Major Shaun Brogan
SAS officer who saw fierce action in Oman and trained a local defence force to tackle insurgents
MAJOR SHAUN BROGAN, who has died aged 73, was awarded an MC and a Queen’s Commendation while serving with the SAS in Oman.
In January 1972, Brogan returned to 22 Special Air Service Regiment in Dhofar Province, Oman, having been wounded only a few weeks earlier. As squadron operations officer, he had been responsible for training 250 irregular Dhofaris who had been formed into independent units known as Firqats.
On January 17 he led an operation to establish a firm base in territory controlled by rebels. His troop and 100 irregulars were supported by the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force. They were flown in by helicopter at first light and moved through difficult country towards their objective.
When they came under heavy fire, the irregulars refused to go on. Brogan went forward, however, and by sheer force of personality persuaded them to continue the advance. No sooner had they dealt with the opposition than they came under sustained fire once more. The irregulars refused to continue but Brogan, with a display of courage and determination, got them moving ahead again.
Soon afterwards, when his rearguard came under attack, he went to their assistance, directed their fire and killed the area rebel commander. After seven hours of fighting, the objective was reached and secured. Brogan was awarded an MC. The citation stated, that, over a long period, he had shown outstanding qualities of leadership, initiative and bravery.
Shaun Michael Brogan was born at Stamford, Lincolnshire, on May 24 1944. It was two weeks before D-day and, for security reasons, there was a clamp-down on Army leave, so his father, who was taking part in the Normandy landings, had to obtain special permission to visit his newborn son.
Shaun was educated at Ratcliffe College, near Leicester, where he excelled at rugby, boxing and swimming. He studied for a year at Harvard School, Hollywood, California, on a student exchange scheme, after being awarded a scholarship.
In 1965 he was commissioned from Sandhurst into the Royal Anglian Regiment (RAR). During his time at the RMA, he drove a car carrying the banner “Make Love Not War.” The commandant was furious and ordered him to remove it but he refused on the grounds that the vehicle was not his but had been borrowed.
After three years with the RAR, he asked for permission to apply to join the SAS. During a spell of leave before the selection process, he and his friend, Chris Keeble, ran a diving school in Malta.
One evening, they were invited to a smart black-tie party at the Ramla Bay Hotel on the coast. As a tease, they put on wet suits and scuba kit over their dinner jackets, and swam up the long underwater conduit that linked the sea with the hotel’s saltwater swimming pool. On arrival, they stripped off their wet suits and joined the other immaculately attired guests seated around the pool, in their dripping clothes.
In May 1971 Brogan was serving with “A” Squadron 22 SAS in Dhofar where the Squadron was responsible for training about 250 irregular Dhofaris. Three months later, the force, which was controlled from the HQ at Salalah, numbered some 400. Wireless communication and logistical support of every kind was limited and was further restricted by the monsoon.
In July, with eight SAS soldiers and 60 irregulars, Brogan cleared an area of 350 square miles of rugged, mountainous terrain. The commander of the rebels and several of his men were killed. Others were wounded and the group that had previously controlled the region was broken up and driven out of the territory. The Firqat suffered no casualties.
Before he left, Brogan formed, armed and trained a local defence force which was capable of dealing with insurgents and sending intelligence reports to government forces. His leadership, determination and skill in resolving a most complex problem was recognised by the award of a Queen’s Commendation.
While he was in the SAS, Sean Connery retired from his role as James Bond and Brogan’s troop encouraged him to apply for the part. He got on to the shortlist but during the screen testing he was on operations and his application went no further.
Brogan took time out by going up to Lincoln College, Oxford, to read PPE. After the successful conclusion of the Dhofar campaign, he returned to Oman and took a post with the Civil Aid. He devoted two years towards “building the peace” by becoming involved in medical and reconstruction programmes. His wife, Catherine, whom he had met at Oxford, worked as a flying doctor. For the following two years, Brogan trained the Sultan’s Special Forces.
In 1980 he returned to England and worked for Control Risks, the security company specialising in anti-kidnapping and close protection duties. During this period, he provided a personal bodyguard for the Duchess of Westminster.
He went back to Oman in 1985 to work for the Ministry of Health. With the help of his wife, he set up an immunisation programme which saved many lives. In 1990 he returned to England and, having joined the NHS, eventually became chief executive of the Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust, Buckinghamshire. The onset of Parkinson’s disease forced him to retire in 2003.
Shaun Brogan married, in 1976, Dr Catherine Clubb, who survives him with their two sons.
Major Shaun Brogan, born May 24 1944, died July 9 2017