1970's SAS beret

**Jerry B** · 05-01-2018, 09:42 AM

A fairly recent addition to my collection, original 1970's SAS beret with its badge still in place. I think Compton Webb's of this date were private purchase, though later they became the standard issue for Para's and ?SAS. I have an 80's para by them with full set of issue markings and contract codes

**Jerry B** · 08-15-2018, 10:25 PM

Strange that this original used SAS beret from near enough the same period as the 1980's embassy siege garners not a single comment, I thought it was a very cool item to add to my collection.

It never fails to amaze me just how little interest there seems to be here these days to what is a rather uncommon bit of kit, but no, not a peep, but if I shared a three times repainted m40 helmet with fake decals it would have had members queuing up to comment.

Each to their own I guess, but what has this forum become. No wonder so many have left or almost never post here any more. I doubt many will notice if I join them.

**Ullergaard** · 08-15-2018, 10:36 PM

Hello Jerry

I do like your very nice beret!
I had the pleasure many times in my military career to work alongside those great guys...
22nd.

Best regards
Lt. Col
Ullergaard

**HoundsTooth** · 08-15-2018, 10:39 PM

Jerry - first time i have seen this post (i don't catch them all though as i'm only able to check the site intermittently).
The beret is iconic and very cool - i don't know too much about them other than of course being SAS.
I wouldn't get too disheartened in no comments - people will probably still appreciate the post.
Regards,
Nick

**Anderson** · 08-16-2018, 02:10 AM

Similar situation to your Brigadier Para beret thread. It could be not a lot of the visitors/members to WRF are collectors of British soft head gear. In contrast the MkII helmets forum seems quite active. But internationally there is a German WW2 bias amongst collectors, just something we "generalists" and British/Commonwealth collectors have to accept. I would point out that people usually comment where they think they can add some information lacking. It does get a bit boring having a row of "nice beret" comments.

**Roger M** · 08-16-2018, 10:38 AM

by Jerry B

Strange that this original used SAS beret from near enough the same period as the 1980's embassy siege garners not a single comment, I thought it was a very cool item to add to my collection.

It never fails to amaze me just how little interest there seems to be here these days to what is a rather uncommon bit of kit, but no, not a peep, but if I shared a three times repainted m40 helmet with fake decals it would have had members queuing up to comment.

Each to their own I guess, but what has this forum become. No wonder so many have left or almost never post here any more. I doubt many will notice if I join them.

Maybe we need a postwar section on the forum as I never quite know where to post my post war bits as this is a ww2 Forum.

**Jerry B** · 08-16-2018, 01:24 PM

I only bumped this as I bought a 1950's SAS beret and wondered if it was worth sharing here.

I used tocollect tr items and have no problem with that, but something less commonly seen such as SAS items should attract some interest.
I stopped visiting the tr sections when a member commented that if I did not think that commemorating dead nazis was ok I should stay out of the tr sections.

**Jerry B** · 08-17-2018, 09:49 PM

Bob Curry's SAS beret of the exact same type and him wearing one of his berets, probably a Victors rather than the issue type shown. He was in Blue team when they stormed the Iranian embassy.

“Bob Curry was one of an elite team of men who carried out an operation that epitomised the SAS motto ‘Who Dares Wins’. This small group of highly-trained soldiers was responsible for quite literally exploding the SAS into the modern era. The operation was more than just a spectacular military success – it was played out live on television, something that had never happened before, leaving a whole nation glued to their television screens. Prior to the events of that day few of that generation would have been aware of the existence of the Special Air Service – by the following day everyone had heard of them and they were the envy of the world."

The siege lasted for six days after gunmen from an Iranian Arab group campaigning for greater sovereignty for their region of the country stormed the embassy in South Kensington. Having taken hostages, they demanded the release of prisoners in Iran and safe passage out of Britain. On the sixth day, they killed one of the hostages and the British Government ordered the waiting SAS to take the building.

Curry was in Blue Team tasked with attacking the lower half of the embassy. The plan was to blow in a rear window with explosive but this could not be detonated because another SAS man was trapped on a rope above it. Curry, who had been given a sledgehammer to smash in the window if necessary, later wrote in his autobiography: “We waited for the big bang. It did not happen. Instead I got a slap on the head from one of the team. Go, go. I thought it must have been a misfire.”

A misfired device could have gone off at any moment. Curry was not told why the plan to detonate it had been aborted. He continued in his book: “I kicked the charge out of the way thinking ‘well, if it goes off, I won’t know anything about it, I’ll be all over the park’. And then I started to make an entry point through the window to my front. It had wooden shutters behind it, which were closed, and heavy draped curtains behind those. It didn’t take me long, as obviously the adrenalin was rushing…..I climbed in. We were in.” His SAS colleague Rusty Firmin later recalled: “There was an almighty crash as the head of the sledgehammer punched clean through the windows. Splinters of glass and wood flew to all sides. If the six gunmen inside the embassy didn’t know the SAS were on their case now, they never would.”

In the 17-minute operation that followed five of the six terrorists were killed and the other captured and all but one of the 20 remaining hostages rescued. One SAS man was awarded the George Medal and four the Queen’s Gallantry Medal. Curry wrote in his book: “It would have been nice to have that medal, but obviously we hadn’t shouted loud enough. But then it wasn’t about medals; it was about saving lives. And I think that we had done this quite well.”