Roderick Walker
Roderick Muir Bamford Walker | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rory |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | SAS |
| Years of service | 1952 - |
| Rank | Brigadier |
Brigadier Roderick 'Rory' Muir Bamford Walker OBE, (27 February 1932 – 15 October 2008) was a British SAS Commander.
Early Life and Training
Walker was born in 1932 and was educated at Cheltenham College and RMA Sandhurst
Career
Walker was commissioned into the Sherwood Foresters in 1952, where he served for a short period before being transferred to The Intelligence Corp, from there he joined 22 Special Air Service Regiment as a Troop Commander[1]
In December 1958, when tribal leaders had raised an insurection against Sultan Said bin Taimur of Oman, D Squadron 22 SAS under the command of Major John Watts was posted from Malaysia to deal with the situation in Oman. On the 27th December, two groups led by Walker gained a lodgement on the north side of the Jebel, as they climbed a rope fixed to the rock face, a rebel called in English from above: “Come on, Johnny.” Steadying himself in a cleft in the rock, Walker pulled the pin from a grenade and hurled it over the lip above him. It killed one of the enemy and scattered the rest. Walker and his men reached the plateau and by dawn they had killed another eight. Walker was later awarded the Military Cross for his bravery.
In 1963, Walker was serving as the Assistant Military Attache at the British Embassy in Djakarta, Indonesia when on September 16th, an organised mob attacked the Embassy. Walker and Lieutenant Colonel Bill Becke strode up and down in front of the building to face the rioters down, while Walker played his bagpipes. Two days later the mob returned and broke through the fence setting the building on fire, Becke and Walker forced their way through the mob to join the Ambassador Sir Andrew Gilchrist taking a stand on British soverign soil and to defend the strong room.
Walker later went on to command 23 SAS (TAVR)a service involving him in training potential “stay-behind” parties in northwest Europe in the event of a Warsaw Pact attack. He was appointed OBE on conclusion of his command. He returned to intelligence work and after promotion to brigadier became a deputy commander of a military district in England. [2]
Personal Life
In March 1979, Walker married Susette Aitchison and they raised two sons.