CONTENT The guest today is former Commando Gunner and member of 22 Special Air Service Mick Hawkes. On this podcast we discuss his army career including the Falklands war, volunteering for SAS selection, life and training in the Regiment, his deployment to Bosnia where he was captured by Serb forces alongside his mate Billy Billingham, the pace of operations for UKSF in Iraq and Afghanistan, sustaining SF manpower in a smaller army and finally his post military professional life in private secur...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 17 min
CONTENT This week on our Cold War series the guest is Ian Sanders who presents the award winning Cold War Conversations podcast. On this episode we discuss how Germany and Berlin were divided up between the victorious allied armies at the end of World War 2, the Berlin airlift when the Soviet Union attempted to starve the population of Berlin into submission and the reasons why the Russians built the Berlin wall virtually over night and the impact it had on the city's occupants. We finish off wi...
Feb 28, 2024•59 min
CONTENT The guest today is former soldier Kev Brain who joined the Royal Artillery in 1975 completing 22 years service with the colours. He deployed on multiple operational tours to Northern Ireland and also on Operation GRANBY better known as the first Gulf War in 1991 as a Sergeant Gun number 1 in charge of a M110 203mm howitzer specifically built for general support and counter battery fire. He describes his career in the lead up to the deployment and what it was like to take part on the gun ...
Feb 16, 2024•44 min
CONTENT This is a mini series covering parts of the Cold War we find interesting and will run in tandem with the Unconventional Soldier podcast. So why the title Seven Minutes to Midnight? The Doomsday Clock was a symbolic measurement that represented the likelihood of a human made global catastrophe in the form of a nuclear exchange between the global superpowers. In 1947 at the start of the Cold War it was deemed to be at 7 minutes to midnight, this naturally changed as the world lurched from ...
Jan 29, 2024•47 min
CONTENT The guest today is award winning author Mary Cronk Farrell. On this pod we will be discussing her book "Close Up On War" about the life of Catherine Leroy a French photographer who travelled to Vietnam at the height of the war where she made a name for herself in a male dominated environment. Bold, determined and cool under fire Catherine accompanied marines and soldiers into the dense jungle, waded through rice paddies and parachuted with them into combat despite being told she didn’t b...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr
CONTENT The guest today is the Cognitive Marine a serving USMC officer currently stationed in Okinawa who previously appeared on podcast #039. On this episode we discuss how past and present wars influence thought on the way battles may be fought in the future. Subjects include: Okinawa, Singapore and Menorca. Ukraine & Russia. Israel & Gaza. The influence and development of his Cognitive Marine Instagram account. His book choice on Desert island Dits is 2034: A Novel of the Next World W...
Dec 28, 2023•56 min
CONTENT The guest today is former Royal Marine and member of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre Nige Devenish. Nige was my guest back on podcast # 046 when we discussed his career in the cadre and their part on Operation CORPORATE during the Falklands war in 1982. On this podcast we talk about his recent visit to the Falklands, his first since his deployment, with other cadre veterans to lay a memorial stone at the site of the battle for Top Malo House. We discuss the battle in detail and his...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 54
CONTENT The guest today is Tony Loughran a former Royal Navy Commando medic now a global risk specialist, with over 30 years international experience as a safety and security professional. On this episode we discuss: His time in the senior service, deployments and attachments with the Royal Marines Mountain & Arctic Warfare cadre. His 14 year stint as Head of International Risk at the BBC in London where he pioneered a safety culture in the news business adapting the skills he’d acquired in ...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 53
CONTENT The guest today is Neale Smiles, a former Gunner now working in the defence industry. Neale often posts his thoughts on military matters on LinkedIn and it was one on the future of the Royal Artillery that got my attention. In it he stated that: “when you aren’t equipped or established to fight in the traditional combined arms manner you have to change” In this episode Neale will set out the changes he feels the Army and specifically the Gunners should make and we discuss: The current st...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 52
CONTENT The guest today is David Montgomery who was born and raised in East Africa. After graduating Exeter University he joined the Army and served for 28 years before retiring in 2000 after commanding 7th Armoured Brigade. David co founded Benchmark Search in 2002 where he is MD of a company which provides candidates for the defence, security and other markets. On this episode we discuss his army career, his time at MOD and issues with procurement, operations in Kosovo, transition to civvi str...
