List of former Special Air Service personnel
Encyclopedia
The list includes those individuals who were, or have claimed to have served in the Special Air Service
(Regular or TA).
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(Regular or TA).
- Adam HollowayAdam HollowayAdam James Harold Holloway is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Gravesham.-Early life:...
MP - Al SlaterAl SlaterSergeant Alistair Ira Slater MM was a British Army soldier who served in B Sqn, 22 Special Air Service who was killed on 2 December 1984 whilst on operations against the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Kesh, County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.The operation also led to the deaths of Antoine...
MMMilitary MedalThe Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land.... - Andrew RobathanAndrew RobathanAndrew Robert George Robathan is a British Conservative politician, and Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire in Leicestershire...
- MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for BlabyBlabyBlaby is a village in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. It has population of around 6,240 , and its proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area....
(1992 - present) and junior Minister - Anthony Royle, Baron Fanshawe of Richmond - Former MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
- Bear GryllsBear GryllsEdward Michael "Bear" Grylls is an English adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is best known for his television series Man vs. Wild, known as Born Survivor in the United Kingdom...
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, TV presenter, Adventurer - Ben GriffinBen Griffin (former British soldier)Benjamin Griffin is a former British SAS soldier who refused to return to Iraq and left the Army, citing not only the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces but also that the invasion itself was illegal, being contrary to international law...
- Anti-War On Terror speakerWar on TerrorismThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries... - Bill Kennedy ShawBill Kennedy ShawMajor William Boyd Kennedy Shaw OBE was a British desert explorer, botanist, archaeologist and founding member of the Long Range Desert Group during World War II...
- Intelligence officerIntelligence officerAn intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
with SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... - Bronco LaneBronco LaneMajor Michael Patrick 'Bronco' Lane BEM, MM is a former British Army officer and author, known for his climbing expeditions which led to his summiting Mount Everest in 1976.-Background:...
- Clark John Mason
- Chris RyanChris RyanSergeant ‘Chris Ryan’ MM is the pseudonym of a former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist...
MMMilitary MedalThe Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Darren SavageDarren SavageDarren Graham Savage is a former English cricketer. Savage was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk....
- Sir David StirlingDavid StirlingColonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- Founder of the Regiment - Donald "Lofty" LargeLofty LargeDonald "Lofty" Large was a British soldier and author.Having joined the Army as a boy, Large fought in the Korean War and was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Imjin. He spent two years in a prisoner-of-war camp, where his injuries went untreated and he lost more than a third of his body...
- Eddie StoneSAS: Are You Tough Enough?SAS: Are You Tough Enough was a British documentary series exposing volunteer members of the public to the experience of the SAS selection process presented by Dermot O'Leary. On average only 10 out of the 125 soldiers taking the real SAS selection procedure pass. In contrast to the real SAS, this...
- TV Presenter, former SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
Staff SergeantStaff SergeantStaff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:... - Gavin Hamilton MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
- Geoffrey Wood (SAS)
- Gaz HunterBravo Two ZeroBravo Two Zero was the call sign of an eight-man British Army SAS patrol, deployed into Iraq during the First Gulf War in January 1991. According to one patrol member's account, the patrol were given the task of "gathering intelligence;.....
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Captain Herbert WestmacottHerbert WestmacottCaptain Herbert Richard Westmacott MC was a Special Air Service officer who became the first person to be awarded a posthumous Military Cross...
- SAS commander killed in shootout with the Provisional IRA - James CondonJames Condon (soldier)James "Paddy" Condon - died March 14, 1964, was a British SAS soldier during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. While a part of D squadron under the command of Sgt. Richardson and patrolling to detect mortars that had been shelling Gurkha positions, Condon's unit encountered four enemy soldiers...
- Indo-Malayan campaign casualtyIndonesia-Malaysia confrontationIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation during 1962–1966 was Indonesia’s political and armed opposition to the creation of Malaysia. It is also known by its Indonesian/Malay name Konfrontasi... - Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton - Private SecretaryPrivate Secretary to the SovereignThe Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
to Their Royal HighnessRoyal HighnessRoyal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
es Princes William and Harry of Wales - Jeffrey Cook - Director for Security LiaisonDirector for Security LiaisonAn office created in the Private Secretary's Office of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom in 2004. The first office-holder was Brigadier Jeffrey Cook, OBE MC, a former Special Air Service officer....
in the Royal HouseholdRoyal HouseholdA Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations.... - John McAleeseIranian Embassy SiegeThe Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London. The gunmen took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but several visitors and a police officer, who had been guarding the embassy, were also...
