WWII special assault rifles built for the SAS only

[Gil Boyd]

Mike,
Absolutely right Kabrit was where they did most of the ground training but Jalo Oasis was where they based themselves on the 5th December 41. Jock was killed on the 31st.

[mike1967]

I was led to believe all the jumps were taken from RAF Heliopolis?

[Gil Boyd]

Mike,
RAF Heliopolis was where the Bristol Bombays were based that they used to jump from in August 1941, and where much of the jump towers and other stuff was placed. Jumping from Fords not Bedfords as mentioned in many books also, was done anywhere, where there was downtime and steered by Jock around Kabrit.
It was the fateful training jump that killed Ken Warburton and Joseph Duffy, where many books write that David Stirling led his men first through the door once the static line clip had been fixed.
There is very little mentioned about who designed that replacement clip and also who went through the door first to test his design...............it was Jock Lewes, not Stirling fact!

I don't wish to knock Stirlings good name here, but the facts come from Pat Riley who was a copper in my Force after the war, and what he wrote down, he was behind Jock, which was never disputed by the surviving lads who were also on that training jump. Didn't want to take the thread off the theme, so I apologise not putting more detail down.
One thing to remember, Stirling rarely mentioned Jock after his death and I think he took much credit for stuff Jock did not he!!

[mike1967]

All very interesting Gil. I agree Jock Lewes is much left out of the story of the SAS, probably due his early demise and the importance given to all the later desert ops, and the impact that Blair Mayne made. One of the other officers that made a huge impact on the SAS success story was Bill Fraser, he also is rarely mentioned.

My late dads brother (also dec) was a member of the Greek Sacred Sqn, They were Greek Egyptians and two of the three brothers served, one in the RAF and he was originally in the Greek Navy as a sub mariner then volunteered for the "Ieros Loxos" so its all of interest to me.

Sorry to digress from the original conversation.

[Gil Boyd]

Here are some of the images we have loaned to reliable book writers in the past and newspapers. These are with the Lewes family in the main, all recovered from Jocks possessions on his training:

[Gil Boyd]

Graham Rose and Jimmie Storrie..............JALO Oasis 1941 didnt know the photo was being taken! This image will confirm that the weapons they used were issued only.

[Gil Boyd]

Mike,
Coming back to the thrust of this thread, one can see the Sacred Sqn on the greek islands and the weapons they had cobbled together.
Schmeiser/Thompson/Carbine and the old trusted horse the bren. Nice photo

[Daan Kemp]

Heavy Bren firepower. Wonder who carried the magazines?

[mrclark303]

Mike,
Coming back to the thrust of this thread, one can see the Sacred Sqn on the greek islands and the weapons they had cobbled together.
Schmeiser/Thompson/Carbine and the old trusted horse the bren. Nice photo

Those boys are certainly tooled up for Bear Gil, that's a lot of firepower!

[Gil Boyd]

Alledgedly a pre ambush photo, I think its posed personally, you certainly don't get time or the impulse to take photos just before an ambush in real life!!!!!