With tribute to:

Martin Spirit

James Paul

Co-written by:

David Carter

Britain's Small Wars

The preservation of British Military History

Launched, Sunday 11th November 2018. Dedicated and paying tribute to veterans who have served in small conflicts since World War Two. This is an unofficial website with no ties to the Ministry of Defence. We would also like to pay a special tribute to Martin Spirit. For more information please read the About BSW page.

Latest updates

Last updated: Feb 10, 2019

The Aden Withdrawal November 1967 - Aden - 1964-1967

In 1966 whilst onboard H.M. Submarine Auriga, I spent a most enjoyable stay in Aden stopping there enroute for a long commission based on Singapore. From my diary of that time, I note that we arrived at 1340 on Sunday the 20th February when the weather was 85f... read more.

Last updated: Feb 10, 2019

The Ever Readies Aden 1965 - Aden - 1964-1967

I became involved in the British Army's operations in Aden as a member of the Territorial Army; I was not a regular soldier. I had originally joined the services as a boy seaman in the Royal Navy, aged 15, in 1951.... read more.

Last updated: Feb 10, 2019

Tales from Aden 1955 to 1957 - Aden - 1964-1967

I remember when we were in Aden in 66 Rifle Squadron and we used to go up country when the natives got restless. One time we were going up with a convoy of supplies and we came under fire.... read more.

Last updated: Feb 10, 2019

RASC in Aden and the Radfan - Aden - 1964-1967

I was posted to Aden from Aldershot in Feb 1964 after basic training as a driver in the RASC, at Yeovil, & Aldershot. I was so excited to be going to a place like Aden and not Germany... read more.

Some of the Featured

Introduction - Palestine - 1945-1948
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With the assistance of the Arabs the British in 1917-18 took Palestine from the Turks near the end of WW1 The Arabs assisted the British because they were led to understand they would be independent at the end of hostilities.... read more.

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The SAS Selection course was, and still is, incredibly tough, designed to weed out the candidates not suited to the service's special sort of operations. At that time, the SAS was only operational unit in Malaya,... read more.

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Korean Veteran Ted Beckerley wrote about his horrific experiences of years in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea before his death. Ted, who came from Rushden died at the age of 78 on September 27, 1998... read more.

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I was 17 when I finished basic training in the Royal Scots at Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh. After a short stint as regimental butcher, three buddies and I volunteered for Korea.... read more.

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During the buildup to Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf had little regard for Special Forces, being a veteran of Vietnam, and Grenada, and as a result it seemed unlikely, that US Special Forces and the British SAS would be used.... read more.

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RUF soldiers took captive around 300 UN personnel, including one British officer.... read more.

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On the morning of the 24th April, the Glosters and their attached personnel were concentrated on Gloster Hill and numbered less than 40 effective fighting men.... read more.

Farrar the Para - Radfan - 1964-1967
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In the spring of 1964, the sniping war waged in the hinterland of the South Arabian Federation flared up and the campaign that followed was reminiscent of the pre-war fighting on the North-West Frontier of India.... read more.