Joining the SAS

I watched as the lorry disappeared and then silence; not a sound anywhere; I looked left and right – nothing; I liked the silence; this was in Sutherland very close to Cape Wrath which is the tip top of Scotland.

The hill I climbed seemed to go up at ninety degrees and after a hundred yards I was finished; I sat down and dived into my bag for something to eat.

I wasn’t as domesticated as I am now so the first thing I found was a packet of Kraft Cheese Slices – not very sensible for somebody who was going to have to rough it for five days – and then some beans. I decided on the beans and then came my first mishap – I couldn’t get the bloody stove to light and I ate the beans from the can cold.

After a few days everybody gathered at the final RV and we were relieved of our back-packs – leaving us with our emergency packs – and teamed into pairs; luckily I got Steve.

The more we walked the more it rained. We were wearing ponchos but we would have to sleep. I kept saying “what”s the matter with settling down under that tree – or that bush?’ But Steve didn’t think it was a good idea.

When it got dark we walked close to the road and in the distance we could see by its lights a vehicle approaching. We kept low and as it got closer we made out a mobile grocer’s van so we jumped out like bandits and flagged it down.

‘Do you have any milk?’

‘Hop in and I’ll take you to a farm.’

At the farm we could see the farm house through the dark in the distance. “Look there” said Steve, as we walked “a barn!”

A youth of sixteen answered the door “yes?” he said.

‘Can you sell us some milk?’

‘Milk?’

“Yes and can we sleep in your barn?” Nice one Steve.

‘Hang on a minute’ he said.

He disappeared and then his dad came to the door “You want to sleep in the barn?”

‘Yes please.’

‘That’ll be okay,’ he said, wearily, and he took us to it.

After a while a female voice called through the door “can I come in?”

‘Yes.’

A very beautiful young girl came into the barn; “hello” she said.

This was the farmer’s daughter “we have a cottage if you would like to use it.”

There was nothing in the cottage apart from a bed and a pile of blankets – “would you like to come up for supper?”

Would we like to come up for supper!

‘Come up to the house when you are ready’ she said.

Oh the jokes about the farmer’s daughter that went through my head.

Bacon and eggs, sausage and tomatoes; all served with hot tea and warm bread rolls; all wonderful.

The next morning our clothes were delivered to us before we got out of bed and we were given boiled eggs and toast for breakfast.

Later on, after we made it to our final RV, an officer came up to me and said “Your socks look rather dry there?”

‘Yes sir’ I said “we took them off and hung them up to dry this morning.”

‘Well done’ he said “good piece of initiative.”

We passed the selection course but the short time we served with them, to me, was never nearly as exciting as the course itself; we went on manoeuvres, played at being at war and got out before it became serious; at least I did; I don’t know what Steve did as we lost touch after I got married.