The Unconventional Soldier

Our guest on Pod #016 is Scott the serving Officer Commanding 4/73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery.On this episode we talk about his unique journey to head up the Army's STA patrols unit from the ranks of the Royal Military Police's Close Protection Unit where he carried out tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Being selected for commissioning as an officer and attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Finally passing P Company in order to serve with Airborne Forces before he completed the STA Patrols Selection course for his first tour with 4/73 as a Troop Commander .Scott then covers the role of the unit today including operational commitments, training and selection in order to deliver surveillance, reconnaissance and joint fires in high risk environments. We then move on to discuss the future of STA patrols in a shrinking Army with increasing demands. We finish with Scott's book choice on Desert Island dits In the Service of the Sultan: A First Hand Account of the Dhofar Insurgency by Ian Gardiner. His film choice is A Bridge Too Far. The teams book choices this episode are Berlin: The Downfall 1945 by Antony Beevor and The American Civil War by JohnKeegan.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, follow, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #015 is Jon Deninson a former Troop Commander and Battery Commander of 4/73 Bty when they deployed on multiple Operation HERRICK tours in Afghanistan. On this episode we talk about Jon's first tour of Afghanistan in command of an STA Fire Support Team as part of the 3 Para Battle Group on HERRICK 4. We also discuss the various roles the unit subsequently carried out including Brigade Recce Force, Theatre Surveillance Troop and operations conducted as a dismounted recce platoon.These roles often involved close combat with a determined enemy and a small unit of 55 men suffered 3 killed in action and 10 wounded in action, several with life changing injuries, over this period.We finish with Jon's book choice on Desert Island dits Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman. His film choice is Where Eagles Dare. The teams book choices this episode are Mountain Commandos at War in the Falklands. The Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre in Action during the 1982 Conflict by Rod Boswell and George Cross Heroes by Michael Ashcroft.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, follow, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #014 is John Holden. John was a Troop Commander and then OC of 4/73 Bty when they deployed on Operation TELIC in Iraq. On this episode we talk about the near disbandment of the unit due to obsolesence and how they carved a new role in the operational battle space that later helped define the STA patrols concept for the future.We finish with John's book choice on Desert Island dits Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. His film choice is Tumbledown. The teams book choices this episode are MI9 by Helen Fry and Accidental Warrior by Geoffrey Picot.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, follow, share and leave a review.Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #013 is Danny Kay. On this episode we talk with Danny about the contemporary STA patrols selection course and how it changed in the early 90s to accommodate the move from the Cold War "stay behind" role to meet new operational challenges. We also discuss the attachment of chief instructors from 22 SAS and how they influenced training over the years. We finish with Danny's book choice on Desert Island dits Operation Snakebite by Stephen Grey. His film choice is Saving Private Ryan. The teams book choices this episode are 18 Platoon by Sydney Jary and SAS Phantoms Of The Jungle by DM Horner.Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us:Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #012 is Tim Miller who completed a tour as BC of 4/73 Bty. On this podcast we discuss why he joined the Army, his time with the unit and the challenges he faced in keeping STA patrols relevant in an ever changing world. The main focus of the episode is on the Long Range Desert Group. A specialist unit who pioneered long range operations in that difficult environment and were much more than a taxi service for an embryonic SAS. This episode is a precursor to a future pod on STA patrols in Afghanistan where they carried out some of the longest desert patrols since WW2. We finish with Tim's book choice on Desert Island dits Undercover War by Harry McCallion. His film choice is Where Eagles Dare. The teams book choices this episode are My Friend The Mercenary by James Brabazon and The Jungle Is Neutral by F Spencer Chapman .Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us:Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #011 is Lee Chapman. On this episode he discusses joining the Army in the mid 1980s and deploying to his first Unit 50 Missile Regiment Royal Artillery. This specialist Regiment was capable of firing the Lance mobile tactical surface to surface missile to provide nuclear fire support to the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War. Lee was a member of the Special Defence Group, a specialist unit unique to 50 Missile Regiment, whose role was to provide ground security for the nuclear weapon system. Its NCOs were fully qualified infantrymen trained at the School of Infantry in Brecon. The main part of the podcast discusses the deployment of STA patrols to the Balkans during the 90s and their involvement in the campaigns in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. We finish with Lee's book choice on Desert Island dits Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian. His