Eye of the Storm (60 page)

Unimog
   Mercedes-Benz 4×4 light truck, used as a support vehicle by SAS mobile patrols

VC10
   airliner originally designed by Vickers in the mid-1950s for BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation – later, with other companies, British Airways). Although a fast and comfortable aircraft, it did not succeed commercially, but remains in service with the RAF as a fast transport and as a tanker for in-flight refuelling.

wadi
   Arabic for valley or dried-up watercourse

Wasp
   single-turboshaft, single-rotor five-seat general-purpose shipborne helicopter. Designed and built in Britain by Westland, the Wasp was deployed on board Royal Navy warships during the Falklands campaign; a missile from HMS
Endurance
’s Wasp severely damaged the Argentinian submarine
Santa Fe
off South Georgia. Navy Wasps were given the designation HAS1

Wessex
   twin-turbine, single-rotor light-support helicopter, designed and built in Britain by Westland and designated HC2 in RAF service, which it entered well over 30 years ago. The Wessex proved invaluable during the Falklands campaign, and the aircraft also saw service with US forces during the Vietnam War, as well as with other British services and with other armed forces around the world. Capabilities include deployment as a troop transport (up to 16 fully equipped troops), as a search-and-rescue helicopter, and as a trainer; Wessex were also used for VIP/royal transport duties with the RAF’s Queen’s Flight. There are still two RAF squadrons operating the aircraft

whiteout
   extreme blizzard conditions

wilco
   SAS term for someone who is positive, willing, co-operative

Plate Section

Bradbury Lines (later Stirling Lines), Hereford, after passing SAS Selection, November 1972. In fact, as this was an all-arms survival course, only ten of those in the picture were going on to 22 SAS. The author is at far right in the back row; the other unobscured faces are those of men who were subsequently killed.

On Operation Storm in Oman: Taff by the mortar pit on Diana One. Dhofar, 1973. Hanging from the bush at right is a chuggle, a cloth water bag that cools the liquid by evaporation.

The author (
left
) and Taff cleaning their SLRs on Diana One.

The author’s sangar on Diana One, 1973, with Taff at right. The gully in the background was a favourite adoo machine-gun position (
arrowed
. Both troopers’ SLRs have been placed immediately to hand.

The author deploying to a new location by Huey helicopter during his third tour on Operation Storm, 1975.

The author at Tawi Atair during his second tour in Oman, just after the end of the monsoon – hence the greenness of the terrain. The photo also shows how poorly equipped the SAS were in those days.

A mortar pit at the Simba position in Dhofar, 1975: the author (right) with ‘Jimmy’. The weapon is an 81mm mortar.

Green Five, the sangar at Simba shared by the author, in September 1975, with ‘Killer’ Denis at right. With him is Chris Hennessey, who was killed the day after this photo was taken when he was hit by an adoo mortar round.

Two days after Chris was killed, another trooper died at Simba. The author holding up part of the Katyusha rocket that killed him.

A captured adoo coastal location near the Yemeni border during the final push in Dhofar, September/October 1975. The troops are geysh, and in the foreground there is an unexploded bomb.