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Nick Downie
Education and early careerNick Downie was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, at the Middlesex Hospital and Stirling Lines. One year before his qualification as a doctor, Downie instead joined the Special Air Service as a Trooper.[2] CareerMilitaryDownie was the only civilian of 120 applicants to the Regular SAS,[2] but one of six who were accepted into training. Later, Downie stated that at the time he was "your original 10½-stone weakling" but that it was his "all-consuming desire" to serve in the SAS that mattered more than physical fitness during the selection process. [3] He was an instrumental figure in the Dhofar Rebellion, where he destroyed a South Yemen fort (with 1,050 lb of gelignite). The rebels were with Russian and Chinese support helping the infiltration of Oman by South Yemen. [4] Downie’s final military engagement was with the Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan fighting against Saddam Hussein in 1974–75.[5] JournalistHe later worked as a war correspondent, winning multiple awards. The Royal Television Society recognised his work with three awards.[6] Downie became disillusioned by the viewers' desire for images over analysis.[7] Personal lifeIn 2006, Downie started a 10,000-mile (16,000 km) journey by horseback from the Caucasus to South Africa.[8] He died on 12 May 2021, from COVID-19, at the age of 74 in South Africa.[9][10] References
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