I first became aware of the Special Air Service Regiment when I was a young sapper serving with 10 Airfield Construction Squadron Royal Engineers during the emergency in Aden in 1967 - my first operational tour of duty.
The SAS, in 1967, was a secret organization and there were all sorts of rumours flying around about what "The Regiment" was up to. I was intrigued. It seemed far more exciting than repairing bulldozers, getting covered in oil and grease all day long.
Little did I know that in less than five years I would be part of this elite unit and facing hundreds of Communist shock troops at the Battle of Mirbat.
I withdrew from Aden in November 1967 on one of the last flights out before the Communist regime took over. Tactical withdrawal they called it. To me it was abject surrender. I also felt I could no longer continue in the Royal Engineers, my enthusiasm for this kind of soldiering had gone.
I made my mind up there and then that when I got back to the UK I would find out more about the SAS and how I could join.
Back in the UK the regimental chief clerk of 10 Field Sqn. explained to me the procedure for applying for SAS Selection. I immediately lodged my application and within a few months found myself on the Brecon Beacons taking part in a series of gruelling Bergen (backpack) marches over very rough terrain.
Mentally and physically I was well prepared because there was no way I was going back to the bullshit and drill that was the Royal Engineers and after three weeks of exhaustive tests I cracked the greatest physical challenge of my life - the Endurance March - forty-six miles across the Brecons with a fifty-five pound Bergen in twenty hours. To pass this final march guaranteed you a place on Continuation Training. This training included weapons and explosives, first aid, resistance to interrogation training and one month in the Far East on jungle training. All with the pressure of knowing that one mistake and you could still end up back in the Engineers.
SUCCESS! The prize was mine. After six months of intense training I became the proud owner of the famous badge and SAS wings.Out of the original 135 runners who had put themselves forward for Selection only 17 made it to the Colonel's office for the presentation of the beret and wings.
I was now badged and posted to 8 Troop, Land Rover Troop, "B" Squadron. I was pitched straight into squadron life and briefed on an operation that was going to take place in a few months; to retake Dhofar - a province in southern Oman - from Communist insurgents. My first SAS operation and I was going to get a crack at the regime that humiliated the British Army back in 1967! At the time I was not to know that in less than two years it would all end up with me fighting in the last conclusive battle against Communism that would help to bring down the Berlin Wall seventeen years later.
The Battle of Mirbat, 19th July 1972, was a well planned, determined attack by hundreds of Communist shock troops against nine SAS soldiers - a modern day Rorke's Drift that became famous in military circles but because it was part of a secret war it was a relatively unknown event in the eyes of the public.
Eight years later I was involved in another spectacular "B" Squadron result when we achieved what many considered the impossible - the rescue of the hostages at the Iranian Embassy Siege in May 1980.
For my part, I felt immense personal satisfaction and pride at being involved in two of the greatest SAS Operations of modern times. Both Operations would live forever in Regimental history.
Both victories had been gained through faultless teamwork, immense physical courage and flexibility in the face of overwhelming odds.
Read extract from Chapter 9 : The Battle of Mirbat : click here
What really happened when the SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy thirty years ago? SAS hero, Soldier 'I', reveals all...
Thirty years ago on 30th April 1980, six terrorists seized the Iranian Embassy in London taking twenty-six civilians hostage. When the SAS were called in to rescue them, among the team was Pete Winner, codenamed Soldier ‘I’.
Soldier ‘I’: The Story of an SAS Hero
By Pete Winner, Foreword by Andy McNab
ISBN 978 1 84603 995 9
30th April, 1980. As SAS trooper Pete Winner prepared for a day of routine shooting practice, six armed Arab revolutionaries entered the Iranian Embassy, opened fire and took twenty-six civilians hostage. Six tense days later and with one hostage dead, Pete found himself leading a team of soldiers through the maze of smoke-filled Embassy rooms and into the line of fire where, coming face-to-face with one of the "hostages" clutching a grenade, he had to call upon his years of training and experience to make that all-important decision.
Broadcast live around the globe, the Embassy siege was, without doubt one of the most famous hostage situations in modern history and, in turn, proved to be a defining moment for the SAS as it catapulted them directly into the public eye. But what is it really like to have to make decisions that could change a life or the course of a battle? And how do you survive the inevitable physical and emotional horrors of battle and then return to normal life once the job is over?
In a captivating and revealing new book, Pete Winner, an SAS soldier for eighteen years, relives not only the dramatic events of April 1980 but also the rest of his rollercoaster career. From the training camps of Hereford to the battle of Mirbat (where Pete was one of just nine SAS fighting 300 heavily armed insurgents), from the streets of Belfast to the icy waters surrounding the Falklands, Soldier ‘I’ is a frank and provocative account of SAS life – the highs (“the adventure, the danger, the humour, the camaraderie under fire”) and the lows (“wringing wet, sleeping rough… senses tormented by seeing bodies ripped apart and blown limb from limb, ears seeming to be ringing permanently with some voice screaming “I’m hit… and any moment it could be your turn next”).
