Peter Ratcliffe

Peter Ratcliffe
Born	Peter Ratcliffe 1951
Birthplace	Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Soldier, author
Known for	Distinguished service in the Special Air Service; author of Eye of the Storm
Awards	Distinguished Conduct Medal, Mentioned in Despatches

Peter Ratcliffe DCM (born 1951), nicknamed "Billy," is a retired British Army Major who served for nearly three decades in the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service (SAS). Born in the industrial city of Salford, he rose from an enlisted soldier to a commissioned officer across a military career spanning from 1970 to 1997, during which he participated in several of the most significant British military operations of the late twentieth century, including Operation Banner in Northern Ireland, the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, the Falklands War, and the Gulf War. For his actions during the Gulf War in 1991, Ratcliffe was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, one of the highest decorations for gallantry available to non-commissioned officers and other ranks in the British Army at that time. Following his retirement from military service, he authored Eye of the Storm, a memoir published in 2000 that provided an account of his career in the SAS and generated considerable public attention and controversy regarding the activities of the regiment. The book became one of the more notable memoirs to emerge from the secretive world of British special forces.

Early Life

Peter Ratcliffe was born in 1951 in Salford, a city in Greater Manchester, England, which at that time was a predominantly working-class area with strong ties to manufacturing and industry. Details of his childhood and family background prior to his military enlistment are not extensively documented in publicly available sources. What is known is that Ratcliffe grew up in the type of urban northern English environment that produced many recruits for the British Army during the post-war decades. His early life in Salford would later inform the character and resilience that he demonstrated throughout his military career.

By the late 1960s, Ratcliffe had determined to pursue a career in the military. He enlisted in the British Army in 1970, initially joining the Parachute Regiment, one of the elite airborne infantry units of the British Armed Forces. Joining the Parachute Regiment at the age of approximately nineteen, Ratcliffe embarked on what would become a career of almost thirty years in some of the most demanding and secretive units of the British military establishment.

Career

Early Military Service and the Parachute Regiment

Ratcliffe began his military career in 1970 as an enlisted soldier in the Parachute Regiment. The Parachute Regiment, known for its rigorous selection process and demanding training, served as the foundation for his later service in special forces. During the early 1970s, Northern Ireland became a primary theatre of operations for the British Army under Operation Banner, the military operation that supported the Royal Ulster Constabulary during The Troubles. Ratcliffe served in Northern Ireland as part of this deployment, gaining operational experience in the complex and dangerous environment of counter-insurgency and internal security operations.

Selection and Service with the Special Air Service

After establishing himself in the Parachute Regiment, Ratcliffe successfully passed the selection course for the Special Air Service (SAS), the British Army's premier special forces unit based at Stirling Lines in Hereford. The SAS selection process is recognised as one of the most physically and mentally demanding military selection courses in the world, and Ratcliffe's completion of it marked the beginning of a long association with the regiment that would define the remainder of his military career.

The Dhofar Rebellion

One of Ratcliffe's early deployments with the SAS was to Oman, where British forces were involved in supporting the Sultan of Oman against communist-backed insurgents during the Dhofar Rebellion (1962–1976). The SAS played a central role in the campaign in Dhofar, conducting operations that included training and leading indigenous forces known as firqats, as well as direct combat operations against the insurgents of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman. Ratcliffe's service during this conflict provided him with experience in desert warfare and counter-insurgency operations that would prove relevant in his later career.

The Falklands War

In 1982, Ratcliffe was deployed to the Falkland Islands as part of the British task force assembled to recapture the islands following the Argentine invasion. The SAS conducted a range of operations during the Falklands War, including reconnaissance patrols, diversionary raids, and direct action missions. The regiment's operations on East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as the raid on Pebble Island and activities on the Argentine mainland, were among the most notable special forces operations of the conflict. Ratcliffe participated in the campaign as a member of the SAS, adding the Falklands to his growing list of operational deployments.

The Gulf War and the Distinguished Conduct Medal

The defining operational moment of Ratcliffe's military career came during the Gulf War of 1991, when coalition forces assembled to liberate Kuwait following its invasion by Iraq. The SAS was deployed deep behind Iraqi lines in the western desert of Iraq, tasked with locating and destroying Scud missile launchers that were being used to fire ballistic missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia. The operations were conducted in extremely harsh conditions, with SAS patrols operating hundreds of kilometres behind enemy lines in freezing temperatures and across featureless desert terrain.

Ratcliffe, who held the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) — the most senior non-commissioned rank in a British Army regiment — played a significant role during these operations. For his gallantry in action during the Gulf War, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), a decoration second only to the Victoria Cross for bravery in the field by non-commissioned officers and other ranks. The award was gazetted in the London Gazette, confirming his exceptional conduct under fire during operations in Iraq.

The DCM was a rare and prestigious decoration, and Ratcliffe's receipt of it marked him as one of the most decorated SAS soldiers of his generation. He was also Mentioned in Despatches for his service, a further recognition of his conduct during operations.

