Fighting Men of Rhodesia ep262 | Sgt Mike West | Grey's Scouts, RLI, SAS, RECCE's
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2024
- Born poor, he battled on the streets of the mining towns; from orphanage to reformatory to warder on Pretoria Central’s ‘Death Row’. After a brush with the law, he went north to join the fight for Rhodesia, and served with distinction in the Grey Scouts, the RLI and then the SAS.
Fighting ferociously to the bitter end, the politicians ended his war and he returned to his homeland to re-enter the fray with the Recces. Unorthodox in his methods, scornful of dogma, a rebel in their ranks, he rankled his seniors but was seldom far from the thick of the action.
Attacking the enemy from the air, land and sea, he led from the front against the Russians, Cubans, Angolans and SWAPO. Like his mentor, Rhodesian SAS Captain Darrell Watt, the man he idolizes, he was denied the recognition he deserved.
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Hi Mike - good to see you after all these years. The last time I saw you was when we were both in 7Troop 2 Commando Rhodesian Light Infantry in June 1977, when we were deployed on a 21 day operation from Mtoko into the Chioco district of the Tete Province of Mozambique to relieve the Rhodesian SAS who had been operating there for 30 days.(this was prior to you leaving the RLI and joining the Rhodesian SAS) Our task was to disrupt supply lines of ZANLA and Frelimo and to lay ambushes and mines. It was a callsign of 16 of us which included our USA Medic Keith Nelson. On day 10 of our deployment we were walking in single file alongside a very dry riverbed when Keith Nelson , the USA Medic, stepped on an anti-personnel mine which Ronnie Travers , Jan Myburgh and myself had miraculously stepped over. Unfortunately Keith Nelson, who was 4th from the front of the single file, stepped on the AP mine and had both his legs blown off from the knee down. It was an agonising and extremely painful 4 hour wait for the chopper casevac for Keith Nelson after the depletion of all the morphine that was being carried. Keith was successfully casevaced back to Mtoko and after his recovery he returned to the USA and wrote a book called ""The Crippled Eagles" We remained on the op for another 7 days before we were uplifted and returned to Mtoko Airfield. I am busy reading your and Hannes Wessel`s book and much respect to you for your incredible military service in Rhodesia`s military and South Africa`s Special Forces. Take care mate and all the very best to you and your family. Regards Stu Hodgson
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Mike who would have guessed that you were not a trained soldier at the time of joining the Rhodesian army. You became a well respected operator, I was in support cdo and remember you from a few occasions and your ability to use your fists. I last saw you on op tepid, we had been picked up off the ridge by bell and went in to land in the base camp area to pickup some sas guys, you climbed in on and sat next to me, just nodded and looked at your watch. To be honest I was to afraid to say hello because of your reputation, anyway most captivating talk and a back ground that none could imagine. Thank you Hannes for getting Mike to talk.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Mike tells an incredible story of triumph over the adversity of a tough childhood. Thanks for this episode Mike Hannes and John. I am really looking forward to the next one.
Absolutely glued to my seat throughout this enthralling chapter of life during the Rhodesian war. Well done Hannes, Mike and team. Please bring on the next episode soonest.
I strongly recommend the book Hannes wrote about Mike. Mike is a good storyteller and I am waiting for episode 2. I hope there is a long series with many episodes. Mike, I am sorry about the boorish treatment you received from some misguided Afrikaners.
Thank goodness he continues!! Awesome talk
Wow Mike welcome to God's country and it's people. Yes the RLI lads, faces like children but hearts of a lion!. Thank you for your service and please, please do several follow ups.Do you or anyone else have any idea where Schulli is and would it be possible to have a few episodes with him?
Thanks Hannes- that looks suspiciously like a Zambian bu 1:02:06 sh tan😅
What an amazing interview. Mike, I can't express how appreciative I am for the oppertunity to listen to you first hand sharing your adventures.
A very hard life at the start, which makes one feel for any children now going through the same. Well done Mike, looking forward to the nest installment and reading the book. 👍
One of the best yet. What an honest and genuine bloke.
Mike, what a life growing up. I can just imagine what it did to you as a youngster. My uncle was a Mine Captain and the stories he used to tell me. He just came back from WW2 as a youngster, but he was a tall young big guy, and he had to keep the guys in order underground.
I hope everything went okay for you and that you learned from your parents how not to be.
Thank you for sharing your life story with us.
Great listening to this talk ! Looking forward to the next part ….
Coming soon!
Wow what a great talk, a tough and wonderful man, so glad the Rhodesian Army became your home Mike. Really look forward to the follow up, and hope life is treating you well Mike. Best regards and wishes from a fellow donkey walloper!
In the mid 1980s when I was in the SA Army I once went with an Afrikaans guy to his grandmother's house for tea. She refused to serve me because I was English.
There was a lot of animosity.
A natural warrior! Great history Mike!😎👍👍 Thank you Hannes, Tony and John!🙏🙏
I learned to be a Butcher in my Teens in the early 90s. All the Butchers were old Italian guys and they were hard on the apprentices. Hard on eachother, if there was an argument it was common to fist fight in the cooler. Before that I had went to Catholic school and a Jesuit highschool. Corporal punishment was common, especially upon me because I was hyper active. My knuckles were hit with a ruler up to 6th grade. Once I got to Highschool those Jesuit priests were very hard on some of us. Forget the ruler, they had a very heavy paddle with the word "redemption" burned into it. They would hit us, me, all over with the damn thing. They also were drunks and would cover for eachother. All this stuff is abuse period. I also remember a time when taxi drivers were tough men and like bartenders could tell you about everything having to do with vice and the streets. What an interesting story , the Rhodesian Army was nothing compared to the Sergeants childhood. I'll be watching part 2 soon.
