Peter McAleese
Peter McAleese | |
---|---|
Born | Glasgow, Scotland | 7 September 1942
Died | 18 March 2024 | (aged 81)
Allegiance | British Army, National Liberation Front of Angola |
Years of service | 1960โ1980s |
Unit | Parachute Regiment, Special Air Service, the Rhodesian Special Air Service, British South Africa Police, 44 Parachute Brigade |
Battles/wars | Angolan Civil War, Rhodesian Bush War, South African Border War |
Website | www |
Peter McAleese (7 September 1942 โ 18 March 2024) was a Scottish soldier and mercenary.
McAleese served in the British Army's Parachute Regiment and Special Air Service (SAS), the Rhodesian Special Air Service and British South Africa Police, and South Africa's 44 Parachute Brigade. As a mercenary or contractor, he worked in countries including South Africa, Angola, Colombia, Russia, Algeria and Iraq.
McAleese was the author of the book No Mean Soldier.
Early life
McAleese was born into a
Military career
McAleese enlisted with the British Army's
McAleese served three prison sentences in the early 1970s following convictions for violence and was incarcerated at
In early 1977, McAleese moved to Rhodesia and enlisted with the Rhodesian Special Air Service, being assigned to its 'A' Squadron, fighting in the Rhodesian Bush War with the rank of a non-commissioned officer. In 1979, he joined the British South Africa Police's Special Branch operating in South Rhodesia. After the fall of Rhodesia in 1980, he enlisted with the
Security contracting career
In the mid-1980s McAleese set up a family home in Pretoria, and became an employee of the COIN Security Group, a military/police private contractor based in South Africa. After a near-death parachuting display accident, he moved back to live in the United Kingdom. At the end of the 1980s, he spent two years as a security contractor working for the government forces during the "Colombian conflict". In the mid-1990s he worked in Moscow as a bodyguard training instructor, and undertook security work in Algeria and Iraq for several years.[3]
McAleese was contracted in 1989 by the Colombian Cali Cartel to assassinate their rival, Pablo Escobar. He and his team of mercenaries failed in their attempt, which was the subject of the 2021 UK documentary film Killing Escobar. Filmed interviews with him and some of his colleagues form the core of the narrative.[citation needed]
Retirement
In his latter years, McAleese was a pub landlord in England. In 1993, he published his memoir, entitled No Mean Soldier, which has been reprinted several times.[6]
McAleese died on 18 March 2024, at the age of 81.[where?][7]
Publications
- McAleese, Peter & Avery, John (1999). McAleese's Fighting Manual. Orion. ISBN 0-7528-0063-9.
- McAleese, Peter (2000). No Mean Soldier. Cassell Military. ISBN 0-304-35684-0.
- McAleese, Peter (2015). Beyond No Mean Soldier (an updated and more detailed revision of No Mean Soldier). Helion & Co., Ltd. ISBN 978-1-910294-01-7.
- McAleese, Peter (2022). Killing Escobar. Gadfly Press.
References
- ISBN 9781857972504.
- ^ Peter McAleese, Jack Murphy (14 May 2021). "Peter McAleese: 22SAS, Rhodesian SAS, Mercenary". The Team Room (Video Interview). Episode 93. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d Interview audio tape (No.15433) with Pater McAleese, Sound Archive, Imperial War Museum, 1995.
- ^ Associated Press filmed interview with McAleese, 'McAleese on mercenaries' killings', recorded 18 February 1976. Published on YouTube 23 July 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-lWbwYMIks
- ^ Interview with McAleese, 'Pathfinder Company, S.A.D.F.', published on Youtube 9 March 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gxumw_iSAg&t=381s
- ^ "'Beyond No Mean Soldier: The explosive recollections of a former Special Forces Operator', publisher's profile of P. McAleese". 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
- ^ "SAS 'hardman' famous for nearly killing Pablo Escobar dies aged 81". Aberdeen Live. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
External links
- Official website
- "Training Russian Bodyguards". Archived from the original on 13 February 2009.
- "Orion Books author profile". Orion Books. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.