In the new BBC One series SAS Rogue Heroes, we meet Jock Lewes – one of the co-founders of the SAS.
Jock Lewes was the training officer for the brave soldiers, and he played a vital role in teaching the men how to use a parachute.
He also created his own bomb!
So who was Jock Lewes and what happened to him?
***Warning: may contain spoilers from SAS Rogue Heroes***
Who was Jock Lewes in real life?
SAS co-founder, Jock Lewes, was raised in Australia with his British father and Australian mother.
As children, Jock and his brother David had a passion for chemistry.
However, this led to disastrous consequences when Jock severely injured his hand during one of their bomb making experiments.
Ultimately, though, this knowledge proved to be very useful to Jock during his time in the SAS.
Actor Alfie Allen plays Jock Lewes in the BBC dramatisation.
When did Jock Lewes join the army?
Jock joined the army in 1935, when he was 22 years of age.
He was first commissioned to the British Army’s General List as a university candidate in July 1935, whilst a student of philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford.
At the start of World War II, Jock was quick to join the Commandos, a new unit which specialised in amphibious assault.
Jock was a part of the Commando group called Layforce and was deployed to the Middle East in early 1941.
In SAS Rogue Heroes, this is where we first met Jock and David Stirling as they were both serving there at the same time.
But Jock found this period very frustrating!
Many operations in the Middle East were cancelled and others ended in failure.
When David Stirling approached Jock to join his unit L’Detachment Special Air Service, he was a little sceptical at first.
However, after a lot of persuading and recruiting, Jock was finally won over and he decided to join the team.
He then became the unit’s training officer where he enforced the skills, discipline and spirit the new unit needed to survive.
What were Jock Lewes’ missions?
Jock Lewes became a crucial part of the Special Air Service when he joined his team in their first set of operations.
In November 1941, Jock Lewes led his team on their very first SAS operation in Libya.
The recruits parachuted behind enemy lines to attack enemy airfields.
However, it ended in a complete disaster as they found themselves caught in a blizzard.
The storm blew some of the parachuters off course, and they got lost in the desert.
The SAS soldiers that remained were either injured from their landing or their explosives were soaked and useless.
They failed to destroy a single aircraft and only 22 soldiers made it back alive – including Jock.
Did Jock develop the Lewes Bomb?
The following month, Jock also played a part in the SAS’s first success.
The SAS joined forces with another unit called the Long Range Desert Group, and their mission was to destroy as many aircraft as they could.
His team wrought havoc on enemy lines, as they sneaked onto the runways and destroyed numerous enemy vehicles.
Jock’s other vital contribution to the team was his development of a new bomb.
Jock managed to create a weapon which succeeded in combining both high-explosive and incendiary elements.
He called it the Lewes Bomb and it became a very useful tool for the SAS throughout their operations.
SAS Rogue Heroes: What happened to Jock Lewes?
Unfortunately, Jock’s service with the unit was tragically cut short in 1941.
After returning from a mission at Norfilia airfield, he was killed when his vehicle was attacked by enemy aircraft.
Sergeant Jim Almonds was with Jock Lewes when he died and wrote in his diary: “I thought Jock was one of the bravest men I have ever met – an officer and a gentleman.”
Sadly, Jock never received the letter from his girlfriend Mirren Barford (played by Isobel Laidler in the BBC drama), where she accepted his proposal of marriage.
Read more: David Stirling in SAS Rogue Heroes: Does actor Connor Swindells have a girlfriend?
Episode 2 of SAS Rogue Heroes will air on Sunday October 06 2022 on BBC One at 9pm.
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