Commission and Later Service

Following his distinguished service in the Gulf War, Ratcliffe was granted a commission, transitioning from the non-commissioned ranks to become an officer. He was commissioned with the rank of Captain and later promoted to Major. This transition from RSM to commissioned officer was a notable achievement, reflecting both his operational experience and his leadership capabilities. Ratcliffe continued to serve in the British Army until his retirement in 1997, completing a career of approximately twenty-seven years.

Post-Military Career and Eye of the Storm

Following his retirement from the military, Ratcliffe turned to writing, producing a memoir titled Eye of the Storm, which was published in 2000 by Michael O'Mara Books. The book provided a detailed, first-person account of his career in the SAS, including his experiences during the Dhofar Rebellion, Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, and the Gulf War. It offered readers a rare insider's perspective on the operations and culture of the SAS, a regiment that maintained an official policy of secrecy regarding its activities.

The publication of Eye of the Storm generated significant media coverage and controversy. Writing in The Guardian in October 2000, defence correspondent Richard Norton-Taylor reported on the book's revelations about SAS operations. The article noted that the book provided details about the regiment's activities that had not previously been made public, and it raised questions about the extent to which former members of the SAS should be permitted to discuss their service in published works. The Ministry of Defence and the SAS regiment itself had historically discouraged former members from publishing accounts of their service, and Ratcliffe's book was one of several memoirs by former SAS personnel that challenged this convention during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The book received attention not only for its operational content but also for Ratcliffe's candid observations about the internal dynamics of the SAS, the conduct of operations, and his personal experiences as a soldier. Michael Asher, himself a writer with knowledge of special forces, discussed the significance of accounts such as Ratcliffe's in providing a more complete picture of modern military operations.

Eye of the Storm was subsequently reprinted and remained available in paperback, indicating a sustained public interest in the account. An archived record from the Daily Telegraph from 2002 referenced Ratcliffe in connection with a report about a former SAS colleague, further illustrating the continued public interest in the personnel and culture of the regiment following the publication of such memoirs.

Personal Life

Details of Peter Ratcliffe's personal life following his retirement from the military are not extensively documented in publicly available sources. He was known by the nickname "Billy" within the SAS, a common practice in the regiment where members often adopted alternative names. After leaving the Army in 1997, Ratcliffe pursued a career as an author and public speaker, drawing on his extensive military experience.

The nature of service in the SAS has historically imposed significant demands on the personal lives of its members, a theme explored in various accounts of the regiment's culture. Ratcliffe's own memoir touched on the challenges of balancing a career in special forces with personal relationships, a subject common to the accounts of many former special forces personnel.

Recognition

Peter Ratcliffe's military service was recognised through several formal decorations and awards. His most significant honour was the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), awarded for gallantry during the Gulf War in 1991. The DCM was one of the most prestigious decorations available to non-commissioned ranks in the British Army and was abolished in 1993, when it was replaced by the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. Ratcliffe was among the last recipients of the DCM in its original form, making his award of particular historical significance.

In addition to the DCM, Ratcliffe was Mentioned in Despatches, a recognition of meritorious or distinguished service in operational conditions. His subsequent commission and promotion to the rank of Major also reflected the high regard in which he was held within the military establishment.

The publication of Eye of the Storm brought Ratcliffe wider public recognition beyond the military community. The book contributed to a growing body of literature on the SAS and British special forces that emerged in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and it remains one of the notable first-person accounts of service in the regiment during the Cold War era and the immediate post-Cold War period.

Ratcliffe's career has been referenced in various publications and media discussions about the role of the SAS in British military operations. His service record, spanning operations in Northern Ireland, Oman, the South Atlantic, and the Middle East, encompasses many of the major deployments of British special forces during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Legacy

Peter Ratcliffe's career and memoir occupy a notable place in the history of the Special Air Service and British special forces more broadly. His service across four major operational theatres — Northern Ireland, Dhofar, the Falkland Islands, and the Persian Gulf — made him one of the most operationally experienced SAS soldiers of his era. The distinction of being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal during the Gulf War, combined with his subsequent commission from the ranks to the rank of Major, marked him as an exceptional figure within the regiment's modern history.

The publication of Eye of the Storm was significant not only for its content but also for its contribution to an ongoing debate about transparency and secrecy in the British military. The SAS had long maintained a culture of anonymity and discretion, and memoirs by former members such as Ratcliffe tested the boundaries of what could be publicly disclosed. Richard Norton-Taylor's reporting in The Guardian highlighted the tension between the public's interest in understanding the activities of elite military units and the security concerns of the Ministry of Defence. Ratcliffe's book, along with other SAS memoirs published during the same period, helped to shift public discourse about the role and operations of British special forces.

From a military perspective, Ratcliffe's career trajectory — from enlisted soldier in the Parachute Regiment, through the ranks of the SAS to Regimental Sergeant Major, and finally to commissioned officer — illustrated the meritocratic possibilities within the British Army's regimental system. His progression demonstrated that exceptional ability and operational performance could enable soldiers from working-class backgrounds to achieve senior rank and formal recognition.

The book also served as a primary source for researchers, journalists, and military historians examining the SAS's role in operations during the Dhofar campaign, the Falklands conflict, and particularly the Gulf War, where the regiment's Scud-hunting missions in the Iraqi desert became some of the most discussed special forces operations of the late twentieth century.