Ronald Reid-Daly
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Ronald "Ron" Francis Reid-Daly (September 22, 1928 – August 9, 2010) founded and commanded the elite Selous Scouts
special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War
.
, 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 experience, Lieutenant Colonel Reid-Daly built 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 the Scouts were poaching ivory along the Zambezi valley. These rumours 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 to a reprimand. Disgusted, he resigned as the commander of the Scouts in August, but continued to fight a legal battle against the judgement, proclaiming his innocence even after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and only stopped after Reid-Daly moved to South Africa in 1982.
In South Africa, Reid-Daly became commander of the Transkei
Defence Force, and was subsequently the leader of the private security firm Security Services Transkei Pty Ltd. For the final decade of his life, he resided near Cape Town
.
Selous Scouts
The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army, which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule in 1980. It was named after British explorer Frederick Courteney Selous , and their motto was pamwe chete, which, in the Shona language, roughly means "all...
special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
.
Career
Born in Salisbury, then capital of the British colony of Southern RhodesiaSouthern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
, Reid-Daly entered military service in 1951 and served with the C (Rhodesia) Squadron of the British Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) in operations against insurgents in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
. Rising to the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
in the Rhodesian Light Infantry
Rhodesian Light Infantry
The 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, commonly the Rhodesian Light Infantry , was a regiment formed in 1961 at Brady Barracks, Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia as a light infantry unit within the army of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland...
, 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
Peter Walls
Lieutenant General George Peter Walls MBE GLM served as the Commander of the Combined Operations Headquarters of the Military of Rhodesia, and later Zimbabwe, from 1977 until his retirement on 29 July 1980 during the Rhodesian Bush War...
, then chief of the Rhodesian Army, to return to active duty in order to form the Selous Scouts
Selous Scouts
The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army, which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule in 1980. It was named after British explorer Frederick Courteney Selous , and their motto was pamwe chete, which, in the Shona language, roughly means "all...
, an elite special forces unit to combat the growing threat posed by nationalist guerrillas. Drawing on his Malayan experience, Lieutenant Colonel Reid-Daly built 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 the Scouts were poaching ivory along the Zambezi valley. These rumours 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 to a reprimand. Disgusted, he resigned as the commander of the Scouts in August, but continued to fight a legal battle against the judgement, proclaiming his innocence even after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and only stopped after Reid-Daly moved to South Africa in 1982.
In South Africa, Reid-Daly became commander of the Transkei
Transkei
The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
Defence Force, and was subsequently the leader of the private security firm Security Services Transkei Pty Ltd. For the final decade of his life, he resided near Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
Publications by Reid-Daly
- 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)