Paddy Ashdown in the SBS??

[Kev]

I was watching the weakest link the other night and one of the questions was "Which former Liberal Democrats Leader served in the Special Boat Service?" Paddy Ashdown was the answer. I knew he'd been in the RM but I didn't know he'd been in the SBS. I was surprised that Anne Robinson was able to ask the question due to SBS members identity being kept secret?

[Andy O'Pray]

You have just won first prize.

Aye - Andy.

[John_D]

Anne Robinson asked a question that every person can lookup in his
Biography.

Quote

Paddy Ashdown was born in New Delhi on 27 February 1941, the eldest of 7 children. He comes from a family of soldiers and colonial administrators who spent their lives in India, but when he was 4 years old, his family returned to Britain to buy a farm in Ulster. He went to Bedford School where his Irish accent earned him his nickname “Paddy”. Between 1959 and 1972 he served as a Royal Marines Officer and saw active service as a Commando Officer in Borneo and the Persian Gulf. After Special Forces Training in England in 1965, he commanded a Special Boat Section in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he went to Hong Kong in 1967 to undertake a full-time course in Chinese, returning to England in 1970. He was then given command of a Commando Company in Belfast.

Aye

John_D

[Beasta]

Aye,
I was suprised as anybody when I found out, apparently hard as nails and a man to be respected.

[Pilgrim Norway]

And - Paddy is still involved - and doing his bit !

[Falkens]

It is quite well known to people that he was in the SBS. There is one other MP who was in the special forces too-SAS, who was here??
Answers on a past card to ........

[rabby]

Okay I think I know, but the man I know was only in the TA SAS, does that count?

I wont spoil it by blurting it out, but a clue is that his first and second names are VERY similar, there is even someone on this site with that name.

[Topper]

I'm sure most peolpe would have trouble identifying anyone from the shadow cabinet to be honest, he was on TV last night and he was the first front bench Tory i had seen on the news for weeks.

[Jim T]

When 'Paddy' was leader of the Liberals, back in the 1990's I always thought that to decide who was going to be the next PM, that all the party leaders should be locked in a room and allowed to fight it out!. I know who I would have put my money on as the next PM!

Jim T

[Kev]

Aye Maggie Thatcher! I'd put my money on her over anyone!

[hawkeye]

after 5 yrs of civvie street when he was in you can disclose but he is the type of people who the press would find out about anyway. only my close friends know what i used to do but not what i did there's a difference.

[Rover]

Disclose what?

I was under the impression that members of the SBS signed the Official Secrets Act!

Is this different to being allowed to disclose, whatever that means, after five years?

Rover

[Jim T]

I fully

[Sisyphus]

In typical Royal fashion, it seems Paddy's skill at speaking Chinese was put to good use by posting him to N.I. I know the accents in Belfast can be quite difficult to understand but I never felt I needed to be able to speak Chinese to work out what was being said??


Tai bong le!

[hawkeye]

discloser of being in and what you did are two different things.
even my missus doesn't know what i did but she know's i was in.
e.g i ask a person where were you last night? (reply)london
i ask doing what?(reply) no reply
i hope that clears things up a bit