MMMilitary MedalThe Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
- TV presenter - John Paul FoleyJohn Paul FoleyLieutenant General Sir John Paul Foley KCB, OBE, MC, DL is a retired British general with a long career in military intelligence. He is the great-grandson of Henry Hodgetts-Foley.-Military career:...
- Former director of the regiment - Jock LewesJock LewesLieutenant John Steel Lewes, known as Jock was born in Calcutta but grew up in Australia and served as a British officer of the Welsh Guards in World War II...
- Co-founder of the regiment - John RidgwayJohn Ridgway (sailor)John Ridgway, MBE, , is a British yachtsman and rower.-Biography:Ridgway was educated at Pangbourne Nautical College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 1966, whilst a Captain in the Parachute Regiment, Ridgway, together with Chay Blyth, rowed across the North Atlantic in a 20 ft open...
- Record breakingGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
SailorSailorA sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses... - John Slim, 2nd Viscount SlimJohn Slim, 2nd Viscount SlimColonel John Douglas Slim, 2nd Viscount Slim OBE, DL, FRGS is a British peer and soldier. He is one of the 92 hereditary peers in the House of Lords, elected to remain after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999. In 1970, he succeeded to his father's title...
- John "Lofty" WisemanLofty WisemanJohn "Lofty" Wiseman is a British author and survival consultant, and a former member of the Special Air Service , the British special forces unit....
- Johnny WisemanJohnny WisemanMajor John Wiseman MC was a British soldier and World War II Special Air Service veteran, where he saw action in the long range desert raiding parties of the North African Campaign, then in front line support of the invasion of Sicily and Italy during which he was awarded the Military Cross,...
MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(WWII) - Jon HollingsworthJon HollingsworthSergeant Jonathan Hollingsworth CGC, QGMDescribed as "an SAS hero" by a British tabloid newspaper, the former paratrooper reportedly sustained gunshot wounds during a raid to capture terror leaders in Basra and later died of his injuries at a nearby military hospital.Sources suggest he had been...
CGCConspicuous Gallantry CrossThe Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces. Created in 1993 and first awarded in 1995, it was instituted after a review of the British honours system to remove distinctions of rank in the awarding of gallantry decorations...
QGM - Ken HamesKen HamesMajor Ken Hames is a British former Special Air Service's officer, presently a motivational speaker and specialist television presenter.- Biography :...
- Motivational speakerMotivational speakerA motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
and specialist television presenter - Lewis Gordon PughLewis Gordon PughLewis Gordon Pugh, OIG is a British environmental campaigner, maritime lawyer and endurance swimmer.Pugh was the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean...
, OIG - environmental campaigner and swimmer - Michael AsherMichael Asher (explorer)Michael Asher is an author, historian, deep ecologist, and notable desert explorer who has covered more than 30,000 miles on foot and camel. He spent three years living with a traditional nomadic tribe in the Sudan.-Biography:...
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, HistorianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and Desert Explorer - Mike KealyMike KealyMike Kealy was the 27 year old Captain at the Battle of Mirbat in 1972. After the battle he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.He died ofhypothermia in February 1979 on a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons.-References:...
DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
- Commander of the SAS Troop at the Battle of MirbatBattle of MirbatThe Battle of Mirbat took place on 19 July 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, which was supported by Communist guerrillas from South Yemen... - Michael Rose KCBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
QGM - Mick GouldMick GouldMichael "Mick" Gould served for the British Special Forces and Government and is now working in the movie industry as a technical advisor and trainer/coach in martial arts, close combat, firearms and their tactical applications....
- Entertainment Advisor - Mike CoburnBravo Two ZeroBravo Two Zero was the call sign of an eight-man British Army SAS patrol, deployed into Iraq during the First Gulf War in January 1991. According to one patrol member's account, the patrol were given the task of "gathering intelligence;.....
