He was in uniform, but he had taken the precaution of turning his red beret inside out and drove through two road blocks without being detected. Five more shifta emerged, throwing their arms on the ground in front of them - handguns, a sword and even a spear.

Its blade was of old railway line steel, but it was exquisitely made, with a handle of rhinoceros horn. A whole crowd of other men were due to arrive soon from the old Troop of their CO (Commanding Officer) David Stirling. In Singapore and Ghana, he designs and hand-builds boats (no power tools), sailing his 32-foot ketch, out into mid-Atlantic and back to England. Most of the enemy aircraft had been moved at the last moment but they destroyed those that remained.

L" Detachment subsequently joined up with the Long Range Desert Group at Jalo Oasis, and in December they raided the aerodrome at Nofilia, Libya.

He showed great resource in managing to extricate this party with only one casualty, although all but one of his trucks had been destroyed. Riley and Almonds got hold of a three-man tent and a double; they were to share with Ernie Bond, while Lilley and Blakeney shared another. Mr Almonds refused to talk under interrogation and as punishment he was shackled in the back of a lorry and paraded in front of the local townsfolk.

Written by Gentleman Jim s daughter and based on Almond s own diaries, various primary sources and interviews with other originals , the action throughout is vivid and immediate. The desert night air was still crisp and they kept moving, even when the ball was momentarily not in play. Its altitude and position, 15 degrees north of the equator, made it an ideal site for Cold War listening. The “Gentleman” tag came later because, although 6 ft 4 ins tall and fearsome in battle, he was gentle, calm and thoughtful in the company of his comrades. Jim Almonds, a sergeant in the Guards Commandos, sailed for the Middle East as part of Layforce in January 1941 with David Stirling and others destined to become SAS L Detachment originals .