Mad Mitch's Tribal Law: Aden and the End of the Empire

by Aaron Edwards

Aden, June 20, 1967: two army Land Rovers burn ferociously in the midday sun. The bodies of nine British soldiers litter the road. Bright flames mixed with thick, black smoke bellows above Crater town, a tough Arab neighborhood built on top of a dormant volcano. Surrounded by high rugged peaks and perched on the south-western edge of the Arabian peninsular, it is home to insurgents, terrorists, and gangsters, who establish "no-go areas" against the British-backed Federation government. Crater had come to symbolize Arab nationalist defiance in the face of the world’s most powerful empire. Hovering 2,000 ft. above the smouldering destruction, a tiny Scout helicopter surveys the scene. Its passenger is the recently arrived commanding officer of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Lieutenant-Colonel Colin Mitchell. Soon the world’s media would christen him "Mad Mitch" in recognition of his extremely robust and controversial reoccupation of Crater two weeks later. Mad Mitch was truly a man out of his time. Supremely self-confident and debonair, he was an empire builder, not dismantler, and railed against the national malaise he felt had gripped Britain’s political establishment. Drawing on a wide array of never-before-seen archival sources and eyewitness testimonies, Mad Mitch’s Tribal Law tells the remarkable story of inspiring leadership, loyalty, and betrayal in the final days of British Empire. It is, above all, a shocking account of Britain’s forgotten war on terror.

Genres: Middle East

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2014

About the author

Welcome to my Goodreads Page!

I’m a reader first and a writer second.

My several books include the critically acclaimed Mad Mitch’s Tribal Law: Aden and the End of Empire (Transworld Books, 2014; paperback 2015) and UVF: Behind the Mask (Merrion Press, 2017).

I have taught in the Faculty for the Study of Leadership, Security and Warfare at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst since 2008, traveling the world to instruct on global security challenges, including terrorism, war and peace.

In my spare time beyond reading, writing and teaching I love walking, trekking and running.

Reviews

[Harv Rettberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I was interested in learning more about Britain’s history in Aden. This book provided enough historical perspective with becoming overwhelming.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book on the subject of british aden and southern Arabia which erupted into fighting and british withdrawal in 1967 and the latter of colin Mitchell or mad mitch as he was nicknamed and how this become Britain graveyard

[Joe Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I am glad I read this book after "the Aden Emergency". That book was better for the overall history of the conflict, but this one is more enjoyable to read. This one also had much more information about Col. Mitchell , the Battle of the Crater, and the post Conflict events surrounding Col Mitchell.