I knew of Mike West whilst l was in Rhodesia, but after reading Hannes 's book l realised that l really knew nothing about what Mike West was. What a warrior & definitely someone that you would want as a friend & not as an enemy. He learnt from experience & not from theory
What a character. From hard beginnings found his place in the army. Very honest and fascinating interview. Bring the next couple on.
Very good talk Mike appreciate.
Full respect! What a tough man. Thank you for the upload.
What an incredibly interesting character!! Wow.
Thanks Mike, great talk!
Capt. Johnny Dawson was OC 2 Cdo. Other 2 Commando Officers were Lt. Joe du Plooy, Lt Graeme Murdoch, Lt. Mike Rich Lt Vernon Prinsloo, Lt Nigel Theron and Lt. Seaton Rogers. CSM was Sandy Miller. NCO`s were Sgt John Schotts, Cpl Trevor Hodgson, Cpl Ronnie Travers, Cpl Butch Alexander, Cpl Bundu Peters, Cpl Jeffries.
A great talk Mike and I look forward to part two. I remember you well from 2 Commando. I was 10 troop. Under Bob Halkett and Fraser Brian both of whom I’m still in contact with. I was also on SAS selection course with you in Matopas. Great memories. You were a great soldier. Warwick Hodgson
Look 4 ward to listening to the rest of this warriors story
What a start in life!? There's a special place in hell for people who treat children badly...!! what an interesting guy!, another very good episode 👍
WOW.... impressive, to say the least👍👍👍👍 I will subsequently be looking forward to your next interview with this man amongst men
Mike's account of the orphanage as a young child is horrific. For a 5 year old to go through that even in those days is a terrible injustice. The part about the nuns it was more of a prison experience than a childhood
These were the (SADF) operators, men of entirely another league, men that we had nothing but respect for. These, I can never forget.
Yet, throughout this riveting talk I couldnt help but sense GOD'S incredible love for this man. Then, these two scriptures came up: Isaiah 38:10, 'The Lord rises to show you mercy.' and also Rev. 21:4, He will wipe away every tear from your eyes.'
Mike, the Risen King is inviting you upward and onward, so on that appointed day you can answer the roll call as you take your place in the Legions of Heaven.
Despite your many sorrows, this has always been your destiny.
If you survived Welkom, the bush war probably did not seem that hard;-) I knew the place in the 80s and 90s. Joke used to be that if you stopped at a traffic light in Welkom, a guy in a Ford Cortina XR6 would pull up alongside you and rev the car. If you looked at him, he'd ask "are you checking me out?" If you said yes, you'd be in for a beating. If you said no, he'd say "so you're ignoring me hey?", and you'd get a beating;-) Welkom was not exactly a welcoming place.
Thank you for the great stories guys.
My Word ! please hurry up with Part 2 lol,
Casteroil!!!
Yes, I was dosed with casteroil at boarding school at Milton Junior, Bulawayo, in the early 70s.....
The miracle cure 😂😂😂😂
🎉Thank you Guy's 🎉😊
The book is amazing
I was a signaller at 5RR back in 87, in awe at this impressive man. Sgt.West was a man who treated one well if you did as expected. Two things I'll never forget. The first is Pambiri ne Hondo. The second is never to toss a set of keys to a man like Mike West. It's simply best practice to place them in the outstretched hand.
I grew up in Welkom, went to the same High School as Mike. New Mr Haylett well and his cane😅
Wud have loved to hear from colonel Lionel Dyck. Sadly he has passed on recently
My Grandmother was in Nazareth House in Johannesburg, around 1918, those Catholic Nuns made her as a 4 year old to be on her knees scrubbing a cork floor. She was a very bitter miserable woman. Still she held onto her Crucifix and beads whilst she died alongside me.
Heh heh. I also lived in The Free State, on the farm, on the mines etc :-) Also got bliksimed by the Afrikaaners regularly and thought I had a fairly tough life. Turns out I didn't :-)
My cousin Dave Thompson (scots guy)served in the Rhodesian SAS and Grey Scouts. Also, Mike might have crossed paths with him.
This guy is a born soldier. He just looks it
Some serious fource when he hit the landmine, snapping the seat belts, just one can hoist an engine, Mike does Kevin Hall ring a bell? He was part of the Rhodesian bush, he was my housemate in 1990, some of the mind game's that went on with both sides were quite disturbing, the stories he told me, he never mentioned the SAS , just the Rhodesian Bush, i believe at that time you couldn't even mention to family you were part of it.
When and where did you learn use your rifle and learn accurate firing ?
People sicken me. Human Beings do not. A harsh up-bringing is not nice. I understand Mike's up-bringing. If only I could not. But it strengthens your will, if it does not break you; imo.
A warrior, born to war
"she was just bad news"
Exhilarating story Mike but you sound very broken especially your childhood
Unbroken
I remember Welkom! Fck, that was a hard place.