Peter McAleese


Peter McAleese is a Scottish former British Army infantry soldier, with an extensive military career in the conflicts of the latter half of the 20th Century, both with Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and as a soldier of fortune. He is the author of the book No Mean Soldier.

Early life

Peter McAleese was born into a family of Irish descent in Glasgow, Scotland, within sight of Barlinnie Prison, and spent his childhood years in the city's Shettleston district.

Military career

McAleese enlisted with the British Army's Parachute Regiment in Aberdeen in 1960 at the age of 17, being assigned after basic training at its Aldershot depot to the Regiment's 1st Battalion's mortar platoon. In 1962 he was transferred to the 22. Special Air Service Regiment, which he served with in Aden with its 'D' Squadron's 18. Troop. After a few months he was Returned To Unit from the SAS for disciplinary reasons, re-joining the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment and being posted with it to Bahrain and Cyprus in 1962-64. In 1964 he re-joined the 22. Special Air Service Regiment, and served with 'D' Squadron's 16 Troop in Borneo and in the Aden Emergency. In 1968 he was again returned to the Parachute Regiment by the SAS for disciplinary offences related to violent disorder, rejoining the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, which he served with from 1968-1969 as a sergeant-instructor. In 1969 McAleese resigned from the British Army.
He was subsequently convicted in civilian life of criminal offenses pertaining to violent assault, and spent several prison sentences in the early 1970s incarcerated at HMP Gloucester. On release from prison for the third time he left the United Kingdom for Africa, where he was a mercenary soldier in the Angolan Civil War for several months in 1976, fighting for the National Liberation Front of Angola, assuming command of the formation after the capture of Costas Georgiou.
In early 1977 he went to Rhodesia where he enlisted with the Rhodesian Special Air Service Regiment, 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 South African Defence Force's 44 Parachute Brigade, which he served as a Colour Sergeant in the early 1980s, where he assisted with the creation of a new pathfinder reconnaissance unit, and took part in the South African Border War.

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 reside in the United Kingdom. At the end of the 1980s he spent two years as a security contractor working for the government forces in 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.

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.

Media appearances

McAleese acted in the role of a British Army training instructor in the BBC documentary television series S.A.S. - Survival Secrets.

Publications