Just a bored man's thought

[freer07]

Hi everyone I'm not out with me mates tonight as i have no bloody money so just thought id watch the SF programs i had sky plus'd from ages ago. I was just wondering how many people get through SAS selection. I read something somewhere a couple of days ago saying the SAS are having a recruiting problem. Also just wondering how many Royal Marines usually go in for SAS or do they always opt for SBS? Just a thought as i am bored shitless while all my mates are out on the drink. Please nobody give me grief about this as i just thought i would ask.

All the best Freer07

[tom163]

Alrite mate, the pass rate for the SAS or any UKSF is very low I think about 5-10% make it (the best of the best). The people who try for the 22 SAS have to come from the Army etc not civy street (21 & 23 SAS recruit from civy). I'm sure just as many Marines go for SAS as SBS I imagine but obviously theres no facts or figures like that available to civys its just personal preference. As I have a family member ex 22 Reg I have heard some very good stories about the different people they used to get joining up lol.


Tom

[lil_dinger_bell]

Tom what years was your family member in 22?

[topper_harley]

I was just wondering how many people get through SAS selection. I read something somewhere a couple of days ago saying the SAS are having a recruiting problem. Also just wondering how many Royal Marines usually go in for SAS or do they always opt for SBS?

To answer your questions, and not to waffle on like some have here, SF Selection usually starts with around 180-200 candidates, with around 15-20 passing.

There are some RM guys that go for Hereford over SBS, although it's obviously a more natural choice not to. And conversely, there are some army guys that go for SBS, although not too often.

Ref the recruiting problem, it's because Para Reg (who make up about 60% of Hereford) have put a ban on anyone going for Selection this year, as they have manpower shoratges of thier own and they need the bods for Afghanistan.

[freer07]

you drinking on your billy todd or can you not even afford a 4 pack this week?

Yeah mate i bought an 4 pack of carling which then gave me the drive to drink more but i couldn't with no money left. It nearly killed me


Thanks for the info everyone much appreciated

[tom163]

Tom what years was your family member in 22?

Not sure on the exact years to be honest with you mate but he was active during the Gulf War and some time after that I think, but he does'nt talk about it much for saftey reasons. (OpSec)



Tom

[lil_dinger_bell]

Enough said.

[freer07]

Just another quick question are the DS at Hereford anti Royal Marine at all? I only ask this at it seems they would prefer paras to join and not really the Royal Marines. It does make sense for a Royal Marine to join SBS rather than SAS like i was just wondering AGAIN me and my wondering eh! haha.

All the best Freer07

[lil_dinger_bell]

I don't think so, ... an ex Royal I know had just a fine time when he joined the SAS back in 78....nothing but postive comradery.

I know the beef between the Paras and Royals (army/navy) is said to be a problem but these days it doesn't really occur.....it was more of an old school mentality....that's the word on the street at least from an, as mentioned above, retired Royal and Regiment man.

[Alfa]

Just another quick question are the DS at Hereford anti Royal Marine at all? I only ask this at it seems they would prefer paras to join and not really the Royal Marines. It does make sense for a Royal Marine to join SBS rather than SAS like i was just wondering AGAIN me and my wondering eh! haha.

All the best Freer07

They might be if they were 10 years old

They're professional soldier and as such will only be interested in selecting the best blokes to join their Regiment, full stop.

Besides if they failed candidates simply for not being Para Reg then given the Airborne mentality I think they'd more likely start with the none Para lads from the army before the bootnecks.

[druadan]

If they were Poole would never get any blokes, as Selection is run by 22 Trg Sqn. SB contribute instructors, but aren't responsible for the course.

[Artist]

In the old days serving RM's could spent two years "Attached" to the SAS and then return to the Corps. These days all SF forces are open to anyone who wants to apply regardless of which part of the Forces they started out in.

Whilst at Poole I saw quite a few Brown Berets walking around. Most were Brit SAS, but some were Ozzys and Kiwis. The same could be said about Hereford back then. As in a fair few Green Lids would be seen bimbling around the Company Lines there as well.

The RM Sniping Course at CTCRM in the Seventies was always half Bootneck and half SAS. This was because the Army at that time had deemed the need for Snipers as "Not required" so they did not have a Sniper Cadre!?!?! This has since been changed (not surprisingly).

Artist

[sneaky beaky]

lil_dinger_bell

I don't think so, ... an ex Royal I know had just a fine time when he joined the SAS back in 78....nothing but postive comradery.

Back in 1978 I was the Training SNCO for the SBS. In those days, selection and training for the SBS was done entirely at Poole under RM jurisdiction.

The ex Royal you know, would have had to leave the Royal Marines and then re-join the Army in some way to even get into the SAS. - Unless of course he was an "attached rank."!!

As for the "beef" between the Paras and the RM's - it is all about "Esprit de Corps" and pride in your own regiment. There is no real ill feeling between the two. They have a lot of respect for each other and because they are considered "equals" there is a lot of piss taking and other sorts of "friendly" rivalry - and long may it continue.

These days, I hear on the grapevine that a lot of RM's make up both the SAS and the SBS - although why an RM would want to join an Army unit defeats me. Perhaps it is the perceived "glamour". !!
Even now the SBS are not particularly well known.
In my day that was a plus!! We could blame everything on the SAS!!
Just joking of course.

I don't think joint selection started until the late 80,s or 90's.

You don't want my view on that!

Rover might be able to confirm the exact period.

Sneaky

[lil_dinger_bell]

Yes Sneaky he had to resign his RM position to join the reigment but remained a RM until he finished selection.

Also he mentions from time to time that anyone who 'bad-mouthed' the RM would get a fist to the face, so it wasn't just a Navy vs Army phenomena...it was a Navy versus the everyone else phenomena.

[Artist]

Sneaks has got it bang on ref the RM v Paras. One day a year me and my Oppo Gordie meet up wearing our Medals and Berets. Remembrance Sunday. We take the piss out of each other in no uncertain terms but God forbid that any sod who ain't earned a Maroon or Green Lid joins in! The few times it's happened we have both told the person to naff off sharpish!

Respect. Thats what the RM's and the Paras have for each other.

Worked with both SAS and SBS bods in NI and to be honest they were to my mind anyway no worse and no better than the average Cdo Unit Recce Tp bod. One of the best soldiers I ever worked with was a guy from the Black Watch. Negative Para Wings, Negative Cdo flashes, negative ought to make him stand out in fact!

But by heck he knew his job and by heck he did it bloody well!

Artist