Boys Own Stuff

22 SAS attached AAC A109 similar to the one used by our team in the late 80s.

Member of the Special Projects team, late 80s to 90s.

Back in the day when we would spend 6 months operating and training on the SP Team every 2 years, we would spend days going through various options inside a training camp about 10 miles from Hereford our base.

One day, we were training with the Army Air Corps terrific pilots flying the Augusta 109, the type seen above.

Four of us, two sitting out of the port door and two sitting out of the starboard door were tasked with taking out the top floor of a stronghold by fast roping down from the Augusta onto the roof of the small multi story building.

For the task, after clambering aboard post briefing with the pilot, we flew well away from the training area, then returned low and hovered for several minutes over a farmer’s corn field awaiting the go go go.

I had the rope between my legs ready to drop onto the roof, respirators on, weapons made ready, flashbangs handy, along with a 20lb mallet if needed.

We were about 50yds in off of a quiet secondary road across from a sketchy hedgerow, and while making the farmer a nice crop circle from the hover position, a car came along and slowed…eventually coming to a halt.

I could see it was driven by a mother with her two kids in the back with the windows down…probably on their way home from school given the time in the afternoon.

I could see the young boy nearest, opening and closing his fingers pointing his arms towards us.

Amazingly, I eventually worked out that he was using Morse code to say “hello.”

I say amazingly, not because such a young boy was using it, but because I could actually work it out as my Morse was shite.

I used my torch on my MP5 to send “hello” back at him. I could see him telling his sister and mum, they all waved back, and waited as we kept hovering.

A minute or so later in my earpiece I received the go go go along with everyone else.

As the heli nosed forward and accelerated upwards I sent the boy “bye.”

I don’t know if he clocked it, but they were all waving like crazy as we pulled away, and on towards the target.

I could imagine him telling his Boys Own story at school the next day, a nice wee touch for all during some serious training.

SAS hearts and minds.