The Unconventional Soldier

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 Richards who served the majority of his military career in 148 whose naval gunfire role can be traced back to The Combined Operations Bombardment Units (COBUs) that provided fire direction for ships in shore bombardment in World War 2.  On Op CORPORATE he deployed as Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer on board several Royal Navy warships and offers a unique perspective on the campaign.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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This episode brought to you in association with ISARR a veteran owned company.

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CONTENT

On this episode we discuss 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery Royal Artillery between the early 1960s and the Falklands War in 1982.  The unit is specially qualified in calling artillery, naval gunfire and airstrikes to support 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and UK Special Forces. They are experts in covert insertion, patrols behind enemy lines, concealment, encrypted communications and battle damage assessment in all environments. 

Members of 148 Battery took part in operations in the Malay Peninsula 1963-66, Borneo 1963-66, the Radfan in 1964 and in Aden at various times between 1960 and 1967. It was  scheduled for disbandment when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982 but its performance during the war essentially stopped this in its tracks.

GUEST

Our guest is Brum Richards who served the majority of his military career in 148 whose naval gunfire role can be traced back to The Combined Operations Bombardment Units (COBUs) that  provided fire direction for ships in shore bombardment in World War 2.

Brums experiences as a Commando Gunner were quite unique encompassing the withdrawal from empire in the 60s and closing with the Operation CORPORATE the name given to the operation to retake the Falklands islands.  This is the first of two podcasts with the second on 148 Battery operations in the Falklands. 

DESERT ISLAND DITS

On Desert Island dits Brum's book choice is The Times Complete History of the World by Richard Overy. His film choice is The Great Escape.  The teams book choice this episode are Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day by James Holland and Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.

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Twitter @TheUCS473.

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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.

CONTENT

On this podcast we discuss one of the lesser known rear guard actions on the retreat to Dunkirk that allowed so many troops to get to the beaches and their subsequent evacuation back to England.  

This is the Battle of Hondeghem which took place on the 27 May 1940 when K Battery Royal Horse Artillery engaged lead elements of 6 Panzer Division halting them at the village in vicious street fighting and firing their 18 pounder guns at ranges of under 100 yards.

The battery suffered heavy losses, with 'F' Troop alone losing 45 men out of 63. However, they were rewarded with Major Hoare winning the DSO, Captain Teacher the MC, Battery Sergeant Major Millard the DCM, and Gunner Kavanagh was honoured with the MM. In addition three men were Mentioned In Despatches.  In recognition of their gallantry the unit was awarded the honour title Hondeghem and K (Hondeghem) Battery is still on the order of battle in the Royal Artillery today.

GUEST

Our guest is Mark Martin who served as a Regular soldier and officer in the Royal Artillery from 1983 to 2018. Mark enlisted as a Private soldier, known in the Artillery as a Gunner, serving in every rank up to Warrant Officer Class One. His non-commissioned final appointment was the Regimental Sergeant Major of a regular MLRS and UAV Regiment.  Mark commissioned from the ranks as a Late Entry Captain in 2003 and commanded K (Hondeghem) Battery on two operational tours of Afghanistan.  He promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2015. 

Mark's grandfather was a member of the Royal Artillery as part of the British Expeditionary Force who fought at Dunkirk.  He was severely wounded during the fighting but was evacuated back to the UK.

DESERT ISLAND DITS

On Desert Island dits Marks's book choice is SAS Survival Handbook by John "Lofty" Wiseman. His film choice is Cockleshell Heroes.  The teams book choice this episode is Mussolini His Part In My Downfall by Spike Milligan and the TV series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, share and leave a review.

Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.

Facebook @lateo82. 

Twitter @TheUCS473.

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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.

CONTENT

This is the second part of our podcast with Adam Lyle - Stirling who served as an infantryman in the British Army from 2001 to 2012 first in 2 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (2 PWRR)  then in 1 Royal Irish Regiment. Adam completed operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan finishing his service as a Sergeant.  We continue to talk to him about his tour of Afghanistan in 2010 with 1 Royal Irish.

Adam talks in detail about several contacts he was involved in, leading and managing soldiers on operations, dealing with the mental pressures of command and the psychological impact of a highly kinetic tour on his soldiers.  Finally we close the discussion with his thoughts on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the PTSD and suicides many suffered from when they got home.

On Desert Island dits Adam's book choice is Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  His film choice is Charlie Wilson's War.  The teams book choices this episode are Shackleton by Ranulph Fiennes and Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E Ambrose.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, 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.

CONTENT

Our guest on this podcast is Adam Lyle - Stirling who served as an infantryman in the British Army from 2001 to 2012 first in 2 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (2 PWRR)  then in 1 Royal Irish Regiment. Adam completed operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan finishing his service as a Sergeant.  On the first of a two part podcast we talk to him about his tour of Afghanistan in 2010 with 1 Royal Irish.

Adam talks in detail about several contacts he was involved in, leading and managing soldiers on operations, dealing with the mental pressures of command and the psychological impact of a highly kinetic tour on his soldiers.  Finally we close the discussion with his thoughts on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the PTSD and suicides many suffered from when they got home.

On Desert Island dits Adam's book choice is Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  His film choice is Charlie Wilson's War.  The teams book choices this episode are Shackleton by Ranulph Fiennes and Pegasus Bridge by Stephen E Ambrose.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, 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.

