37. The Man Who Saved the SAS with Tim Spicer

The SAS has often faced threats from the corridors of power. Since its inception in the North African desert during the Second World War, senior officers and civil servants have treated The Regiment with at the very least doubt, and at worst, as was seen after the end of the war, downright hostility when it was disbanded in November 1945. Enter one man, Brian Franks, an SAS man but one who was comfortable in the bar at White’s club in St. James’ schmoozing those sceptics. He had had an extraordinary war, and his biographer, Tim Spicer, joins to discuss him and to speculate as to whether the SAS, again under threat, has people like Franks in the corridors of power today? For those listeners who are sickened by the adverts that I’m forced to add to this podcast, I have an answer for you. AKOUVA is a new adfree facility for you to listen to the History Book Club without those pesky ads. Simply use the Promo Code HBC at this link, and you can then avoid being subjected to financial services companies trying to persuade you to part with your cash. You get the first month free with the code, then after that it’s a mere £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. Coming up, I have a books on Henry VIII, Inventions that built the world and Greta Garbo so please share with friends and family and if you can give a kind rating I’d be grateful. Tim Spicer Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ An Axe & Four Balloons: Brian Franks, The Man Who Saved the SAS History Book Club For Ad free listening sign up to AKOUVA using the code HBC ⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices