The Unconventional Soldier

On this episode we talk with David Jones a Troop Commander in the 1980s who came to the Special OP Troop from 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery.  A specialist Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observation unit within 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery of 3 Commando Brigade Royal MarinesDavid covers the Troop Commander’s perspective of the unit including how the Troops in 32 and 5 Regt were organised and tasked, the pressures to get more volunteers through selection, the widening of recruitment and the attachment of SAS Captains to the Troop.  We will finish off with how two separate troops were brought together to form firstly 73 (Sphinx) Special OP Bty and finally 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Bty.On desert island dits David's choice of book is a two part series by Tim Cook At the Sharp End: Canadians Fighting the Great War 1914–1916, Volume One, and: Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917–1918, Volume Two.  His fiction choice is Three Day Road . A book by Joseph Boyden.   Finally his choice of film is Das Boot.The team's pick this week is Unreasonable Behaviour the life story of the photographer Don McCullin.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube and Google podcasts.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on Pod #005 is Pete Walsh.  We talk to Pete about joining the Army in 1978 and subsequently volunteering for the Special Observer selection course in 1982. In this episode we cover mandatory training and other courses conducted in the 1980s at the International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School which was the centre of excellence for the training of Special Operations Forces in Germany during the Cold War. Pete also discusses Survival/Evasion/Resistance/Escape (SERE) training which was mandatory for all STA patrol soldiers as part of their selection and looks at it's origins in the Korean war.  In the final part of the podcast the team talk about BRIXMIS in the isolated city of West Berlin.  We finish with Pete's book choice on Desert Island dits The Battle Of Long Tan and film The Odd Angry Shot. Recommendations from the team include Armadillo a film about a tour of Afghanistan involving Danish soldiers.  And Bomber Offensive a book about the RAF campaign over Germany in WW2. Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube and Google podcasts.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on Pod #004 is Sammy Nicholls.  Kev and Colin talk to Sammy about joining the Army in 1980 and subsequently volunteering for the Special Observer selection course in 1984. In this episode we cover the challenges of siting and digging in large underground hides known as mexes and the forward deployment of two sub surface observation posts (OPs).  Sammy describes the routine in the Mexes and OPs which was for a period of up to three weeks until such time Soviet forces has passed over or supplies had expired.   Patrols would then conduct a long exfiltration over a number of days back to friendly lines.  Also covered is the patrol equipment used at the time including optics and weapons.  We finish with Sammy's book choice on Desert Island dits Battle Scars by Jason Fox. And film The Great Escape.Recommendations from the team include Worst Journey In The World by Apsley Cherry - Garrard who took part in Capt Scott’s Antarctic polar expedition over the period 1910 - 13 and described polar exploration as “at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time that has ever been devised”.  Finally a book called Undercover by Patrick Howarth which  is the history of the Special Operations Executive during the second world war, the volunteers and training and the very basic equipment. We also highlight The Big Walk initiative.  Devised by Tim Richardson an ex Gunner officer and the founder of the Black Isle Group.  Find out more on Tim’s web page at www.thebigwalk.co.uk. Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube and Google podcasts.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on Pod #003 is Iain Strachan.  Kev and Colin talk to Iain about joining the Army in 1979 and volunteering for the first stay behind Special Observer 22 week selection course at the height of the cold war in 1982. We cover the content of the course, the type of person required and the backgrounds of instructors from units such as the SAS, Commando and Airborne Brigades and Iain discusses SAS legend Geordie Lillico who was an instructor on course 1.  Later on we find out about the  Danish Jaeger Corps selection which he undertook as part of an exchange programme and digress to the legendary Rhodesian Selous Scouts.In the second half we take a look at Exercise LIONHEART which was the largest field-training exercise for the British Army since 1945 with nearly 58,000 British soldiers and airmen taking part alongside NATO allies.  This exercise was the method of warfare that the Special OP Tp was created for, proved the role was needed and could be built on further.We finish with Iain's book choice on Desert Island dits Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game and his film Apocalypse Now.Recommendations from the team include "My Journey Through The Troubles" a documentary about Northern Ireland and Behind The Lines another documentary about the selection course for the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre from 1985.  Other books discussed are Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy and Selous Scouts Top Secret War by Peter Stiff.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on iTunes, Spotify, Youtube and Google podcasts.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on Pod #002 is Major General Anthony Stone CB the founder of the Special Observer concept at the height of the Cold War. The "stay behind" Special OP Troop consisted of selected soldiers in 6 man patrols whose task was to dig in large underground hides known as "mexe" shelters along the inner German border. They would then allow the main Soviet forces to pass over them before deploying to two smaller OPs where they would engage the enemy with the long range guns and rockets of the British Army.General Stone talks about his time in civvi street working in a bakery, as a budding motor racer and finally a potential architect. How he decided to make a career in the Army first joining the ranks of the Royal Engineers for basic training before heading to Sandhurst and commissioning in the Royal Artillery. We discuss the legendary WO1 John Lord the first Regimental Sergeant Major of 3 Para and the first Academy Sergeant Major at Sandhurst, P Company, the Malayan/Borneo campaign and operational deployments to Northern Ireland and Op Granby (Gulf War 1991). Finally the General's part in the development of some key Army equipment including the procurement of the controversial SA80 rifle.In the second half we move on to the threat faced by the then British Army Of The Rhine from the former Soviet Union and the formation of the Special OP Troop. The idea behind the concept, how the selection process was designed and the challenges the General faced making a radical idea reality. Finally his thoughts on the future role of the Special Observer, now Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Patrols in 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery,  in what is likely to be turbulent period for an Army required to make significant cuts in the 21st century.We finish with his desert island dits selection of "Red Notice" a book by Bill Browder. The "Dambusters" film and his luxury item "Penderyn Myth" single malt whisky.Other recommendations from the team include "Once Upon A Time In Iraq" an outstanding documentary from the BBC and the "Irregular Warfare Podcast". Find out about the serving unit at the contemporary Special Observer.Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on iTunes and Google podcasts.Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet your hosts as they grapple with new technology and attempt to master the challenges of podcasting.  Follow their journey to covert Surveillance & Target Acquisition (STA) patrols via the jungles of Central America, the Far East, Canada, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Germany.  Along the way they will discuss the merits of 58 pattern webbing, jungle soldiering, Aussie ponchos, hammocks and Assam tea in a tin.  For the cultured they will review two films "Platoon" and "Paths of Glory" and try to win you over with a couple of classic book recommendations "The Cauldron" and "Quartered Safe Out Here".Follow us on Instagram "the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).Email us: unconventionalsoldier@gmail.comThis episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.