CONTENT

Our guest on this podcast is John Tulloch who served in Vietnam with the New Zealand Army and later transferred to the British Army. John advised and instructed on the British Army’s Jungle Warfare Instructors’ Course (JWIC) in Brunei and supported major jungle exercises in Belize.  Retiring from the Army in 2003 and becoming a MOD Civil Servant, John continued to instruct on JWIC until May 2015.

John was honoured with the MBE in 2003 and the Royal Artillery Medal in 2011.  An author of several articles about the Vietnam War and Borneo, he also gives talks on these subjects to the military, history groups and schools. Since retiring from the Civil Service in 2015, John began writing ‘The Borneo Graveyard 1941-1945’, the product of 12 years of research. This is his first book.

THE BOOK

Borneo, the land of the head hunters, was a World War II graveyard for POWs, internees, locals, Javanese and Japanese. John's book follows the raising of five Royal Artillery air defence regiments in 1939, their deployment in late 1942 to South East Asia, their short campaign in the Netherlands East Indies and eventual captivity as POWs in Java and North Borneo.

The account describes the invasion of Borneo and the subsequent four years of Japanese occupation.  It depicts the sadistic treatment of Australian, British, Dutch and Indian POWs in the various POW camps in North Borneo at Jesselton, Sandakan, Ranau, Labuan and Batu Lintang.  It also describes the three Death Marches from Sandakan to Ranau.

The internee account covers the men, women and children from all over Borneo interned in Batu Lintang.  They experienced the unspeakable behaviour of the guards.  Several internees were killed trying to escape the Japanese regime or gratuitously executed before liberation.

The locals of Borneo suffered terribly.  Torture, executions and massacres occurred throughout. Malnutrition, starvation and death were endemic.  Tribes exacted their revenge and over 8,000 Japanese died during their withdrawals in Sabah.

The secretive Z Force gathered intelligence, trained local guerrilla fighters who harassed and exacted a heavy toll on the Japanese. They also engaged in bitter fighting for the liberation of Borneo.

Finally the book finishes with POW convalescence at Labuan followed by repatriation to the UK and the dreadful wall of silence experienced by so many of the returning Far East POWs and internees to the UK.

You can order a copy of John's book by contacting him by email:   [email protected] 

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.

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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.

CONTENT

This is the second part of our podcast with Vietnam veteran John Tulloch.  If you have listened to the first part of this podcast (#023) you would be advised to do this first.  

DESERT ISLAND DITS

Johns choice of book on desert island dits is The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway and his film is The Longest Day.  The team's choice this week is Delta Four: Australian Riflemen in Vietnam by Gary McKay and Britain's Treasure Islands: A Journey to the UK Overseas Territories by Stewart Mcpherson.

A complete list of the books we have reviewed with our guests can be found here.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Instagram @the_unconventional_soldier_pod.

Facebook @lateo82. 

Twitter @TheUCS473.

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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 this podcast is Vietnam veteran John Tulloch.  John's military career began in 1965 and he was commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) in 1966. John developed his jungle warfare expertise whilst serving in Vietnam with 161 Battery from July 1968 to July 1969 as a Forward Observation Officer (FOO) nowadays referred to as a Fire Support Team commander.

John transferred to the British Army and Royal Artillery in March 1973 and completed two tours in Northern Ireland , followed by a two year secondment to the Sultan of Oman’s Artillery in 1978. In 1994 John began as a visiting advisor and instructor for the next 21 years on the British Army’s Jungle Warfare Instructors’ Course in Brunei. He also supported major jungle exercises in Belize for 10 years.

Retiring from the Army in 2003 and becoming a MOD Civil Servant, John continued to instruct on Jungle Warfare Instructors Course until May 2015.  John was honoured with the MBE in 2003 and the Royal Artillery Medal in 2011.

An author of several articles about the Vietnam War and Borneo, he also gives talks on these subjects to the military, history groups and schools. 

This is the first of two podcasts in which John discusses why he joined the Army, his pre deployment training in preparation for active duty in Vietnam and what it was like fighting in the jungles of South East Asia. 

Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, 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 this podcast is Ali Macdonald Co-founder & CEO - Resilient Nutrition who served in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the HAC and the London Scottish. On this episode we discuss a short history of rations in the British Army, how modern nutrition techniques are influencing training and feeding of soldiers both in camp and in the field.  Finally we look at how intelligent use of appropriate nutrients assists not only those in the military but endurance sports athletes.

You can find Ali at:

www.resilientnutrition.com  and on Instagram @resilientnuts. 

We finish with Ali's book choice on Desert Island dits Team Of Teams New Rules Of Engagement For A Complex World  by General Stanley McChrystal.  His film choice is The Bourne Identity.  The teams book choices this episode are Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall and Beyond Possible: One Soldier, Fourteen Peaks — My Life In The Death Zone.

Follow us on social media and don't forget to like, 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 is Army veteran Simon Vincent.  On this episode we discuss the war films we rated back in the day when everything was on VHS.  Some golden oldies and a few lesser known (in our eyes) classics.

If you have enjoyed the podcast we would really appreciate a review especially on Spotify or ITunes.

You can follow us on social media on the following platforms and don't forget to like, follow, share. 

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.