Battle of Crater

The Battle of Crater, also known by the British as Operation Stirling Castle, was a battle that took place in July 1967 during the Aden Emergency. After the mutiny of the Arab Armed Police and ambush of British troops by them, the Crater district in Aden was abandoned by British troops. The British then decided to enter Crater and retrieve the bodies of dead British soldiers.

The battle

The operation began on 3 July 1967 with the Argyll and [Sutherland Highlanders] commanded by Lt-Col Colin Mitchell performing a night invasion of Crater, which he termed Operation Stirling Castle, after the Argylls’ regimental headquarters. The enemy was taken totally by surprise, and effective resistance ceased. A particular sign of Mitchell’s confidence was his decision to order the pipe band to march down the main street of Crater, playing regimental tunes, for which the Pipe major was mentioned in despatches. British troops remained in Crater until the end of the Emergency.