Major Peter Ratcliffe, DCM (born 1951) is a former British Army soldier and commissioned officer who served in the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service in a career of almost thirty years, during which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in action during the Gulf War. He is the author of the book The Eye of the Storm (2000).
Peter Ratcliffe | |
|---|---|
 Peter Ratcliffe during the Dhofar Rebellion | |
| Nickname(s) | Billy |
| Born | 1951 Salford, Greater Manchester, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1970–1997 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Special Air Service Parachute Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Operation Banner Dhofar Rebellion Falklands War Gulf War |
| Awards | Distinguished Conduct Medal Mentioned in Despatches |
| Other work | Author |
Early life
editRatcliffe was born in 1951 and spent his childhood years in Salford, Greater Manchester, where as a teenager he was an apprenticed plasterer.[citation needed]
Military career
editRatcliffe joined the British Army's Parachute Regiment in January 1970 as private 24180996. He served with the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment on Operation Banner in Northern Ireland in 1971–72, before transferring to the Special Air Service Regiment in 1972. He was attached to the 22 SAS, seeing service with its 18 (Mobility) Troop, 'D' Squadron.
During his time in the SAS he saw active service in a number of conflicts, including the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, The Troubles, the Falklands War, for which on 8 October 1982 he was Mentioned in Dispatches,[1] and Operation Granby in the Gulf War.
During the latter conflict, Ratcliffe was the Regimental Sergeant Major of 22 SAS,[2] and received an order to assume command of its 'A' Squadron in a highly unusual circumstance of a non-commissioned officer replacing an officer in a command position. He subsequently led the squadron on a raid behind enemy lines against an Iraqi Army communications facility code-named by the British "Victor Two", for which he was afterwards awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in action.[3][4]
Ratcliffe received a commission in 1992,[5] and was promoted to captain in 1994.[6] After completing his career as a training officer with 23 Special Air Service Regiment, he retired from the British Army after almost thirty years' service with the rank of major in 1997.[7][8]
Post-military activities
editRatcliffe published a memoir of his military career entitled Eye of the Storm in 2000. He has been critical of other published works by former SAS personnel, specifically "Andy McNab" and "Chris Ryan", claiming that they have damaged the reputation of the regiment by fabricating elements of their war experiences in published works for monetary gain.[9]
Ratcliffe has also publicly voiced concern about the provision of post traumatic stress support by the British Government to former soldiers of the British Army, following a number of high-profile suicides by former SAS soldiers after their military service careers.[10]
Publications
editReferences
edit- ^ "Page 12856 | Supplement 49134, 8 October 1982 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ 'Q & A with Michael Asher', 'Elite UK Forces', 2008. http://www.eliteukforces.info/articles/michael-asher-q+a.php
- ^ "No. 54763". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 May 1997. p. 5628.
- ^ 'SAS & the North, not quite setting the record straight', 'Independent.ie', 6 November 2000. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/sas-and-the-north-not-quite-setting-the-record-straight-26103504.html
- ^ "No. 53184". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 January 1993. p. 1374.
- ^ "No. 53868". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 December 1994. p. 17051.
- ^ "No. 54958". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 November 1997. p. 13203.
- ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (5 October 2000). "SAS author attacks war accounts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ 'The Real Bravo Two Zero', Channel 4 Television (2003).
- ^ 'S.A.S man in suicide fall rang former colleague to say farewell', 'Daily Telegraph', 13 January 2002. [1]
- ^ "Book info". Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Peter (2001). Little Book of the SAS. Michael O'Mara Books, Limited. ISBN 978-1854798879.