'Memoirs and Recollections of An Officer of the Indian Political Service' [‎6r] (11/156)

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members of the Minister’s Escort of Indian Cavalry, which necessitated the presence
of an Indian Army Officer, who could speak the language of the men. Now it so
happened (and this was quite fortuitous) that, at the time, the Escort - consisting
of a Daffadar (Sergeant) and eight troopers - were all Sikhs drawn from C Squadron
of the 8th Light Cavalry. It was however clear to me from the various military
intelligence reports we had been receiving in Aden that there was more in this
unusual posting than met the eye, because Ethiopia was at the time the centre of world
interest. For many months past, there had been unrest on the Northern and Southern
frontiers of the country.
On the pretext of serious border incidents and incursions by both sides over the
border between Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia (the Ogaden), the Italian Government
in the form of the Dictator Mussolini had begun to reinforce its troops and air
forces in Eritrea on the northern frontier with Ethiopea and in Italian Somaliland
in the south. In addition, Italian naval units were beginning to arrive in increas
ing force in the Red Sea. From all these indications and the bellicose and inflam
matory Italian official utterances emanating from Rome, it was clear that Mussolini
was on the verge of invading Ethiopia, and was only biding his time before he ordered
the commencement of hostilities. Addis Ababa, from being a little known and rather
inaccessible capital of a backward and impoverished African Kingdom, suddenly became
the centre of world attention. All through 1935, the great powers, notably Great
Britain, France and the United States, were engaged in tortuous and often unavailing
efforts through the medium of the League of Nations to avert the outbreak of war.
It was the era of Samuel Hoare, Anthony Eden and Laval.
Here I digress to recount a personal episode. During the last week of my stay in Aden,
there occurred an incident, which sounds amusing now, but was certainly not so at
the time, when - through my own foolishness - I might have put paid to my assignment
to Addis Ababa. It occurred in this way. My elder brother Henry, who was a Sapper
Officer serving with the Madras Sappers and Miners in Bangalore, had recently been
married while on leave in England. He and his bride were returning to India on the
P & 0 mail steamer passing through Aden, and I went off early one morning to meet
them and to accompany them ashore for a quick tour round. I was so used to doing
the same for VIP's passing through Aden, that I thought that I knew all there was to
know about the sailing procedures of P & 0 liners. I was treating myself to the luxury
of an English breakfast in the ship’s dining saloon with my brother and his wife, when
I heard the order "All non-passengers ashore!". I told Henry that there was no hurry
as the gangway would not be raised for at least another twenty minutes, and I continued
with my bacon and eggs. The next thing I knew was that the "S.S. Corfu" was under way.