It is also the story of Pete’s personal struggle to keep his demons in check. Flogged for assault, demoted, admitted to a psychiatric hospital and finally banned from the SAS altogether, his experience is indicative of the tremendous toll the role of soldier can have on “normal” life and, in writing Soldier 'I', Pete highlights the dreadful effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that are faced by so many Special Force veterans, including many soldiers currently returning from Iraq and the conflict in Afghanistan. “When we’re no longer soldiers, no longer fighting wars or training for wars, some of us find we can’t live any other way of life.”
Luckily for Pete, he has built a successful career in private security and bodyguarding, roles that have taken him around the world and have given him little time to think. Unlike many others, Pete has come through unscathed. He has survived.
Highly readable and written with a breathtaking take-no-prisoners attitude, Soldier 'I' is a provocative and awe-inspiring book that goes beyond the frontline to the battles that are played out in the minds of soldiers around the world. It is, without doubt, the story of a hero and a survivor.
First operational tour to Aden during the "Emergency"
Withdrawal from Aden Nov 1967
1968
Posted to RAF Sharjah
1970
Passes SAS Selection and is badged!! Sent to Eight Troop - B Sqn.
1971
First operational tour of duty with the SAS - Operation Jaguar, Dhofar War, Oman
19 Jul 1972
Battle of Mirbat
1974
First posting to Northern Ireland
1978
Hong Kong - training Special Duties Unit of the Royal Hong Kong Police
Arrested and sentenced to 6 strokes of the cane under Hong Kong's former judicial corporal punishment laws
1980
Passes Selection again and returns to The Regiment having previously been RTU'd
Sent to Six Troop - B Sqn.
30 Apr - 5 May 1980
Iranian Embassy Siege
1982
Falklands War
1984
Sent to Ward 11, British Army Psychiatric Unit, Royal Hospital, Woolwich
1985
Instructor for the Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Wing
0845hrs : Pete speaks with Sim Courtie on BFBS breakfast radio show about his theatre tour, action figure, training and more.
Listen now : Intro : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 115KB
Listen now : Full Interview : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 1.45MB
23 Dec 2011 - Radio
1435hrs : On his Christmas Special BFBS Radio presenter Richard Hatch plays back his best guest interviews of the year. In the mix is his interview with Pete concerning the Iranian Embassy Siege.
Listen now : Intro : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 138KB
Listen now : Full Interview : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 1.13MB
22 Sep 2011 - Audio
1340hrs : Pete speaks about his friend and comrade John McAleese prior to his funeral at Hereford Cathedral.
“One of the best soldiers that I have served with - a very professional special forces soldier - and he will be sadly missed by everybody. R.I.P. John.”
Those are the words of Pete Winner who had trained with SAS hero John McAleese, before the soldier led the raid that ended the siege at the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.
Hundreds of mourners joined family, friends and members of Mr McAleese's regiment for a farewell service at Hereford Cathedral. Afterwards family and close friends attended a private funeral at a crematorium.
Mr Winner describes what it was like preparing for the assault with John McAleese, who died at the age of 62 in Greece last month, and remembers feeling it was ‘touch and go’ on whether or not the operation was going to succeed.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 992KB
5 Sep 2011 - Press
Land Rover Owner International announce Soldier 'I' appearance at the LRO show Peterborough on Sunday 11th September.
Former SAS Staff Sergeant Pete Winner will be on the Convoy for Heroes stand (C33A) at the LRO show at Peterborough on Sunday 11 September click here for LRO Show to sign copies of his book, Soldier I. Pete was one of the first men into the Iranian Embassy when the siege was broken in 1980. At the Convoy for Heroes event at the Heritage Motor Centre over Easter 2011, his lecture on the subject was so popular it over-ran for an hour and the organisers had to bring in extra chairs to accommodate the audience.
1310hrs : Pete speaks to Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 in light of expected cuts by Defence Secretary Liam Fox to the British regular Army, leaving the TA to take up the slack.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 1.58MB Pete on air at 2:25 & 5:49.
1 Jul 2011 - Press
Soldier Magazine (Vol 67/7) :
Silver Screen Secrets...
Pete has been enlisted to help advise on forthcoming contemporary spy thriller The Federation. Click links on the right to read more from an article featured in the July issue of Soldier Magazine.
The Federation 'teaser video' :
The film is still in development but we watch this space with interest!
Popular Airsoft announce the latest from Soldier 'I'.
Soldier "I" Training Wing 30 July 2011
Finally a schedule is now available for those who are interested in training with the SAS through the Soldier I Training Wing...
Soldier "I" Battle of Mirbat Account
Join Soldier 'I', Pete Winner, as he recalls the Battle of Mirbat...
