What do you think?
Rate this book
Keystone of 22 SAS: The Life and Times of Lieutenant Colonel J M (Jock) Woodhouse MBE MC
For all its successes, the future of the Special Air Service was uncertain after the Second World War. Resurrected as 22 SAS Regiment for the Malayan Emergency, after a shaky start it evolved into an important tool in the struggle against terrorism.
Credit for this renaissance in the 1950s must go to a small group of highly motivated officers, of these, Lieutenant Colonel John Woodhouse stood out. As this overdue biography written by an SAS insider describes, Woodhouse's energy, military knowledge and courage were pivotal to establishing the standards that made 22 SAS into the world's leading special force unit.
At the expense of his own promising career Woodhouse continued to serve the SAS leading The Regiment (as it became known) through campaigns in Oman, Borneo, Radfan and South Arabia, as it built its unrivalled reputation.
After leaving the Army Woodhouse became a sought after counter-terrorist Consultant taking an advisory and active role in operations worldwide.
While Colonel Sir David Stirling publicly acknowledged Woodhouse as a co-founder, his role has not been widely recognised. As this fascinating book reveals, without his efforts there would probably be no 22 SAS today.
Credit for this renaissance in the 1950s must go to a small group of highly motivated officers, of these, Lieutenant Colonel John Woodhouse stood out. As this overdue biography written by an SAS insider describes, Woodhouse's energy, military knowledge and courage were pivotal to establishing the standards that made 22 SAS into the world's leading special force unit.
At the expense of his own promising career Woodhouse continued to serve the SAS leading The Regiment (as it became known) through campaigns in Oman, Borneo, Radfan and South Arabia, as it built its unrivalled reputation.
After leaving the Army Woodhouse became a sought after counter-terrorist Consultant taking an advisory and active role in operations worldwide.
While Colonel Sir David Stirling publicly acknowledged Woodhouse as a co-founder, his role has not been widely recognised. As this fascinating book reveals, without his efforts there would probably be no 22 SAS today.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published May 30, 2019
8 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 31, 2020
Review of “Keystone of The SAS: The Life of Lieutenant Colonel John Woodhouse, MBE MC” by Alan Hoe
This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in post WW2 Special Forces history. In my opinion, it should also be on the reading list of every officer training academy in the world, as a study of leadership. Alan Hoe has written a superb biography of one of the chief architects of the foundations of the modern Special Air Service Regiment (SAS, or the “Regiment”), John Woodhouse. Hoe is well equipped to do so - an experienced ex SAS officer, he was involved in five active service campaigns, in a career with the SAS spanning over 20 years. Hoe served with Woodhouse in Borneo and the Radfan and saw, first hand, his many contributions and achievements. This book, drawn mostly from first hand sources, provides an authoritative account of the substantial role played by John Woodhouse in ensuring both the survival of the SAS beyond its post WW2 (originally short term) reformation for The Malayan Emergency in the 1950s, and its position today, as an indispensable part of the British Army’s order of battle.
Although Hoe tells the story of John Woodhouse’s life and career well, the deeper theme that I found so compelling throughout this book was: Leadership. There are numerous lessons of leadership throughout this book. John Woodhouse was a natural leader: he knew how to inspire people around him to go beyond what they thought themselves capable of. A strict disciplinarian (Viscount Slim, a colleague from the 1950s SAS, describes Woodhouse in the foreword, as a “martinet” for rules and procedures), Woodhouse could be a tough taskmaster. But like all good leaders, he was a man of integrity, with a softer side, when needed. Hoe recounts one occasion, on exercise in the USA in the 1960s, when Hoe had been “volunteered” by his troop to act as Woodhouse’s personal signaller - Woodhouse’s searing pace over the ground, his insistence on meagre rations, and the weight of the radio, did not make the role popular. Hoe had forgotten to take the Code Book with him. When he confessed to Woodhouse, Woodhouse exploded with rage. Shortly after, he “cancelled the bollocking [sic]” and declared it was his (Woodhouse’s) responsibility to ensure that his men had all the correct kit on exercise.....
The book moves quickly through Woodhouse’s early years and family background. Despite not having excelled academically (or at anything else) at Malvern College, and failing to get into Cambridge University, Woodhouse decided at an early age to join the Army, enlisting as a private soldier in The Dorset Regiment. He was awarded subsequently the Military Cross for gallantry in Italy in 1943, as a young 21 year old subaltern, whilst serving on attachment with the East Surreys. The gallantry award represented a pivotal leadership moment for Woodhouse; instantly winning the respect of a group of sceptical battle hardened soldiers, having shown a fearless lack of regard for his own safety, with plenty of concern for theirs. Woodhouse had learnt that he would not win respect from his men (particularly later the discerning “jungle warriors” of the SAS) by using his rank or background. Only by doing what they did, and more, and better.