film choice is The Longest Day. The teams book choices this episode are My War Gone By I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd and The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart .Find out about the current serving unit at STA Patrols Special Observer.Follow us:Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.Facebook @lateo82. Twitter @TheUCS473.Download on other platforms via Link Tree.Email us: [email protected]. This 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 #010 is Chris Lincoln-Jones. Chris was the Battery Commander of the then 73 (Sphinx) Special OP Battery when it deployed on Operation GRANBY, better known as the first Gulf war. He describes the deployment of the unit, the training in theatre and its role as part of Divisional recce attached to 16/5 Lancers during the 100 hour ground war. Chris also covers his time in 3 Commando Brigade in 148 (Meiktila) Battery, a specialist Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observation unit within 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.We finish with Chris's book choice on Desert Island dits Firing Line by Richard Holmes. His film choice is Eye In The Sky. The teams book choices this episode are If I Die In A Combat Zone by Tim OBrien and Memoirs Of An Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon.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: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the second part of this podcast Jimmy Morham recounts the bloody battle for Mount Longdon and the recovery back to the UK following the Argentinian surrender. He then moves on to the lessons learned from the war and how he applied them to the training environment of the STA Patrol's Selection Course.On desert island dits Jimmy's choice of book is Three Days In June by James O'Connell. His film choice is Tunes Of GloryColin's pick this week is Red And Green Life Machine: Diary Of The Falklands Field Hospital by Rick Jolly. Kev's choice is Wingate and The Chindits: Redressing The Balance by David Rooney.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: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode we talk with Parachute Regiment Veteran Jimmy Morham who came to the Special OP Troop from 3 PARA in the late 1980s as the chief instructor on the patrols selection course. Jimmy covers his motivation for joining the Parachute Regiment and his 22 year career as an Airborne soldier. We then move on to Op CORPORATE and discuss the invasion of the Falklands, how 3 PARA prepared for the deployment and the equipment and weapons systems they had at that time. Jimmy recounts the voyage south and how they prepared for war on board and at Ascension island where rehearsals for amphibious landings were conducted and weapons testing carried out. We then move on to the amphibious assault on the Falklands itself.Finally the move out from the beach head, conducted as an advance to contact, and the legendary tab across the island is discussed. Jimmy then describes the preparatory operations conducted around the area of Estancia House and we finish off Part 1 of this pod just prior to the Battalion receiving orders from the Commanding Officer for a silent attack on Mount Longdon on the evening of 11/12 June 82.Follow us on Instagram "@the_unconventional_soldier_pod" and Facebook "The Unconventional Soldier Pod" (search for @lateo82).We are also available to download on all major platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Youtube and Google podcasts.Email us: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We love a book on the podcast so if you are wondering what to do with those Amazon vouchers this is the episode for you. In a break from the normal format we talk about our books of choice with guest Simon Vincent.Along the way we discuss how the need for hunting hawks led to the Islamification of a part of Pakistan, Spike Milligan's PTSD, a bank robber's escape from Devil's Island in French Guyana, the myth of the invincible German soldier, Vulcan raids in the Falklands, an Irish woman's travels through Afghanistan, British POW in the Second World War, the pioneering plastic surgeon Archibald MacIndoe who saved the lives of Allied fliers in the war and how legendary SAS soldier and mountaineer Brummie Stokes helped Simon with a medical lesson on cold weather injuries. On desert island dits Simon's choice of film is The Great EscapeFind 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: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode we talk with Neil Hogg about the British Army's Operation BANNER which ran from 1969 - 2007. 300,000 British troops served in Northern Ireland during this period with more than 20,000 deployed at its peak. In the first part of the pod we cover a brief history of the troubles, the effectiveness of the Provisional IRA, how we trained for a 6 month tour and what it was like to conduct operations in Londonderry during the late 1980s.In the second half Neil discusses in public for the first time an IRA ambush in which the vehicle he was travelling was struck by a roadside IED killing two soldiers Steve Cummins and Miles Amos. He then gives a powerful and moving account of his subsequent battle with PTSD.On desert island dits Neil's choice of books are Tornado Down by John Nichol and Dirty Work by Glen McNamara. His film pick is The Odd Angry Shot about the Australian SAS in Vietnam.The team's pick this week is the SAS Survival Handbook by Lofty Wiseman and The Interrogator by Hanns Scharff.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: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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: [email protected] episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.