Read article 1 (Training Wing) online : Click here Read article 2 (Mirbat) online : Click here
21 Jun 2011 - Radio
1330hrs : Pete speaks to Richard Hatch on BFBS radio about the Battle of Mirbat as we look ahead to marking the 39th anniversary of this legendary battle on 19th July 2011.
Listen now : Intro : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 135KB
Listen now : Full Interview : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 2.03MB
17 Jun 2011 - Press
Airsoft International Comms Center on Soldier 'I' Training Wing course BRAVO1.
Want training with Pete Winner, ex-SAS Member? There's only one place to get it!
Room clearing, sweeping buildings and general close quarters engagements can go a lot smoother if you know what you are doing, and who better to instruct you on exactly how than ex-SAS men, Pete Winner and Bob Podesta.
SOLDIER "I" gives you a training course on the fundamentals of patrolling and tactics and allows you to put your skills to the test in a special "Storm The Embassy" event at the end of the game, with and OPFOR consisting of the ex-SAS instructors themselves.
Click here to find out more about the SOLDIER "I" Training Courses, very reasonably priced at just £75 per person.
Yosser's Airsoft Odyssey announce launch of Soldier 'I' Training Wing.
Coming soon to The Grange - Soldier 'I' Training Wing
Launching SOON @ The Grange 'Soldier I: Training Wing'.
Pete Winner, Soldier 'I' who some of you may have met at AAF3 will be joined by Bob Podesta in some SAS style training available to YOU at The Grange. This promises to be ONE of the most exciting things that have happened to AIRSOFT in recent years! I'm sure the Elite SAS training will be MORE thought provoking, tough & Intense courses ever run for airsofters! WOW!
Can YOU take the training of Britain's ELITE troops and storm the Embassy. Check out the website for more information: www.soldieri.com
Popular Airsoft announce launch of Soldier 'I' Training Wing.
Train w/ the SAS At Soldier "I" Training Wing
Many an airsoft player would dream of walking side by side with heroes who protect the freedom and lives of citizens. It can come true if they have what it takes to train with some of the legendary heroes of the SAS. Pete Winner "Soldier 'I'" is launching the Training Wing to make that dream come true and you better get prepared for it.
Yosser's Airsoft Odyssey
Online review following Pete's appearance at the 3rd Airsoft Arms Fair.
"The event proved a very special day for me as I met a boyhood hero of mine, ‘Soldier I’ Pete Winner; not only a hero but a gentlemen and a great guy to chat with. Even managed a signed book, so a great day for me! He gave a really in-depth presentation on the famous ‘Iranian Embassy’ siege and rounded up with a question and answer session."
Popular Airsoft Online review following Pete's appearance at the 3rd Airsoft Arms Fair.
"One of the major attractions of the 3rd Airsoft Arms Fair is Pete Winner, SAS veteran of 18 years, and the author of "Soldier I". He has fought in some of the most notable battles of the SAS, including the Iranian Embassy Siege in 1980 and the Falklands War. With a full-packed area, he talked about this book with a mock-up included to show how the assault was done. After the talk, there was a book signing for those who were able to get hold of his book."
1330hrs : Pete speaks to Richard Hatch on BFBS radio about the Iranian Embassy Siege and his forthcoming appearance at the Royal Engineers Museum, Kent on Saturday 14th May.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 1.94MB
11 Apr 2011 - Radio
0815hrs : Pete speaks to Lynne Duffus on BFBS radio about his forthcoming appearance at the National Army Museum on 7th May.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 3.02MB
7 Mar 2011 - Radio
1238hrs : Pete speaks to Jeremy Vine concerning the SAS in Libya.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 1.11MB
1 Feb 2011 - Press
Pensions Fit For Heroes :
Military heroes join the fight in support of the Mirror's campaign to stop government changes to the way forces pensions are calculated.
Click image below to read (image will open in new window) :
11 Oct 2010 - Radio
2312hrs : Pete was interviewed late on Monday night by the BBC's World Service in light of revelations that the use of fragmentation grenades by US Special Forces (Navy Seals) could ultimately have been responsible for the death of Linda Norgrove.
1350hrs : Pete speaks to Jeremy Vine concerning the death of aid worker Linda Norgrove. Norgrove had been taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan on 26th September and was mortally wounded during the attempted rescue by US Special Forces.
As an expert in counter-terrorism and former instructor for the SAS' Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Wing, Pete explains how this tragedy could have happened and how the Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980 could so easily have had a similar disastrous outcome.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 4.58MB
Pete on air at 1:17.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 2.77MB
4 May 2010 - Radio
30 years on from the Iranian Embassy Siege Pete speaks to Outlook's Matthew Bannister (BBC World Service). In this captivating interview Pete discusses the rigours of SAS Selection and the explosive events at Prince's Gate.
Listen now : Click here
Format MP3, Windows Media Player - 3.41MB
