John "Lofty" Wiseman is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
author,
survival
Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...
consultant and television presenter. He is a former member of the
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
(SAS), the British
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit.
Life and works
In 1959, at the age of eighteen, Wiseman became the youngest person ever to pass selection for the SAS, joining from the
Parachute Regiment, which he had joined a year earlier. He went on to serve in the SAS for 26 years, rising to the rank of
Warrant Officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
. Wiseman was also Head of Operational Research 22 SAS, set up a counter hijack team known as SP Team and founded the SAS Counter-Terrorist Team (who are well known for their involvement in the
Iranian Embassy siege).
Before his retirement Wiseman was also involved in selection courses where he helped decide who was able to join the SAS. When he retired in 1985 the commanding officer of the 22nd SAS said that "Lofty is a legend in this regiment."
After leaving the SAS in 1985, his first book was ''
The SAS Survival Handbook
''The SAS Survival Handbook'' is a survival guide by British author and professional soldier, John Wiseman, first published by Williams Collins in 1986. Second, revised edition came out in 2009. A digital app for smartphones based on the book i ...
'' (published in 1986). Wiseman has since become a survival author and consultant, as well as appearing on television. When he provided survival training to the cast of the 1990 film ''
Memphis Belle'', his ability to make food out of unlikely materials inspired cast member
Harry Connick Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
to write the song ''
Lofty's Roach Souffle''.
Wiseman is a member of the instructional team at
Trueways Survival School
Trueways Survival School is a survival training organisation providing major media sources such as Sky News and ''The Times'' newspaper with advice and guidance with regard to wilderness survival, military survival, expedition preparation and ur ...
and was the instructor for the selection/training phase for the show ''
Castaway 2000
''Castaway 2000'' is a reality TV programme broadcast on BBC One throughout 2000. The programme followed a group of thirty-six men, women, and children who were tasked with building a community on the remote Scottish island of Taransay.
Describ ...
''.
Bibliography
* ''Ultimate SAS Survival''
* ''Trueways Survival Skills with Lofty Wiseman''
* ''The SAS Self-Defense Handbook: A Complete Guide to Unarmed Combat Techniques''
* ''
The SAS Survival Handbook
''The SAS Survival Handbook'' is a survival guide by British author and professional soldier, John Wiseman, first published by Williams Collins in 1986. Second, revised edition came out in 2009. A digital app for smartphones based on the book i ...
''
* ''The SAS Urban Survival Handbook''
* ''The SAS Driver's Survival Handbook''
* ''Outdoor Survival (Collins Need to Know?)''
* ''SAS Self-defence Manual''
* ''Secret Visitor'' (fiction)
* ''Who Dares Grins''
See also
*
List of former Special Air Service personnel
This list includes individuals who served in the Special Air Service (SAS) – (Regular or TA).
Alf Dignum - 1st SAS (WW2)
* Michael Asher - Author, Historian and Desert Explorer
*Sir Peter de la Billière - Commander-in-Chief British F ...
*
Lofty Large
Donald "Lofty" Large (27 September 1930 – 22 October 2006) was a British soldier and author.
Having joined the Army as a boy, Large fought in the Korean War and was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Imjin. He spent two years in ...
References
External links
*
SAS Survival Guide(iOS App)
[SAS Survival Guide App for iOS](_blank)
/ref>''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Lofty
Special Air Service soldiers
Living people
British non-fiction writers
British Parachute Regiment soldiers
Survivalists
British male writers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Male non-fiction writers