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Paddy MaynePaddy MayneLieutenant Colonel Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne DSO & Three Bars was a Northern Irish soldier, solicitor, Ireland rugby union international, amateur boxer, polar explorer and a founding member of the Special Air Service .-Early life and sporting achievements:Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne was born in...
, DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
*** - British and Irish LionsLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player - Peter BrayPeter BrayPeter Bray was, in 2001, the third person known to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone in a kayak but the first one to paddle west to east and also the first one not using sails to help his paddling...
- Sir Peter de la BillièrePeter de la BillièreGeneral Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy Siege and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War...
- Commander-in-ChiefCommander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
British Forces in the Gulf WarGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf... - Peter McAleesePeter McAleesePeter McAleese is a British ex-paratrooper, ex-member of the SAS and author.-Biography:Peter McAleese is a British ex-paratrooper and an ex-member of the SAS. After leaving the British Army he became a mercenary in Angola for the FNLA, taking command of the unit after the capture of Costas Georgiou...
- Former MercenaryMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
and AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Peter RatcliffePeter RatcliffeMajor Peter Ratcliffe DCM is an author and former member of the Special Air Service .Peter Ratcliffe came originally from Salford, Greater Manchester. As a boy, he joined the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment before and eventually going on to pass the SAS selection course...
DCMDistinguished Conduct MedalThe Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
MID - AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Phil StantPhil StantPhilip Richard "Phil" Stant was a professional footballer who played as a striker notably for Cardiff City and Lincoln City...
- Professional Footballer - Sir Ranulph FiennesRanulph FiennesSir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE , better known as Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer. Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while...
OBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
– Adventurer - Richard TomlinsonRichard TomlinsonRichard Tomlinson is a New Zealand-born British former MI6 officer who was imprisoned during 1997 for violating the Official Secrets Act 1989 by giving the synopsis of a proposed book detailing his career in the Secret Intelligence Service to an Australian publisher...
- Secret Intelligence Service OfficerSecret Intelligence ServiceThe Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence... - Robert NairacRobert NairacCaptain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was a British Army officer who was abducted from a pub in south County Armagh during an undercover operation and killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on his fourth tour of duty in Northern Ireland as a Military Intelligence Liaison Officer...
- SAS Captain who was abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA. His body has never been found. - Ronald Reid-DalyRonald Reid-DalyLieutenant Colonel Ronald "Ron" Francis Reid-Daly founded and commanded the elite Selous Scouts special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War.-Career:...
- Selous Scouts founderSelous ScoutsThe Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army, which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule in 1980. It was named after British explorer Frederick Courteney Selous , and their motto was pamwe chete, which, in the Shona language, roughly means "all... - Simon MannSimon MannSimon Francis Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'état in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds on 2 November 2009.Mann was extradited from...
- MercenaryMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, Equatorial GuineaEquatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the... - Andy McNabAndy McNabSergeant ‘Andy McNab’ DCM MM is the pseudonym of an English novelist and former SAS operative and soldier.McNab came into public prominence in 1993, when he published his account of the failed Special Air Service patrol, Bravo Two Zero for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in...
DCMDistinguished Conduct MedalThe Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
MMMilitary MedalThe Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
- AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:... - Talaiasi 'Laba' LabalabaBattle of MirbatThe Battle of Mirbat took place on 19 July 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, which was supported by Communist guerrillas from South Yemen...
- BEMBritish Empire MedalThe Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
, MID - Terry ForrestalTerry ForrestalTerence Julian Forrestal was an English actor, stuntman and BASE jumper.Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. He was the son of Irish emigrants and attended Finchley Catholic Grammar School in England. He served in the British Armed Forces in Northern Ireland, among other places.He was a...
- StuntmanStuntmanA stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel... - Tim Collins - AuthorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
- Tip TippingTip TippingTimothy Tipping , better known as Tip Tipping, was an English film and television stuntman and actor.Prior to his career as a stuntman, Tipping served in the Royal Marines and 21st Special Air Service Regiment...
- StuntmanStuntmanA stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel... - John WoodhouseJohn Woodhouse (British Army officer)Lieutenant-Colonel John Michael Woodhouse MBE, MC was a British soldier credited with helping to reform the Special Air Service.-Early years:...
, commander and founder of the SAS's modern selection systems