There are heros and there is John Thompson

[Blott]

An SAS hero who took part in the infamous Iranian embassy siege and daring raids during the Falklands War has died aged 82.

Warrant Officer John Thompson died on Saturday evening after a period of ill health.

Originally from Liverpool, Mr Thompson began his military career after joining the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers and was eventually posted to Cyprus on New Year's day 1964.

[BoroRedKen]

The Embassy siege was the 1st thing i remember seeing on the news as a kid and it had me hooked on news from then.

Not so much lately though.....

[Blott]

The Embassy siege was the 1st thing i remember seeing on the news as a kid and it had me hooked on news from then.

Not so much lately though.....

our joint opinion on daft jobs.

On the Guardian website

Head of Communications

Patriotic Millionaires UK

[Blott]

The Embassy siege was the 1st thing i remember seeing on the news as a kid and it had me hooked on news from then.

Not so much lately though.....

our joint opinion on daft jobs.

On the Guardian website

Head of Communications

Patriotic Millionaires UK

£60,000 a year.

[erimus74]

RIP John Thompson

[Blott]

I have no intention of getting into any of the bigotry nonsense of Northern Ireland.

But there was a guy who was at the top echelons of the IRA who was a British Spy for over 20 years known as Stakeknife.

These lads have balls of steel.

[fukyu]

Freddie Scappatticci  was also believed to a murderer who was involved in up to eighteen deaths as the leader of the IRA's internal security unit aka the nutting squad.

[Blott]

Freddie Scappatticci  was also believed to a murderer who was involved in up to eighteen deaths as the leader of the IRA's internal security unit aka the nutting squad.

he was, no doubt about it.  He was well paid for his spying, there is lots of evidence that one of the top table of the IRA was a spy too.

That doesn't mean he wasn't brave. According to a report he saved 100's of lives.

[BoroRedKen]

Was it not revealed very recently that "Stakeknife" was Scappatticci?.

[BoroRedKen]

A movie in the pipeline maybe?

[BoroRedKen]

And he was funny in The Fast Show was JT...................

 

[Blott]

Was it not revealed very recently that "Stakeknife" was Scappatticci?.

yes. Depending what you read, the other very high IRA commander knew from day 1.

The worst loss on a day for the IRA was at Loughgall. The SAS were waiting, I wonder how they knew.

[fukyu]

Some reports say he saved single to low figures he killed more than he saved.

[Blott]

Some reports say he saved single to low figures he killed more than he saved.

you believe what you want to believe.

[fukyu]

I have no opinion on him.A dirty war that only ended because of 9/11.Mcguiness  and others knew their support was ended with the war on terror by the Americans.

[BoroRedKen]

I have to bow to superior opinions re Ireland in the 60's to the 80's.
 
I think Enniskillen (?) was the 1st "bombing" i remember.

I think i would "enjoy" the subject as reading matter actually.

[Blott]

I have no opinion on him.A dirty war that only ended because of 9/11.Mcguiness  and others knew their support was ended with the war on terror by the Americans.

The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 well before the war on terror started by the USA in 2001. 

The evidence is that the USA stopped meeting the IRA in 2004 after the Northern Bank robbery.

[BoroRedKen]

Recommend any reading from both points of view chaps?

[BoroRedKen]

I have some grounding in it.

I have read Bravo Two Zero twice if that helps?........

[BoroRedKen]

Oh and i still have Lewis Bodie Not Doyle Collins in Who Dares Wins on VHS somewhere.....

[Blott]

Recommend any reading from both points of view chaps?

read McGuinness biography,  The Shankhill Butchers and the bio of Stakeknife.


When I talk about bravery there is a Lady I think she was a Dame walked into a pub on the Shankhill and told them they were thugs amd shamed her and the community.

[fukyu]

After the war on terror there would be no more NORAID, no more arms shipments and the IRA leadership knew that,it was the end game they had nowhere to go regardless of any political agreements
Ken Operation banner was the British army's longest running military campaign,hard to believe they were welcomed as saviours by the Catholics initially, watch a fictional drama called "Harry's game" on YouTube,it was made in 1982 and really encapsulates those times.

[Blott]

After the war on terror there would be no more NORAID, no more arms shipments and the IRA leadership knew that,it was the end game they had nowhere to go regardless of any political agreements
Ken Operation banner was the British army's longest running military campaign,hard to believe they were welcomed as saviours by the Catholics initially, watch a fictional drama called "Harry's game" on YouTube,it was made in 1982 and really encapsulates those times.

I despise the bigotry on both sides. It is a good drama. There is a 4 part documentary on the Shankhill Butchers that is very good.


We were in Boston and 4 of us went in a pub for lunch, it was pretty empty. On the drinks board was A London Taxi bomb cocktail. I asked the barman if he would be offended if I changed the name to another terrorist attack, I wasn't daft enough to name one.  He was stunned. We walked out. The owner came running after us and offered a free meal he insisted we went back. He removed the drink from his chalk board.


I would say that was around 2010.

[RiversideRifle]

Love the Loughall story it's a fucking beauty that one

[Blott]

Love the Loughall story it's a fucking beauty that one

there is an interview with a sister of one of the IRA who died.

She was saying it was wrong to attack them. Even the reporter looked in disbelief.