The One That Got Away

"Yes, this is about the same event as Andy’s book but, as the title suggests, he was the one who managed to escape. And this is another illustration of the human spirit and what SAS guys have to put up with. In fact, he has now got the record for the longest escape and evasion in the SAS, which was previously held by someone in the Second World War who did a similar thing in the Western Desert. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . So, he was part of the Bravo 2 Zero patrol and when they had to bug out they were laying up during the day and marching at night. Chris Ryan eventually somehow got detached from the rest of the group in a blizzard. He wandered off and got lost. You have to remember this is during some of the worst weather they had had for 30 years. He went it alone and decided to go for the Syrian border and, by sheer luck, in the end he made it and crossed the border to freedom. I think it shows a huge amount of spirit and stamina. Well, it’s typical SAS – let’s get down the pub and get pissed. Once you are on the booze you can tell us the story down there! So that is basically what happens. Yes, it was pure exhilaration. You realise what a great success you have made of an operation. I would imagine Chris would have felt exhilarated to have escaped being captured and tortured. After the siege it was a different kind of exhilaration. Maggie Thatcher walked in to see us, like Caesar returning to the Senate. She said, ‘There is nothing sweeter than success and you boys have got it.’ And we all went, ‘Yeah, come and have a drink, Maggie.’ And she did. And then John, who was one of the guys on the balcony at the embassy, wanted to watch the news, and she was wandering about, so he shouted at her: ‘That woman at the front sit down!’ And she did, cross-legged in front of the TV so we could all watch our success on the news."