Gil Boyd has once again compiled a story which I belielve is an excellent read for all, ex Airborne or not. He sent this to me and after many hours of toil and reducing my finger size by 2 inches I have now posted it on the famous faces pages.

The story is of the founder members of the SAS, such as Jock Lewes and the likes of Reg Seekings. Also an insight into who really was responsible for it's inaugeration.

Just go to the home page and click on the link FAMOUS FACES. Once there click on the photo of Reg Seekings, that will take you to the page.

Al
Really appreciate all your work on launching that onto the site.
Albeit neither were ex PARA Reg, or indeed ex 2 PARA, at one stage of their conception, they wore White berets and then maroon berets before settling on Sand colour. I was motivated to honour the man at the bottom of my garden in statue form firstly and then highlight another forgotten hero Reg Seekings, which had a slight twist to the story at the end regarding his niece.
What a debt of gratitude we all owe these and others like them. Hope the guys enjoy it.
Gil

Just to update our members on the Jock Lewes story.

I have traced the man on his patrol when he was killed in Libya in 1941 who buried him at the roadside coming back from the raid on Nofilia airfield held by the germans: http://www.2parareunionclub.com/2_para_ ... es_12.html
He now lives in Perth, Scotland aged 89 years.

In addition, Lt. John Woods 88 years of age, who is already on our FAMOUS FACES pages http://www.2parareunionclub.com/2_para_ ... aces6.html
was the young officer who was tasked with training the 2nd Indian Airborne and is famous for designing Heavy Drop as we know it. It was he that was waiting for the parachutes that Jock Lewes diverted (stole) for his units use in the first disastrous parachute drop by the SAS where only 22 came back out of 66 in severe sand storms.

The story looks like it could be converted into a historical documentary for TV, so the records can be put right on a few things!!
The family commemorated a statue to Jock Lewes at Hereford at the end of 2008 which was opened by HRH The Prince William.

Whats great about this whole story now is, that I have a rough location where Jock is buried by locating his patrol colleague who buried him, and my aim is to try and find his body using Cadever search dogs and bring him home for the family and the country.

A tall order, but nevertheless, possible knowing how good these dogs are!!

Gil, this story could really open up to the public at large now due to your hard work and determination, and rightly so. It's intriguing to say the least, and as you say should be accurately recorded for posterity, well done mate, fantastic stuff!!

As i said on Wednesday well done and hope you pull this one off, thanks for all the work you do.

Gil don't forget.

Spoon one for the use off etc etc.

I look forward to the list and explanation.

Gil, proud to call you a mate and a friend

Well done Gill. A great work.

What an incredible read!

Fancy buying a house & finding an almost life size statue of Jock Lewes, how crazy is that!

Gil 10/10 for all the hard work, it really is appreciated, thanks

Geordie

Gil, Really good to hear of the work that you have put in on Jock Lewes. I knew about this guy many years ago as well as Seekings and was struck by how he had made major contribution to founding of SAS. Seems now that it was more than that. Cannot remember which book it was now as it was so long ago....mind you i have trouble remembering yesterday! What was I saying?? Oh yes. Just thinking about that book reminded me that he had also come up with a bomb for dealing with the aircraft that they were attcking at airfileds. Had a look on Wiki and there is the Lewes Bomb accredited to him....808 mixed with a bit of diesel, etc and there you go....a very effective incendiary. Wish that I had known about it when I was messing about with 808!! The best bit about the piece on Wiki is the references (notes) that accompany the articles on Lewes so that you have refernce to look for other information on him.
One of the bits that was mentioned was that at one point he was in the Welsh Guards which may account for the Welsh connection with the statue being made in Wales...then again H'ford is only just down the road.
Danny

I think the facts about Jock Lewes and Reg Seekings are absolutely sound and accurate, otherwise they would not have been written down in many Military records in the open forum or corroborated by the men that served alongside them. Dead men can't speak, so you always have to walk on eggshells with this type of direct help to the family to establish facts, and no better facts come from men who are still alive who were even on that ill fated patrol where he died.

Unfortunately, the "Officer Corps" comes into this a little bit and the "Ethos" of the Regiment, and it will piss a lot of them off when they accept that Jock should have been accredited with a whole lot more in his short time with the Regiment and his life.
The trouble is, once David Stirling took charge, after Jocks sad death so early on, the credit was piled on Stirling, but so many including Lewes, Seekings and Paddy Maine were the hands on lads in this. Had this fledgling unit continued to have had many more serious failures on the raids, I wonder who they would have made the scape goat??

Having now spoken to patrol members in person, they all to a man, recognise that Jock Lewes was way ahead of his time as a young two year officer and they all describe him as a "wonderful officer". Once in a while these guys come along and I and others believe he was one of them!!

With records shortly to be released now on many of their raids in WW2, and HRH The Prince William unveiling a statue to Lewes at Creedon Hill in November 2008 after campaigns by the family, I'll let the records speak for themselves!! I shall continue to support his sister and family with locating him and bringing him home if I can, until they tell me otherwise.

Gil,
A truly remarkable coincidence,leading to a truly remarkable story !!
Congratulations on your research,& on the facts so well presented !!
( Not forgetting thanks to our intrepid Allen, for all his hard work in getting the story to site !! )

Rog,
Thanks for that, just to add to the story so far, which does get better.
It has taken an amazing twist, insofar that I have tracked down the remaining patrol member from that SAS patrol in 1941 when Jock Lewes was killed and intend to drive up to Scotland to interview him on film as it was he that buried Jock and heard his dying words. As you will appreciate he is quite old now and I need to do that to get the missing piece of the jigsaw.

With the information that he can impart regarding the location he buried him, with the families permission and that of the Libyan Governent which I have applied for a Licence, the aim is to search and recover the body and bring Jock Lewes home.

I have also arranged for the family to unveil a picture on the staircase at the Special Forces Club in London where there was no picture of Jock to then sit amongst his Special Forces friends who don the walls on every level of the building.

Thanks to Al for the hard graft in placing the story on the site in the first place and especially after my visit to Reg Seekings grave last Thursday where I took the photo at the end, which has been missing for over a year on my piece....finally, got there, and nearly on the anniversary of his death. It has been a right battle for Al as I presented it to him in various formats.............

These men deserve all that we, that are left can do, to bring them home if they are in far flung hostile burial sites, and especially a man of his standing and importance.

I am currently waiting for permission from the British High Commission and the Peoples Republic of Libya to progress to the next level on the families behalf, and there is great interest in making a documentary with John Lewes, a relative, who wrote the book, doing the narration.
Then I will put my pen down for a break, as it has been exhausting , but probably must rate up there as one of the most satisfying things I have done in my life!!

A labour of love if ever there was one.....bert

Nice one Gil !!!!! ref our chat this morning Wait Out !!!!!!!

Well done Gil.

Gil, It is nice to see you so committed about something rather than you needing to be committed!!!
A really worthwhile task and I'm sure that everybody on here wishes you all the very best with your search. All the very best of luck with it mate. Danny

Nothing much more to say as its all been said.
All the research, time, and dedication and not forgetting the support from your good lady.
Very well done Gil.

??????????? Good lady and a DIAMOND will suffice

Bill, She needs one................ married to me as you know