The book covers, in some detail, his time with the Malayan Scouts in the early 1950s then under the command of Brigadier Mike Calvert, with whom Woodhouse developed a particularly strong affinity. It was in Malaya that Woodhouse excelled as one of the key architects of the modern SAS. In order to improve the quality of recruits (the SAS was not considered as an elite regiment in Malaya), and improve operating standards for counter insurgency work, he devised the infamous “Selection” course - much of which remains in place with the SAS today. In conjunction with Colonel George Lea, the then CO of 22 SAS, he developed the tactical operating model of operating in small patrols, deep into the Malayan jungle, for long periods, intent on winning the “hearts and minds” of the local jungle tribes to “turn them” against the Communist terrorists. Ultimately, that operating model was the success of the Malayan campaign. Woodhouse was also responsible for setting up the administrative infrastructure of the SAS in Malaya, later developed in the 1960s into a permanent cadre of experienced NCOs, providing the continuity in training standards needed for a unit engaged regularly in different operating theatres.
The crowning of Woodhouse’s career was his command of 22 SAS in the mid 1960s in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation. Under the command of Major General Walter Walker (and later, his old “boss” from Malaya, Major General George Lea), Woodhouse used the “hearts and minds’ operating model from Malaya, and the infiltration of SAS (and subsequently regular Army) patrols into Indonesia itself (known as Operation CLARET) to defeat the Indonesian state’s expansionist ambitions for the region. However, Operation CLARET was extremely sensitive to the British Government at the time, for diplomatic reasons. Hoe infers that it was the subsequent publication of a biography of General Walker (The Fighting General by Tom Pocock, Collins 1973) that may have been responsible for Woodhouse’s subsequent early retirement from the Army. Woodhouse was allegedly suspected by the Army hierarchy as being one of a number (Walker and Lea included) of potential sources of information for the detail on Operation CLARET first revealed by Pocock. Whilst Hoe stresses that he does not have any written evidence to support his inference, the facts are that Woodhouse did not receive any award for his work in Borneo (notwithstanding a “glowing” confidential report) and, although offered promotion to full Colonel, was given a job running the ranges in West Germany.
Woodhouse left the Army early and, after working for the Foreign Office for a short time, decided to return to Dorset and help run the family brewery, Hall & Woodhouse. One of the most experienced post War counter insurgency warfare officers had been lost to the Army.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly - its an easy read. If I had a (minor) gripe, it would be the lack of maps to support descriptions of the various operational theatres. However, this small deficiency is, in my view, more than compensated for by the quality of Hoe’s writing, the education provided by multiple leadership lessons throughout the book, and the story of the major contribution made by Woodhouse to the survival of the post WW2 SAS.
This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in post WW2 Special Forces history. In my opinion, it should also be on the reading list of every officer training academy in the world, as a study of leadership. Alan Hoe has written a superb biography of one of the chief architects of the foundations of the modern Special Air Service Regiment (SAS, or the “Regiment”), John Woodhouse. Hoe is well equipped to do so - an experienced ex SAS officer, he was involved in five active service campaigns, in a career with the SAS spanning over 20 years. Hoe served with Woodhouse in Borneo and the Radfan and saw, first hand, his many contributions and achievements. This book, drawn mostly from first hand sources, provides an authoritative account of the substantial role played by John Woodhouse in ensuring both the survival of the SAS beyond its post WW2 (originally short term) reformation for The Malayan Emergency in the 1950s, and its position today, as an indispensable part of the British Army’s order of battle.
Although Hoe tells the story of John Woodhouse’s life and career well, the deeper theme that I found so compelling throughout this book was: Leadership. There are numerous lessons of leadership throughout this book. John Woodhouse was a natural leader: he knew how to inspire people around him to go beyond what they thought themselves capable of. A strict disciplinarian (Viscount Slim, a colleague from the 1950s SAS, describes Woodhouse in the foreword, as a “martinet” for rules and procedures), Woodhouse could be a tough taskmaster. But like all good leaders, he was a man of integrity, with a softer side, when needed. Hoe recounts one occasion, on exercise in the USA in the 1960s, when Hoe had been “volunteered” by his troop to act as Woodhouse’s personal signaller - Woodhouse’s searing pace over the ground, his insistence on meagre rations, and the weight of the radio, did not make the role popular. Hoe had forgotten to take the Code Book with him. When he confessed to Woodhouse, Woodhouse exploded with rage. Shortly after, he “cancelled the bollocking [sic]” and declared it was his (Woodhouse’s) responsibility to ensure that his men had all the correct kit on exercise.....
