The invasion of Cheikh Said was a part of the campaigns by the Ottomans to take

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

, a British crown colony. It is a British offensive led by H. V. Cox to destroy Ottoman works, wells, and armaments they have there on the 10th of November 1914. It resulted in Ottoman retreat and total British victory by the next day.

Background

Britain declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 5 November 1914. In response, the Ottomans themselves declared war back on the British six days later. From the start of the war, the Ottomans had planned to along with the Arab tribes, to take over the British crown colony of

and its hinterland, the Aden Protectorate. The Ottomans, to execute the plan, maintained a small fort guarding the entrance of the Red Sea in

Cheikh Saïd Cheikh Said (frequently spelled Sheikh Said) is a rocky peninsula in Yemen, near the island of Perim on the Bab-el-Mandeb at the entrance to the Red Sea. In 1868 it was purchased from the local ruler, Sheikh Ali Tabet Ahmed, by Bazin et Rabaud, ...

, a peninsula which juts out into the Red Sea towards the island of Perim. Meanwhile, Britain ordered The

29th Indian Brigade The 29th Indian Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army that saw active service with the Indian Army during the First World War. Formed in October 1914, it raided Sheik Saiad en route to Egypt, defended the Suez Canal in e ...

, under Brigadier-General H. V. Cox, CB, then on its way from India to Suez, to interrupt its voyage to capture Cheikh Saïd and destroy the Ottoman forces gathered there.Richard J. Shuster, "Aden". ''The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social and Military History'', Volume 1, Spencer C. Tucker, ed. (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005), p. 37.

Battle

On the 10th of November, the British sent transports conveying three battalions of the

and

23rd Sikh Pioneers The 23rd Sikh Pioneers were a regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1857, when they were known as the 15th (Pioneer) Regiment of Punjab Infantry. The regiment recruited the Mazhabi Sikhs and Ramdasia Sikhs of Pu ...

to land an offensive on the Ottoman garrison present in the Peninsula. Accompanied by the armored cruiser HMS Duke of Edinburgh, opened fire on the Ottoman garrison while the transports were seeking a place to land. The location planned earlier though, was impossible for troops to land on account of the weather and the troops landed somewhere else a little way off under the armored cruiser's cover fire. The 29th Indian Brigade and 23rd Sikh Pioneers along with the sailors who had joined in the landing stormed the Ottomans' position and forced the Turks to leave their field guns behind and retreat.The next day, with a naval demolition party the Ottomans' fortifications were lost to the British forces. After its capture,the Ottomans' fort there was blown up by the British. Armoured cruiser HMS Duke of Edinburgh - IWM Q 75360

Armoured cruiser HMS Duke of Edinburgh - IWM Q 75360

After the landing

What followed was that H. V. Cox continued his way to Suez. As it was unfavorable to continue the offensive inland.The Ottomans in turn had troops stationed at the north of the Aden Protectorate's border. As of its impact, it kickstarted the Aden Theatre.In July 1915,the peninsula was retaken by Ottoman forces until their surrender on 19 January 1919.Mehra, Ram Narain (1988). Aden & Yemen, 1905-1919

References

{{Reflist Campaigns and theatres of World War I British Empire in World War I Ottoman Empire in World War I Modern history of Yemen *Battles of World War I Wars involving Yemen