The Forgotten Godfather of the SAS | Jock Lewes - Video

Who was the forgotten godfather of the SAS?

When people think about the creation of the Special Air Service, names like David Stirling and Paddy Mayne immediately come to mind.

But there was another man whose influence on the early SAS was fundamental.

Lieutenant John Steel “Jock” Lewes.

A soldier, leader, innovator and one of the founding figures behind the unit that would become one of the most respected special forces organisations in the world.

In this episode of Tactical Truth, former UK Special Forces operator Phil Campion tells the remarkable story of Jock Lewes, the man who helped turn the idea of the SAS into a functioning fighting force.

While David Stirling drove the creation of the unit, Lewes helped develop the brutal training standards, discipline, independence and fighting mentality required for its men to operate deep behind enemy lines.

He also created one of the early SAS's most important battlefield innovations: the Lewes bomb.

Phil examines:

• Who Jock Lewes really was
• His life before the Second World War
• How he became involved in special operations
• His partnership with David Stirling
• How L Detachment SAS began to take shape
• The extreme training methods used by the early SAS
• Why initiative and independence became central to SAS training
• How Lewes helped establish the standards of the new unit
• The creation of the Lewes bomb
• The disastrous first SAS operation, Operation Squatter
• How the SAS adapted after its early failures
• Operations alongside the Long Range Desert Group
• Lewes's final operation in North Africa
• His death on 30 December 1941 at just 28 years old
• The extraordinary legacy he left behind

Lewes believed that small groups of highly trained soldiers could operate independently, infiltrate deep behind enemy lines, strike where the enemy least expected it and disappear before a response could be organised.

Today, that concept is synonymous with special forces operations.

In 1941, it was radical. Lewes helped develop the men capable of making it work. But his story would be tragically short.

On 30 December 1941, while returning from an operation in Libya, Lewes's patrol came under attack from enemy aircraft. He was struck by a cannon shell and killed.

He was only 28. Around the same time, a letter was being sent from Mirren Barford accepting Lewes's proposal of marriage.

He never received it. His life ended before he could see what the organisation he helped create would eventually become.

But his influence survived. The training. The discipline. The initiative. The innovation. The ability to operate independently when everything goes wrong.

More than eight decades later, the SAS remains one of the most famous military units in the world.

And its story cannot be told properly without Jock Lewes.

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⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 The Forgotten Godfather of the SAS
01:25 Who Was Jock Lewes?
03:40 The Radical Idea Behind the SAS
06:10 Jock Lewes Meets David Stirling
08:20 Building the First SAS Soldiers
12:10 The Brutal Training Behind the SAS
16:00 The Lewes Bomb
18:30 Operation Squatter: The SAS's First Disaster
21:00 How the SAS Fought Back
23:30 The Death of Jock Lewes
25:20 The Letter He Never Received
27:00 The Legacy of Jock Lewes

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????️ ABOUT PHIL CAMPION

Phil Campion is a former UK Special Forces operator and military commentator providing straight-talking analysis on defence, security, military history, current affairs and the stories dominating Britain and the world.

Drawing on his military and security experience, Phil gives his perspective on the soldiers, decisions, tactics and realities behind some of the most extraordinary stories in military history.

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Had you heard of Jock Lewes before this episode?

And do you think his contribution to the creation of the SAS deserves to be remembered alongside David Stirling and Paddy Mayne?

Let us know what you think below.

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