Camel rider of the Aden Protectorate Levies beside a jet plane on the RAF airfield, Aden, Yemen

Situated on the sea route between Europe and India, Aden was a long-standing refuelling and transhipping point. At the time Brake visited, it was under British control, as part of the Aden Protectorate. The RAF base was of particular strategic value to the British in the Middle East, and became more so once they lost control of the Suez Canal in 1956. This base was guarded by a force drawn from all parts of the Protectorate, known as the Aden Protectorate Levies. It was armed and run by the British, and included a ceremonial camel troop.