Philip James Conyers Ashby

QGM The King's Gallantry Medal (KGM) is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of courage, bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the level required for the King's Commendation for ...

(born 29 April 1970) is a former

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

officer, notable for his escape and evasion in the jungles of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

in 2000.

Early life

Ashby was brought up in

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...

on the west coast of Scotland, the son of a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer based at

HMNB Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

, and educated at

Glenalmond College Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. T ...

on a scholarship. While in school he started rock climbing.

Career

Ashby joined the

and was commissioned a week shy of his eighteenth birthday. He read engineering at Pembroke College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

on an armed forces bursary. Later on in his career he trained as a mountain leader and was also a jungle warfare instructor.

Sierra Leone

In May 2000, Ashby was deployed to

as a United Nations Military Observer, military observer with the

UN peacekeeping forces Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

stationed there, tasked with disarming the rebel fighters from the

Revolutionary United Front The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rebel group that fought a failed eleven-year war in Sierra Leone, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2002. It later transformed into a political party, which still exists today. The three most senior surv ...

led by Augustine Gbao. However, the situation became hostile and the house where Ashby and two fellow British officers and a New Zealand officer surrounded and effectively trapped in the house. After a narrow escape, they sought refuge at the Kenyan army outpost where they helped defend the camp against several days of attacks. Eventually a decision was taken to escape through the jungle. Fighting dehydration and hunger, the four men survived close encounters with the enemy and, assisted by local tribesmen, were eventually rescued by the British Army. After returning, Ashby was awarded the

Queen's Gallantry Medal The Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM) is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal, but above the level required for the Queen's Commendation for Braver ...

. The story of his escape is narrated in one episode of the documentary series ''

Banged Up Abroad ''Banged Up Abroad'' (rebadged as ''Locked Up Abroad'' in Asia and the United States, and ''Jailed Abroad'' in India, for the National Geographic Channel) is a British documentary/ docudrama television series created by Bart Layton that was p ...

''. His escape is also documented by the War historian Mark Felton. War Stories with Mark Felton You Tube Channel; 'Death & Diamonds: SAS & Paras Raid Sierra Leone 2000' (2020)

Other work

Ashby's autobiography, entitled both ''Unscathed: Escape from Sierra Leone'' and ''Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone'' was published in 2003. He has also written for other publications including ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', ''

The Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' and ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

''. Ashby is an

IFMGA The ''Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagnes'' is the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, known alternatively by its French, German and English English usually refers to: * English language * Engli ...

-certified mountain guide and runs his own consultancy.

Personal life

In September 2000, he learned that he had contracted a parasite from his time in Sierra Leone; it had entered his spine and left him

paralysed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

from the waist down, although he has since made a full recovery. He and his wife have two daughters. During climbing seasons, he is usually based at the French Alps.Phil Ashby Mountaineering – About

References

External links

Phil Ashby Mountaineering

Helensburgh Heroes – Major Phil Ashby QGM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashby, Phil 1970 births People from Helensburgh Living people Royal Marines Commando officers People educated at Glenalmond College Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Recipients of the Queen's Gallantry Medal British military personnel of the Sierra Leone Civil War British autobiographers Mountain guides Military personnel from Argyll and Bute