SBS Founder Dorset Freemason, Major Stuart Syrad, who has died in August aged 88, won the MC at Suez, piloted a hovercraft on the Amazon and commanded what is known today as the Special Boat Service. In 1956, 23-year-old Lieutenant Syrad was second-in-command of X troop, 45 Commando, when the Suez Crisis broke out and Britain launched Operation Musketeer, part of the AngloFrench landings to recover the Canal from nationalisation by Egypt.
pore, conducted covert beach surveys around the world, participated in operations during the Indonesian Confrontation and a threatened Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1964, and helped to establish the SBS in Bahrain and Gibraltar.
In 1965 Syrad’s career took an unexpected turn when he joined the Interservice Hovercraft Trials Unit, training as a pilot on the prototype SR.N1 hovercraft. Later he trialled the SR.N5 as a potential troop carrier on the rivers of Borneo during At dawn on November 6 1956, Syrad and his the Indonesian Confrontation, and in Thailand troop were landed by Sycamore helicopter next to demonstrated its capability to US forces who the de Lesseps statue in Port Said, the first large- were fighting in Vietnam. scale helicopter landing in history. But B troop and the headquarters troop were badly mauled in At Poole, between 1968 and 1972 Syrad coma blue-on-blue air strike, requiring hurried battle- manded the Special Boat Company, as it was then field reorganisation. Syrad immediately climbed known. In May 1972 it came into prominence on to the roof, crawled along a narrow parapet when Syrad put together a team to parachute into and jumped on to the balcony. Ignoring sniper the Atlantic Ocean after a bomb threat on board and machine-gun fire attracted by his move- RMS Queen Elizabeth. ments, he carried the wounded man to safety. Syrad was appointed OBE in 1973; the Special Then, in a series of well-planned section attacks, Boat Company became the Special Boat Squadron he finished the task of clearin 1974 and the Special Boat ing the building. ThroughService in 1987. His last apout, Syrad displayed outpointment was as second-instanding courage, fearlesscommand of 41 Commando ness and aggression, and his Group in Malta, before retirbearing contributed largely ing in 1979 having attained to the overall success of the the rank of major operation. His brigadier, in (equivalent of lieutenantendorsing the citation for colonel in the Army). Syrad’s Military Cross, wrote: “At all times during the battle he behaved The charitable function of the Masons was one of with the utmost gallantry, and his example was an the important elements in his life. He was almoninspiration to his men.” er of Old Hamptonians Lodge for 17 years, a Bro. Stuart Lawrence Syrad was born on August 7 member of Purbeck Lodge No.4355 (originally a 1933 in Twickenham, the third of four brothers, lodge for tankies RTR), and a frequent guest and and educated at Hampton Grammar School, diner among the many Royal Marine and military where he was boxing captain and a sea scout. In masons at the Amphibious Lodge No.9050, where the late 1950s and early 1960s Syrad commanded he helped to raise and distribute charitable funds. various Special Boat Sections in Malta and Singa-
Cross Keys November 2021