Feral Jundi

      I had posted this on the Facebook Page for FJ and I wanted to put this on the blog as part of the archives.  Ron Reid-Daly and his Selous Scouts have been very influential to the thinking here at the blog, and I will always regret the fact that I was never able to meet the man.

     One thing is for sure though, and that is his work and the accomplishments of the Selous Scouts will live on in military history books, and future discussions about modern warfare. I am constantly going back to the concepts of pseudo operations developed by this famous military unit as an element that is missing in today’s wars. That, and their version of light infantry and what being a ‘military scout’ really means continues to impress me to this day. Rest in peace to a warrior that did well. –Matt

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22nd September 1928 – 9th August 2010

This memorial website was created in the memory of Ronald Reid-Daly, born in Rhodesia, Salisbury on the 22nd September 1928 and passed away on the 9th August 2010, 81 years of age.

Biography

Full Name: Ronald Reid-Daly

Born: 22nd September 1928

Passed Away: 9th August 2010

Age: 81 years of age

Country: South Africa

Birth Place: Rhodesia, Salisbury

Colonel Ronald “Ron” Francis Reid-Daly  founded and commanded the elite Selous Scouts special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War

Born in South Africa, Reid-Daly entered military service in 1951 and served with the C (Rhodesia) Squadron of the British Special Air Service (SAS) in operations against insurgents in Malaya. Rising to the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, he was later commissioned and achieved the rank of Captain. He retired from the Army in 1973.

In late 1973 he was persuaded by General Peter Walls, then chief of the Rhodesian Army, to return to active duty in order to form the Selous Scouts, an elite special forces unit to combat the growing threat posed by nationalist guerrillas. Drawing on his Malayan experiences, Lieutenant Colonel Reid-Daly built up a skilled and highly professional regiment from scratch. Although the Selous Scouts achieved many of their military objectives, their unorthodox methods created tensions within the military hierarchy. Reid-Daly had several brushes with the Rhodesian authorities.

In 1979 rumours surfaced in Salisbury that that the Scouts were poaching ivory along the Zambezi valley. These were never proved and the colonel, as a well-known conservationist, dismissed the allegations as ridiculous. In the process of defending himself against them Reid-Daly verbally attacked Major General John Hickman.For this he was charged with insubordination and sentenced with a reprimand. Disgusted, he resigned as the commander of the Scouts in August, but continue to fight a legal battle against the judgement, proclaiming his innocence. This continued even after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and only stopped after Reid-Daily moved to South Africa in 1982.

In South Africa, Reid-Daly became commander of the Transkei Defence Force, and later was the leader of the private security firm Security Services Transkei Pty Ltd. For the final decade of his life, he resided near Cape Town,

Books related to Ron Reid-Daly and the Selous Scouts

• Selous Scouts: Top Secret War by Ron Reid-Daly and Peter Stiff; Galago Publishing (1982)

• Staying Alive: A Southern African Survival Handbook by Ron Reid-Daly; Ashanti Publications (1990)

• Pamwe Chete: The Legend of the Selous Scouts by Ron Reid-Daly; Covos-Day Books (2001)

Link to online memorial tribute here.