Macintyre’s new hardback displayed in a bookshop window in London, UK.
Well, here we go again…another book on the 1980 Irainian Embassy seige in London.
However, apparently this time the MOD see’s this one as the definitive historical piece for readers to understand what really happened during that period.
As one of many to be interviewed by Ben’s team, I’m not so sure? Almost 45 years after the assault by the special projects team from B Sqn, 22 SAS Regiment, a lot of time has passed by for all who were involved. From the lone terrorist who is still I believe living in the UK today after serving life in prison for his part played, to the surviving hostages, to the other actors doing their best to come up with a non agressive outcome…to ourselves. I for one remember certain parts of the whole scenario, but most certainly not all. So I could only recount what I could remember…but was that the case for everyone?
Macintyre can only write from people’s accounts and what paper accounts he was given by the authorities and individuals.
However as history goes, this should be still a good account of the siege and all who were a part of it. For history’s sake, it will be as good as any historical account from the past that we get to read about.
Even being there and carrying out my individual task, I couldn’t recount what I didn’t see. A small cog in a very large wheel, that’s all I can really count on when asked what happened?
These days I keep seeing numbers that reflect parts of my life. Whether it’s from my birth date, or my house number from back home, or the number of children and grandchildren I have…numbers come up all the time.
After my interview for this latest book, the number 6 came up time and time again.
Why?
Well here we go: I was a proud member of 6 Troop, B Squadron, 22 SAS when I was an assault member placing the distraction charge on the skylight above the stairwell, the first and biggest explosion of the day. There were 6 terrorists to be talked down or taken down. There were 26 hostages’ lives to be saved. The target building was 16 Prince’s Gate, Kensington, London…the home of the Iranian Embassy. Lastly, the seige lasted for 6 days.
For an event that I’ve blogged about for some time now, it certainly has held world attention for a very long time. Documentary and film makers are now looking to feed off of Macintyre’s book that I have no doubt will do very well. I’ve already been approched for interviews from 3 diffrent organizations…perhaps it will go up to 6?
For me it’s a small but important reflection of a job done among many jobs done while I served with 22 SAS. And more importantly, at my time of life, it reminds me of those who are no longer with us, and just how their families are doing.
As many SAS men including myself over the years have said, the media’s coverage on that day of the assault (and not the operation itself) changed the SAS forever. Driving our Range Rovers back to Hereford had us in a completely different mindset to when we drove them to London 6 days earlier.
We were all now forever overtly in the eyes of the world.
Bob Shepherd 