The Flag Officer, Middle East was a command appointment of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, established for two distinct periods from 194658 and then from . From the appointment was located in the Suez Canal Zone or, after the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

, in the Cyprus area; when reestablished from the post of Flag Officer, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf, the focus was on the other side of Arabia. The headquarters moved from HMS ''Juffair'' in Bahrain to

HMS Sheba HMS Sheba also known as HM Naval Base, Aden was a Royal Navy shore base at Steamer Point (now Tawahi) in Aden. It was closed after South Yemen achieved independence in 1967. During the Second World War the senior naval administrative authority ...

, Steamer Point,

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

in 1962, and was located there until the British evacuation from Aden in 1967. In August 1946 the title

Commander-in-Chief, Levant The Commander-in-Chief, Levant was a senior administrative shore commander of the Royal Navy. The post was established in February 1943 when the British Chiefs of Staff Committee ordered the Mediterranean Fleet to be divided into two commands. On ...

was discontinued. Instead the title Senior British Naval Officer and Flag Officer Liaison, Middle East was adopted. In 1958 the last

Commander-in-Chief, East Indies The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' wa ...

, hauled down his flag. His former units and establishments were transferred to the joint-service Middle East Command at Aden. In 1959 the former East Indies

Persian Gulf Division Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

division were amalgamated under the Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf. In early 1962, the Flag Officer moved his headquarters from Bahrain to Aden, and by that time, the title Flag Officer Middle East was in use again. In October 1967,

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

in Aden was abolished, and the remaining naval forces '

East of Suez ''East of Suez'' is a term used in United Kingdom, British military and political discussions in reference to interests east of the Suez Canal, and may or may not include the Middle East.

' were transferred to the

Far East Fleet The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including the navies of the Netherlands, ...

Flag Officer Middle East, 1946 - 58

Bahrain and Aden, 1959-67

Flag Officer, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf

Post holders included:

Flag Officer, Middle East

Post holders included: {, class="wikitable" ! !! Rank !! Flag !! Name !! Term !! Notes/Ref , - , colspan="6" align="center" style="background:#dcdcfe;" , Flag Officer, Middle East , - , 1 , , Rear-Admiral , , Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy

, , John E. Scotland, , August 1962-August 1964 , , , - , 2 , , Rear-Admiral , , Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy

, , Peter N. Howes, , August 1964-September 1966 , , , - , 3 , , Rear-Admiral , , Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy

, , John E.L. Martin, , September 1966-September 1967 , , Then became Commander, British Forces Gulf at ''Juffair'' from Sept 1967 to August 1968.{{Cite web, url=https://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersM2.html, title = Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 -- M , -

References

M 1967 disestablishments Military units and formations disestablished in 1967