Oct 15, 2023•49 min•Ep. 51
CONTENT The guest today is Kim Read a former member of the "stay behind" Special OP Troop. This unit was tasked with conducting operations against the Soviet Army if they had crossed the inner German border during the Cold War when they would engage the enemy with the long range guns of the British Army. We covered a bit about the school on pod #005 but a few listeners have requested more detail. So here it is. DESERT ISLAND DITS BOOK CHOICES Most of our book recommendations can be bought via th...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 50
CONTENT Our guest today is Barrie Rice, former soldier, security contractor and author. Barrie joined the New Zealand infantry in 1985 aged 22 where he spent 3 years before passing selection for the New Zealand SAS. He went on to serve 7 years with the unit specialising in one of the squadron's boat troops. On this episode we are going to be discussing his military career and time as a security contractor in Iraq with Blackwater Commercial, a subsidiary of the US private security company Blackwa...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 49
CONTENT Our guest today is Ryan Yates a former soldier from 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery the British Army's Long Range surveillance and patrols unit. On this pod we discuss Ryan's time in the military from passing the STA patrol's selection course in time for his 18th birthday to completing two tours of Afghanistan and his post military career as a security contractor working in hostile environments. Ryan also talks about how his own struggles with PTSD led him to create Veterans' Army to as...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 48
CONTENT Our guest today is Nige Devenish, a former Royal Marine and member of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre. Nige served 22 years with the Marines, 8 of those in the Cadre and its successor the Brigade Patrol Troop. He was also the last Cadre Sergeant Major and the first CSM when it became the Brigade Patrol Troop (BPT) in the early 90s. On this episode we are going to be discussing the history of the cadre from their creation in WW2, their role as the Brigade Recce Troop in the Falkland...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 47
CONTENT Due to the train strikes we were unable to attend the Army v Navy rugby match at Twickenham so decided to record this episode instead. No guest this month just Colin and Kev discussing the possibility of using Cold War "stay behind" OPs prior to the Russian invasion in the current war in Ukraine. We also talk about the possible use of STA patrols in future peer on peer conflicts. For this episode we used two articles published on the Wavell Room website as part of the discussion, and als...
Jul 12, 2023•50 min•Ep. 45
CONTENT Our guest today is today is Andy who served in the British Army and the RUC as a uniformed officer then, after passing an intensive selection course, with E4A the RUC unit tasked with covert surveillance operations during The Troubles. On this podcast we discuss his Army and police careers, the operational life of a police officer in Northern Ireland and the surveillance and intelligence war against terrorism. The RUC paid a heavy price with over 300 officers killed both on and off duty ...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 46
CONTENT Our guest today is today is Nick Dunn. One of six former British servicemen who spent 4 years imprisoned in India for a crime they didn’t commit. Each day they lived in appalling conditions with poor food and the ever present threat of violence. They were providing security against Somali pirates for a merchant ship off the Indian coast in October 2013 when they were falsely accused of being illegally armed in Indian waters. In this podcast we discuss his service with the Parachute Regim...
May 28, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 44
CONTENT Our guest today is Brian Short a former member of the Royal Marines and author of “The Band That Went To War: The Royal Marines Band In The Falklands War” . On this episode we are going to be discussing his career in the band, their part in the Falklands campaign, the Provisional IRA bombing of Deal barracks and his book which is available on Amazon and in a number of book stores. Follow him on Twitter @FalklandsMusic1. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits the teams choice of books w...
