up to the withdrawal, the huge operation was conducted very effectively. Most personnel were evacuated by air via Bahrain with huge amounts of equipment moved by sea. The final phase was an amphibious withdrawal carried out by 42 Commando Group deployed from Singapore.
This presentation describes the last few months before the withdrawal, covering some of the major incidents: the preparations prior to the deployment with the supporting Naval Task Force, the RAF contribution and, finally the operations as the Commando Group redeployed back to sea. The personal activities of the presenter who was deployed as a young rifle section commander give an insight into what it was actually like to participate in the operation at that level.
Entrance for members is included in your annual subscription. For non-members, entrance is £10 (cash, card or cheque) at the door.
Ray Faull joined the Royal Artillery as a Jnr Leader. He served with 29 and 95 Commando Regiments worldwide until commissioning from BSM. Following tours in BAOR as an FOO and on the staff HQ 4 Armd Div, he returned to 29 Cdo as a Bty Comd. Later posts included time at the MoD, Joint Warfare staff and back in 29 responsible for Naval Fire Support. He retired from the Army in 1999 and has lived in Salisbury since then.