# Lieutenant-Colonel R.F. Reid-Daly CLM, DMM, MBE



## pardus (Aug 16, 2010)

Lt.-Col R. Reid-Daly CLM, DMM, MBE

Founding Officer Commanding: Selous Scouts Regiment

Passed away on 9 August 2010 



> We regret to announce that Ron Reid-Daly former Commanding Officer of the Selous Scouts Regiment died on the 9th August 2010. He was at home in Simon’s Town with his family and died peacefully after slipping into a coma on Thursday.





> 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.
> 
> ...



* Deathsong For The Colonel*




A slow, sad wind mourns your passing,

Winds its lonely notes around me

As I stand the last watch

By your grave.




The dry, brittle leaves stir, swirl slowly, round

Your last resting place.

Bare autumn trees quiver

In parodied grief

As if nature itself

Shares my loss.




The Colonel is gone.

And a corner of me

Which was filled

By his vibrant charisma

Is empty and dull and gray

And dead.




(Chas Lotter)
-------------------

RIP Sir, we owe you a great debt.

Least We Forget.


View attachment 12877


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## car (Aug 16, 2010)

RIP Sir!


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## Muppet (Aug 16, 2010)

R.I.P. Sir.

F.M.


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## Dame (Aug 16, 2010)

Sincere condolences to the SOF community on the loss of Lt Col Reid-Daly.  May he rest in peace.
On a personal note, heartfelt sympathies to his nephew Tom.  I last heard from him on August 8th and this is the first I've heard of this news.  Deeply, deeply saddened.


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## Headshot (Aug 16, 2010)

RIP Sir!!


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## Dame (Aug 16, 2010)

http://www.theselousscouts.com/


> Hi Everyone
> 
> Following the passing of Uncle Ron, we fully expect memorial services for him to be held around the country, as well as around the world. While Cape Town is not exactly central, certainly for South Africans, it was Uncle Ron’s expressed wish to have his main ‘Remembrance Ceremony’ there, where he enjoyed his final years. His family [at his request] will have a private cremation service.
> 
> ...


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## Teufel (Aug 17, 2010)

RIP Selous Scouts 6


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## moobob (Aug 17, 2010)

My copy of Pamwe Chete is one of my most prized possessions. RIP.


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## tova (Aug 17, 2010)

RIP, Godspeed, PBS....


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## Gypsy (Aug 17, 2010)

Rest in Peace.


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## Ranger_Smoothie (Aug 17, 2010)

Rest easy Sir.


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## KBAR-04 (Aug 22, 2010)

RIP, he was  bit before my time but I was in Rhodesia from 1976-78.


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## pardus (Aug 22, 2010)

KBAR-04 said:


> RIP, he was  bit before my time but I was in Rhodesia from 1976-78.


 
He didn't leave the Army until 1979...


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## Gun-Toting Diplomat (Aug 24, 2010)

They don't make many like him any more, RIP sir.


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## uitlander (Nov 17, 2010)

Uncle Ron was one of a kind, a true leader and soldier...RIP Ishe


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## Rapid (Nov 18, 2010)

RIP Sir.


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## Red Flag 1 (Nov 27, 2010)

Rest In God's Peace


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