Lieutenant Colonel Sam Mallett
Exemplary member of the SAS who saw service in Aden, Oman, Northern Ireland and the Falklands
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAM MALLETT, who has died aged 77, was one of a select cadre of officers and NCOS who formed the backbone of Britain’s 22nd Special Air Service Regiment during the last decades of the 20th century.
Born at Shoreham on January 14 1941 and brought up at Portslade, East Sussex, he was one of seven children of Andrew Mallett, a Royal Marine Commando during the Second World War, and his wife Bridget.
Sam left school at 15 and at 17 decided to join the Army with the primary aim of obtaining a driving licence.
He enlisted into the Royal Army Service Corps and, upon discovering that paratroopers received several extra shillings per day “jump pay”, immediately applied to undergo the physically and mentally demanding “P” Company selection, which he passed at his first attempt. After undergoing parachute training at RAF Abingdon he received his parachute wings while still only 17.
He was posted to 63 Company RASC (Parachute Brigade), later 63 Parachute Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport.
Paras from the supporting arms such as 63 Squadron often found themselves acting as infantrymen in support of members of the Parachute Regiment battalions.
It was in such a role in the mid-1960s in Aden and the Radfan campaign in South Arabia that he first encountered members of the Special Air Service Regiment. As a result, in 1967 Mallett volunteered for and passed the notoriously difficult SAS selection.
In the early 1970s much of the SAS effort was devoted to fighting the Communistbacked rebels, the Adoo, and sometime Yemeni army regulars, in the Dhofar region of Oman. Mallett, along with everyone else, did multiple tours and was involved in a great many actions.
Although the campaign gained little coverage at the time, the fighting was by no means low key. One colleague noted that early in the campaign they had 30 “contacts” with the enemy in just 10 days. During one five-month tour of duty Mallett was the only one of two patrols who was left unscathed. In total 14 SAS men were killed or died of wounds.
Mallett decided that he would make himself more useful if he could speak the language and accordingly learnt Arabic fluently. This was especially useful because the SAS men trained local soldiers, the Firquat, many of whom were surrendered enemy personnel and were persuaded to switch sides. Instrumental in this persuasion was the hearts-and-minds work carried out by the SAS.
After Oman the SAS found itself having to change and develop its role, not only for the situation prevailing in Northern Ireland but for counter-terrorism worldwide.
New skills included bodyguard duties, close-quarter battle, aircraft and house assaults and the room clearing for which the SAS became famous and entered public awareness during the Iranian Embassy siege in London in May 1980.
In training Mallet found his forte and with some close colleagues was instrumental in developing the expertise for which the SAS became the benchmark for Special Forces throughout the world. At one time or another he commanded every training sub-unit within the regiment and he was also the Commanding Officer of the Nato Long Range Patrol School in Germany.
He served in Northern Ireland and was of assistance to the RUC when they were desperately in need of professional training.
Commissioned in 1977, he enjoyed several operational roles before being made adjutant, the key administrative officer within the unit. Here, yet again, he found his métier.
One commanding officer, later General, Sir Michael Rose, said: “Sam’s undoubtedly sound advice and wise counsel kept me on the right path, allowing me to take decisions which not only made good sense but also had humanity.
“Whenever a decision was required on how heavy I should go with the disciplinary action, Sam’s judgment was always impeccable and what was even more remarkable was that he remained to the end a very modest person, in spite of his great achievements.”
One of Mallett’s saddest duties was during the Falklands war in 1982 when he and his commanding officer had to arrange the delivery of simultaneous death messages to relatives of 20 members of the regiment who were killed after a helicopter crashed while cross decking between ships.
Much of the success enjoyed by the SAS in that campaign can be attributed to the training regimes instigated by Mallett and his colleagues.
In retirement he was a tireless worker for the SAS Association in welfare and associated matters.
Sam Mallett is survived by his wife Judith and their daughter.
Lt Col Sam Mallett, born January 14 1941, died January 31 2018