May 20, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 43
CONTENT Our guest today is John Holden a former British Army Officer who attended the Indian Army Staff College course over the period May 2002 to May 2003. The course is designed to prepare officers by giving them the skills they need to address future security and defence challenges at home and abroad. We cover why John wanted to study in India, course content, mountain warfare, legacy of Empire, cultural differences and the Indian Army in WW2. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits our gues...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 42
CONTENT Our guest today is retired Command Sergeant Major Tom Satterly, a former Special Operations soldier, who served 25 years in the US Army the last 20 of those in Delta Force referred to as “the unit” by those who pass its arduous selection course. As an Operator and CSM, Tom fought and led countless military missions across the world. Tom is also a published author and his book “All Secure”, which we discuss in the pod, is a blunt and honest look at life as a unit operator and the toll it ...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 41
CONTENT Our guest today is the Cognitive Marine a serving USMC officer. On this episode we are going to be discussing the future structure of the USMC, why we fail to learn from past conflicts, leadership responsibilities, advice for young marines, service self harm and suicide, war in Ukraine and use of social media to educate your command. All opinions expressed on the podcast are those of our guest and not the USMC. Follow him on Instagram at The Cognitive Marine . DESERT ISLAND DITS On Deser...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 40
CONTENT Our guest today is James Lee who served 24 years in the Royal Logistics Corps and is the author of “Licking The Taliban’s Flip Flop” about his 6 month tour of Afghanistan at Kandahar airfield where he worked as a movements controller. He left the Army in 2013 and now runs his own flying business. On this podcast we will be discussing his military career, what inspired him to write a book, where that title came from and how he ended up from dealing with passengers at air heads to teaching...
Jan 28, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 39
CONTENT Our guest today is a former Sapper who joined as a boy soldier and finished his service as a Late Entry officer. The Royal Engineers help the Army to live, move and fight by increasing survivability, mobility and counter-mobility. On this pod we will discuss each of these topics but the main focus will be on REST and EOD as this is where he spent the majority of his career. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits our guest's choice of film is Ice Cold Alex and his book choice is Arrows ...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 38
CONTENT Our guest today is Liz McConaghy who spent 17 years flying as a crewman with the RAF Chinook fleet. She was the youngest aircrew member to deploy to Iraq and the only female on the Chinook wing for 4 years. Liz completed 2 tours of Iraq and 10 deployments to Afghanistan. On this podcast we discuss flying on operations in both those theatres and what it was like to be on the Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT) that recovered wounded soldiers from the battle space back to Camp Bastion....
Dec 11, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 37
CONTENT Our guest today is Zach Allred a former US Army Ranger who served with the 75th Ranger Regiment. This Regiment is a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions. They are the US Army's premier direct-action raid capability. Each of the Ranger battalions is always combat ready, mentally and physically tough, and prepared to fight globally. Their capabilities include conducting airborne and air assault operations, seizing key terra...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 36
CONTENT Our guest today is Jim a former Royal Navy Clearance diver. On this episode we will cover the unit’s history from inception in WW2, its current role, selection process, diving technology and operational deployments. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits Jim's choice of film is Grosse Pointe Blank and his book is Death of a Hero: Captain Robert Nairac, GC and the Undercover War in Northern Ireland by John Parker. The teams book choice this week is The Last Dive: A Father and Son's Fata...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 35
CONTENT Our guest today is Matt Harding a former officer who served in the Royal Artillery. We talk with Matt about his Army career, his deployment to Bosnia and the impact operations in that country had on him. We finish off with how he dealt with what he saw in the Balkans and his work with charities such as Pilgrims Bandits. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits Matt's choice of film is Highlander and his book is The Times Complete History of The World . The teams book choices this week ar...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 34
CONTENT On this podcast we discuss operations conducted by 22 SAS on Operation CORPORATE in 1982. Our guest is Nick who was in 1PARA when he applied for selection in 1980. He passed the course at the age of 22 and spent the next 18 years on operations and exercises around the world with the Regiment. Nick talks in detail about the SAS in action on South Georgia, the raid on Pebble Island and operations around Mount Kent in the push towards Stanley. DESERT ISLAND DITS On Desert Island Dits Nick's...
Aug 28, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 33
CONTENT On this podcast we discuss the book “Terror To Triumph” with the author Chris who served as a sniper in Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq in 2005 and 2007. He then retrained as a UH-1 crew chief/door gunner and completed a tour of Helmand province in that role in 2010. The book outlines his tours in both countries and subsequent adjustment to the civilian world including dealing with PTSD. It is the story of how he and his family went through each deployment, dealing with trauma and death befo...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 32
CONTENT On this episode we discuss 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery Royal Artillery during Operation CORPORATE better known as the Falklands war. After the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, 148 deployed to the South Atlantic where it operated alongside both the SAS and SBS in order to direct naval and artillery gun fire. Their unique capabilities were invaluable and 148 teams engaged Argentine positions in support of every major British assault. GUEST Our guest is Brum Rich...
Jun 28, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 31
