Cunningham proceeded on an 8-month mid-tour leave in early February 1898. To cover such a long absence, Creagh was appointed as Resident. On his return in early December, Cuningham resumed his duties and Creagh returned to India. The former was invalided home on 22 January and Creagh returned to Aden about a month later, having been appointed to be the next Resident. In the interim the 1st Assistant was appointed 'acting Resident'.

Maj Gen Shaw was replaced by Maj Gen Younghusband on 16 July 1915. Once the latter had retaken Sheikh Othman at the end of July and then stabilised things further, he and his brigade returned to Egypt. Brigadier General Price was nominated in July as the next Resident, and he took over from Younghusband on 11 September 1915. I imagine that Price was invalided out of Aden and Brigadier General Walton replaced him on 18 February 1916. Walton was already in Aden as a full Colonel on the staff. His entry in ‘Who was Who’ has him as having commanded Aden Brigade, but with no mention of him having been Resident. I am pretty sure that he was only Acting Resident until Maj Gen Stewart became Resident on 16 July 1916.

In mid-1919 Major General Stewart went to England on 6 months leave. Before he left it had been agreed that Major General Beatty, commanding the troops in Aden, would officiate for him as ‘acting Resident’. Unfortunately Beatty soon seriously upset the C-in-C in India who described Beatty as being ‘insubordinate and unsoldierlike’ and ‘not fit to be entrusted with any command of any description, even temporary’! The problem was solved by sending Major General Delamain out from England at very short notice to be in charge at Aden until Stewart returned. Delamain was due to take over a command in India and his appointment to Aden was only temporary. Like Beatty he was only ever ‘acting Resident’.

There was a major change of emphasis between a 'figurehead' Resident (a brigadier-general or major-general) with no experience of Aden or the Indian Political Service and the move to a career Resident (Symes & Reilly) who has spent 20 or more years as political administrators, Symes in the Sudan and Reilly in Aden. This can be looked on as the transition to Aden becoming a Colony with a Governor from within the ranks of the Colonial Office.

High Commissioners