Major Danny West, Glaswegian who served with the SAS in global hotspots and showed the ‘highest ideals of leadership’ – obituary

Major Danny West, who has died aged 78, was an outstanding Special Air Service Regiment soldier and officer who was deployed over three decades in conflict zones ranging from the jungles of Borneo to Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands.

One of five children, Aidan Neil West, known as “Danny”, was born on December 1 1943 in the Hillington area of Glasgow. His mother died before he was six and his elder sister, who was only 11 at the time, played a major role in his upbringing.

In these difficult circumstances he was imbued from a young age with an ethic of hard work and ready acceptance of responsibility. These qualities, together with his strong Catholic faith, were to stand him in good stead throughout his life.

An accomplished junior boxer, Danny left school at 16 and was working as a lorry driver’s helper in Sauchiehall Street, beside the Army recruiting office, when he decided to explore the options. Ten days later he was in Catterick for basic training, having enlisted into the Royal Signals as a trainee radio technician.

His first operational deployment, at the age of 20, was to Aden, attached to the 10th Hussars whose armoured cars played a vital role in supporting the infantry and police in containing communist-backed terrorists.

West then joined 22 SAS Regiment, initially as an attached signaller and, after becoming “badged”, as a trooper in “D” Squadron. He deployed to the jungles of Borneo in the “Konfrontasi”. Here, between 1963 and 1966, British and Commonwealth forces were heavily involved in resisting infiltration by Indonesian regular troops intent on destabilising the newly established nation of Malaysia.

His next operational deployments, beginning in 1970, were a series of short tours in the Dhofar region of Oman, where the SAS had been committed by the British government to support, in an ultimately successful campaign, the newly installed reformist Sultan Qaboos in his fight against Omani rebels known as Adoo backed by regular troops and supplies from the nearby People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen.

The SAS were involved in hundreds of contacts with the enemy, and over about five years some 20 SAS were killed and 60 wounded in action. From a total strength of just over 200 this was a heavy price.

The regiment’s multi-skilled troopers employed, trained and led large numbers of local irregular troops, known as Firqat, to track down and engage the enemy as well as conducting a “hearts and minds” campaign which provided local tribes-people with security, medicines, and access to the outside world.

In Oman, West became an accomplished Arabist, mastering the local Jabali dialect, was in action on numerous occasions and particularly thrived in the hearts and minds work. He loved administering first aid and medicines to the local people and his humanity shone brightly.

Between November 1971 and March 1972 he was appointed as liaison NCO with a Firqat unit which was of such low morale and efficiency that it was considered for disbandment. Within four months he had turned it into a first-class unit.

The citation for the British Empire Medal which West was subsequently awarded stated that he had turned down the opportunity to avail himself of “European” accommodation and facilities and “demonstrated the highest ideals of leadership regardless of the cost to his personal welfare. Under the most squalid and unhygienic circumstances he established his presence in their midst, sharing their food, their insect-infected accommodation and their primitive standards of existence.”

West trained the men and led them on operations. The citation continues: “By the end of his tour the military situation was under control and the Firqat were established, both in their own eyes and those of the Sultan, as a loyal tribe and an effective fighting force.”

In September 1975 West was involved in the last major action of the war at a location known as Zakir Tree, hard by the Yemeni border. Shortly after first light, an eight-man SAS patrol found themselves considerably outnumbered by Adoo and fighting for their lives.

During the action, which at times was fought at a range of 10 metres, one SAS soldier was killed and another two severely wounded. One round passed through the rolled-up hood on West’s smock before entering the neck of his comrade and exiting his shoulder. A tracer round struck West’s neck, but did only slight damage.

He administered a field dressing and morphine to the wounded man and busied himself returning rifle fire and 40 mm grenades from a launcher, while reporting calmly and calling in fire support by radio. One officer said of him: “Danny’s actions that day warranted the highest recognition.”

West then served in Northern Ireland, where his straight talking, integrity and diplomatic skills were put to good use with the Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Branch officers with whom he came into contact and also with a number of senior Army officers who were wary of the SAS and how to interact with them. One fellow soldier said of West: “There was simply no ‘side’ to [him]. What you saw was what you got.”

In 1982 West was commissioned and about to leave for a commissioning detachment when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. “D” Squadron were immediately stood by to deploy to the South Atlantic and their OC, Major Cedric Delves (now Lt Gen Sir Cedric Delves, KBE, DSO), demanded his immediate return to become his second in command. Delves later said: “I was not going to war without Danny.”

“D” Squadron were to play a significant part in the fighting to liberate the islands, including the raid on Pebble Island (11 enemy aircraft destroyed) and the action on Mt Kent. But their first involvement was almost 1,000 miles away, when, along with their Royal Navy and Royal Marine colleagues, they liberated the island of South Georgia.

Once again West’s humanity was to the fore. Shortly before going ashore he reminded the men that the Argentine soldiers were just like themselves, professional soldiers doing their job, that they had mothers, girlfriends, wives and children waiting for them at home and that in accordance with the ethos of the SAS there should be appropriate restraint and no unnecessary violence.

South Georgia was retaken without a single casualty on either side.

On May 19 1982 the SAS suffered a serious loss: 20 men from “D” and “G” Squadrons were killed when their Sea King helicopter crashed into the South Atlantic. West played a pivotal role in maintaining morale and operational effectiveness after this grievous blow, one colleague recalling that “his fortitude was infectious”.

After the Falklands, West spent his commissioning secondment with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment stationed in West Germany. Their adjutant at the time said of him: “Danny was loved by Second Tanks despite his insistence that everyone had to go running with him, and the officer’s mess soon filled with running shoes.”

West then spent two years as Training Officer, followed by promotion and a staff officer appointment at MoD, responsible for research, development and procurement of new weapons for Special Forces. He was then responsible for continuation training and doctrine, before assuming his final role (1989-95) as the Officer Commanding the SAS Headquarters Squadron.

On leaving the Army, West involved himself in work overseas, using his skills and languages to good effect, as well as in charity work and looking after the interests of comrades who had suffered life-changing injuries during their service. He was a founding member of the 22 SAS Association.

Danny West married, first, Valerie Penson. She died in 1994 and in 1998 he married Laura Nicholson; she survives him with one daughter from his first marriage and two daughters from the second.

Major Danny West, born December 1 1943, died December 11 2021