Operation Nimrod May 5th 1980.
On this day 39 years ago members of the Special Air Service ended the 6 day siege at the Iranian embassy in London .
I recall as a kid seeing the classic BBC film footage of the rescue . The sound of the explosion followed by the billowing smoke and then two figures all in black emerging through the smoke . I had never seen anything quite so cool .
I collected and read everything I could about the siege and those mysterious men in black who crept along that balcony and then disappeared into the embassy to save the hostages .
A good friend of our family who happened to be a Colonel in the SAS at the time kindly gave me a xerox copy of the famous ‘Joker’ card that had been drawn by Roy Thomasson a trooper who had taken part in the siege which was one of my prized possessions .
Several years later as a 17 year old cadet I was fortunate enough to find myself on a Escape & Evasion course run by members of 21 SAS the Artist Rifle’s .
One of the instructors for the ‘improvised weapons’ sections of the week long course was the legend John ‘Mac ‘McAleese who I found out had been one of the two men in black on the balcony that day .
Fast forward several more years and at a UK knife show I was introduced to Warrant officer Mel Parry designer of the Parry blade survival knife by former SAS armorer and knife designer Gary Wines who I was working for making prototype knives .
Mel was looking for a knife maker to help prototype some of his new designs and increase his portfolio and I have worked closely with him for the last 5 years on several new knife designs that are currently in production or testing phases .
Mel served for 27 years in the SAS and was Team leader of ‘Bravo four’ or Blue team that assaulted the front of the embassy 39 years ago today , he was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal for his sterling work that day .
On the wall of his office there’s a framed Heckler &Koch promotional poster that shows two men in black against the white of the embassy walls he told me it was him and his mate Mac on the balcony that day .
I am very honored to have worked closely with Mel these last years and he has kindly signed my ‘Joker’ card print and a very well thumbed copy of Elite magazine next to a picture of him going to work .
As far as I know Mel was asked to give technical support for the 6 days film about the embassy siege , apparently he told them to ‘’Piss off .’‘