The Prince of Wales’s Visits to Aden 1875-76

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In 1875 the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) left England aboard HMS Serapis, bound for India to celebrate Queen Victoria’s appointment as Empress of India. The Serapis was a Royal Naval troopship, completed in 1866 and modified for use as a Royal Yacht. Travelling on the Serapis was George Wheeler, the special correspondent of the ‘Central News’. He wrote a chronicle of the round trip and this is his entry for 1st November 1875:

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“Anchored off Aden. The only man-of-war in harbour, the Vulture, was dressed for the occasion. The Prince and suite went on shore at 9.30 and remained till the cool of the evening as the guests of brigadier-general Schneider, the political resident. Salutes were fired from the guns at Steamer Point, and a guard of honour from the 25th Regiment (2nd battalion) was drawn up at the ‘bunder’ or landing-place. His Royal Highness obtained his first glimpse of the native infantry of India while on shore here. Other troops, natives of Aden and its neighbourhood, mounted on horses and camels, escorted HRH to the European camp. 

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The Parsees are a flourishing body in Aden, and their chief representative read an address to HRH on the pier. The Dutch consul, Mr Salmon, also read an address. The gallant King’s Own Borderers entertained the Prince at breakfast, and he was afterwards taken to see the far-famed freshwater tanks, and the fortifications, which latter are built on the land side of Aden, with the view of repelling attacks of Arabs. Several Arab chiefs, including the Sultan of Lahej, whom the Prince presented with a silver medal, and all the officers political and military at the station, were received at a levee held within the residency in the afternoon. As the Serapis steamed away in the evening, Aden was illuminated with Indian lamps, and bonfires blazed forth from her promontories.”

 
HMS Serapis

The timing of the Serapis’s call at Aden on the way back from India was somewhat unfortunate. She arrived at Aden on Sunday the 19th March at 8 pm and sailed at 0230 the next day. The Prince of Wales did not land.

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The Resident, Brigadier-General Schneider, waited on HRH. Schneider was accompanied by the two staff officers from the army garrison and by his acting 1st Assistant, Captain Sealy. A royal salute was fired on Monday morning. Guards of honour from the 55th Foot and the 6th Native Infantry, together with the Aden Troop, had been in readiness at Steamer Point in the expectation that the Serapis would not arrive until early on the Monday and that HRH would land for a few hours. One visit to Aden was enough!