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Jock Lewes: The Biography of Jock Lewes, Co-founder of the SAS Paperback – 15 Mar. 2001

by John Lewes (Author)

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Drawing on hitherto unpublished personal journals, this account of John Lewes's life, tragically cut short on 31 December 1941 during a SAS deep penetration patrol, makes for a compelling read. Brought up in the Australian out back where he learnt self-discipline and self-reliance, he went on to have a brilliant career at Oxford University, as President of the Boat Club he was instrumental in the dramatic 1937 victory against Cambridge. Thereafter he spent time in pre-war Berlin where he was first seduced by Hitler's socialist policies and by a young Nazi supporter, one of the two loves of his life, but soon became disillusioned, establishing links with opposition factions. Despite his lack of military experience, Jock quickly proved himself a radical tactical thinker and brilliant leader and trainer of men a rare combination. He also developed, and gave his name to, the lethally effective Lewes Bomb. His exceptional talents found statement in the development of the SAS concept and the ethos. Without his and David Stirling's partnership there would have been no Special Air Service; as Stirling later chivalrously admitted, 'Jock Lewes could far more genuinely claim to be the founder of the SAS than I'. As well as being the long overdue biography of this highly gifted and complex individual, Jock Lewes, Co-founder of the SAS, is a major contribution to the bibliography of British Special Forces.

Print length

286 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Publication date

15 Mar. 2001
Dimensions

13.97 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm
ISBN-10

0850528054
ISBN-13

978-0850528053
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John Lewes
25
Hardcover
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Product description

Review

"'the fascinating story of one of Britain's first SAS men' - The Scotsman"

About the Author

John Lewes is Head of Seniors at a school in South West London.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Books Ltd; New edition (15 Mar. 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0850528054
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0850528053
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 2.54 x 23.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,305,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 933 in Special Forces Biographies
- 3,659 in Historic Origins of World War II
- 5,541 in World War II Biographies (Books)

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8 ratings

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Scottie 246

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2017

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well

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Plausible Denial

The Powerhouse of the original SAS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 August 2014

Having read this book in the hardback edition, I am glad to see it in Kindle format. Jock Lewes was a very interesting man, and his nephew John has brought together family papers to produce an authorative and interesting account of the man and his contribution to the formation of the Special Air Service.

A product of the British Empire of the early Twentieth Century, Lewes emerges from these pages as a slightly enigmatic man of considerable drive, who gave his whole attention to the task in hand. It is no surprise that he applied himself to personal preparation for the war he saw as imminent and inevitable. Joining the Tower Hamlets battalion of the King Royal Rifle Corps, he transferred into the Welsh Guards (though the author does not say so, the Guards, lacking Territorial Army battalions of their own, used their links with the Rifle regiments as a source of suitable young officers). His drive for professionalism was noted by his contemporaries even under Young Officer training at Pirbright.

Impatient for action, Lewes volunteered for the Guards Commando, and found himself in the Middle East with "Layforce".
One in Egypt, the envisaged role for "Layforce" did not materialise. The young officers found themselves facing the possibility of becoming reinforcements for conventional Guards battalions already in Egypt, the very role they had volunteered for the Commando to avoid. In this limbo, Lewes, along with others, experimented with various types of raiding activities. The description of his activities in beseiged Tobruk are illuminating, and this is a very little known part of the Tobruk story, which makes this a very valuable contribution to the literature.

Some of these enthusiasts eventually coalesced into a mixed group fronted by David Stirling of the Irish Guards (within the group, the Coldstream like to point out that their four officers constitute the single largest contingent from one regiment among the "founders of the SAS"). While Stirling acted as advocate among the staffs in Cairo, Lewes and the others turned their attention to training and equipment. Jock Lewes invented a compact demolition device, christened the "Lewes Bomb" which would remian in use long after the war. He also instituted a vigorous training programme before this was handed over to Paddy Mayne.

Jock Lewes died of his wounds following an air attack during his very first operational mission. The SAS, and the British Army, thus lost a remarkably talented leader and organiser at the very start of his operational career. Had he lived, his later contributions to special force operations would surely have been pivotal. As it was, he had in major part contributed to the firm basis on which the SAS and SBS would build to such effect for the rest of the war, and the legacy of which remains with the Regiment today.

The question of who the "real" founder of the SAS was is a popular field sport among SF enthusiasts. As the nephew of his subject, the author can be forgiven his championship of his uncle's claim. This is especially the case as Jock Lewes' importance has tended to be neglected, sadly, simply because of his early death. This book offers an important corrective. One minor niggle; the author is a historian (and a history teacher) but he is not a military historian and there are are some minor errors on organisational details. These do not materially affect the discussion of Jock Lewes' career.

This is an essential book for serious students of the Special Air Service and special operations, as can be judged from the times it is referenced in other works on the same subject. It is also a valuable description of the preparation and early service of a dedicated young officer, and is written in a readily accessible style.

The artist Rex Whistler, a contemporary of Lewes' at Pirbright who later served in the Welsh Guards armoured regiment and was killed in Normandy, painted Joack's portrait. In his undress blues, he sits outside a hut, cradling a Bren gun and staring into the distance. Whistler has captured the essence of his man, and the portrait is a lasting testimonial to this remarkable man. John Lewes' book is an equally fitting commentary on Jock Lewes, which achieves the same goal.

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JH

A Fantastic War and Love Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2012

This is a remarkable war and love story, when you combine Jock Lewes's Book with Joy Street the story of his love affair, with his fiancee Miriam. It is time that Jock's life and his sacrifice is recognized.

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Jock Lewes: The Biography of Jock Lewes, Co-founder of the SAS Paperback – 15 Mar. 2001

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