The book moves quickly through Woodhouse’s early years and family background. Despite not having excelled academically (or at anything else) at Malvern College, and failing to get into Cambridge University, Woodhouse decided at an early age to join the Army, enlisting as a private soldier in The Dorset Regiment. He was awarded subsequently the Military Cross for gallantry in Italy in 1943, as a young 21 year old subaltern, whilst serving on attachment with the East Surreys. The gallantry award represented a pivotal leadership moment for Woodhouse; instantly winning the respect of a group of sceptical battle hardened soldiers, having shown a fearless lack of regard for his own safety, with plenty of concern for theirs. Woodhouse had learnt that he would not win respect from his men (particularly later the discerning “jungle warriors” of the SAS) by using his rank or background. Only by doing what they did, and more, and better.
The book covers, in some detail, his time with the Malayan Scouts in the early 1950s then under the command of Brigadier Mike Calvert, with whom Woodhouse developed a particularly strong affinity. It was in Malaya that Woodhouse excelled as one of the key architects of the modern SAS. In order to improve the quality of recruits (the SAS was not considered as an elite regiment in Malaya), and improve operating standards for counter insurgency work, he devised the infamous “Selection” course - much of which remains in place with the SAS today. In conjunction with Colonel George Lea, the then CO of 22 SAS, he developed the tactical operating model of operating in small patrols, deep into the Malayan jungle, for long periods, intent on winning the “hearts and minds” of the local jungle tribes to “turn them” against the Communist terrorists. Ultimately, that operating model was the success of the Malayan campaign. Woodhouse was also responsible for setting up the administrative infrastructure of the SAS in Malaya, later developed in the 1960s into a permanent cadre of experienced NCOs, providing the continuity in training standards needed for a unit engaged regularly in different operating theatres.
The crowning of Woodhouse’s career was his command of 22 SAS in the mid 1960s in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation. Under the command of Major General Walter Walker (and later, his old “boss” from Malaya, Major General George Lea), Woodhouse used the “hearts and minds’ operating model from Malaya, and the infiltration of SAS (and subsequently regular Army) patrols into Indonesia itself (known as Operation CLARET) to defeat the Indonesian state’s expansionist ambitions for the region. However, Operation CLARET was extremely sensitive to the British Government at the time, for diplomatic reasons. Hoe infers that it was the subsequent publication of a biography of General Walker (The Fighting General by Tom Pocock, Collins 1973) that may have been responsible for Woodhouse’s subsequent early retirement from the Army. Woodhouse was allegedly suspected by the Army hierarchy as being one of a number (Walker and Lea included) of potential sources of information for the detail on Operation CLARET first revealed by Pocock. Whilst Hoe stresses that he does not have any written evidence to support his inference, the facts are that Woodhouse did not receive any award for his work in Borneo (notwithstanding a “glowing” confidential report) and, although offered promotion to full Colonel, was given a job running the ranges in West Germany.
Woodhouse left the Army early and, after working for the Foreign Office for a short time, decided to return to Dorset and help run the family brewery, Hall & Woodhouse. One of the most experienced post War counter insurgency warfare officers had been lost to the Army.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly - its an easy read. If I had a (minor) gripe, it would be the lack of maps to support descriptions of the various operational theatres. However, this small deficiency is, in my view, more than compensated for by the quality of Hoe’s writing, the education provided by multiple leadership lessons throughout the book, and the story of the major contribution made by Woodhouse to the survival of the post WW2 SAS.
July 12, 2020
Another superb book from Spike Hoe! I greatly enjoyed his biographies of David Stirling and Dick Meadows, this is in a similar vein. Unlike many military biographies, Hoe served was good friends with his subjects and in the case of Meadows and Woodhouse served with them. He gives a warts and all account of a very remarkable man. A must read for anyone with an interest in military history, in particular the history of the SAS.
April 27, 2024
A biography that covers an important phase of the SAS’s post war history. My uncle even got a mention. Author keeps it interesting and draws out the key elements of a fascinating life. A must read for SAS fans.
July 27, 2023
Very well written and easy reading. A great account that fully explains the significance of John Woodhouse and his part in the story of UKSF.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews