Major Grahame Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Phantom Major |
| Allegiance | Rhodesia |
| Service/ | Rhodesian Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Service number | 780793 |
| Commands held | Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) |
| Battles/wars | Rhodesian Bush War |
| Awards |    |
Major Grahame Wilson GCV SCR BCR , also known as "The Phantom Major", [1] is a retired Rhodesian Army officer who served as second-in-command of the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS). He is the most decorated member of the Rhodesian Army.
Wilson served with the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) before passing selection for the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) in July 1975.[ citation needed ] He commanded B Squadron from January 1976–February 1978 and was promoted to become second-in-command of the regiment from March 1978–May 1980.[ citation needed ] He took command in 1980.[ citation needed ] Wilson's first decoration for valour was the BCR which was awarded on 07 Oct 1977 while he was still a Captain. His second, the SCR, was awarded on 13 April 1979 with Major Wilson in the 2IC post. Following Rhodesia's reconstitution and recognised independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, Wilson was awarded the Grand Cross of Valour on 30 June 1980 while a Major and second-in-command. [2] He was the second and final person to be awarded the honour after Chris Schulenburg, who received the award while serving with the Selous Scouts. Wilson was awarded Wings on Chest (WOC) on 18 April 1979.
During Rhodesia's transition to Zimbabwe, Wilson obtained the rank of major and retired after serving as Officer Commanding SAS from April 1980 to the unit's disbandment in December that year. He delivered the final regimental address at Kabrit Barracks on 13 December 1980, before the final lowering of the colours. An account of the role of the SAS in the Rhodesian Bush War was authored by Wilson and Greg Mills, entitled Who Dares Loses: Assessing Rhodesia's Counter-Insurgency Experience. [3] Wilson was appointed[ when? ] as the President of the C-Squadron Rhodesian Special Air Service Association following the death of General Peter Walls.
Grand Cross of Valour (Rhodesia) (GCV) 
Silver Cross of Rhodesia (SCR) 
Bronze Cross of Rhodesia (Army) (BCR) Residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wilson is currently involved in business and conservation initiatives where he consults to various organisations. He is actively involved in efforts to rewild rare and endangered species and engage with community owned conservation projects in order to liberate sustainability out of protected areas in Southern and West Africa. [4]
The Selous Scouts was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1973 until the reconstitution of the country as Zimbabwe in 1980. It was mainly responsible for infiltrating the black majority population of Rhodesia and collecting intelligence on insurgents so that they could be attacked by regular elements of the security forces. The unit did this by forming small teams that posed as insurgents and usually included captured insurgents. Over time, the Selous Scouts increasingly attacked insurgents themselves and operated in the countries that neighboured Rhodesia.
The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second Chimurenga as well as the Zimbabwe War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia.
The Rhodesian honours system was established at the time that Rhodesia unilaterally declared itself a republic in March 1970, when a system of military and civil decorations and awards was instituted by Presidential Warrant in November 1970.
The Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) was an air force based in Salisbury which represented several entities under various names between 1935 and 1980: originally serving the British self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia, it was the air arm of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland between 1953 and 31 December 1963; of Southern Rhodesia once again from 1 January 1964; and of the unrecognised nation of Rhodesia following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain on 11 November 1965.
The Rhodesian Special Air Service or Rhodesian SAS was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army. It comprised:
The Silver Cross of Rhodesia was Rhodesia's second-highest military decoration for conspicuous gallantry.
The Bronze Cross of Rhodesia was a Rhodesian military decoration for gallantry.
The Grand Cross of Valour was Rhodesia's highest military decoration, awarded for conspicuous valour by members of the Security Forces in combat.
Robert Callen MacKenzie was an American professional soldier whose career included service as an infantryman in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, the C Squadron 22 (Rhodesian) SAS, the South African Defence Force, and the Transkei Defense Force.
Special Forces of Zimbabwe are the units of the Zimbabwe National Army that operate as special forces. These forces have been deployed in several African conflicts, including the Mozambique Civil War and the Second Congo War.
Grey's Scouts were a Rhodesian mounted infantry unit raised in July 1975 and named after George Grey, a British soldier and governor. Based in Salisbury it patrolled Rhodesia's borders during the Rhodesian Bush War, and then became a regiment of the Special Forces of Zimbabwe in June 1980. It was totally disbanded in July 1986 because of a lack of resources.
The military history of Zimbabwe chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers invasions of native peoples of Africa, encroachment by Europeans, and civil conflict.
Ronald Francis Reid-Daly was a Rhodesian military officer who founded and commanded the Selous Scouts special forces unit that fought during the Rhodesian Bush War.
Lieutenant General George Peter Walls was a Rhodesian soldier. He served as the Head of the Armed Forces of Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1977 until his exile from the country in 1980.
The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military and security forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force, the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel affiliated to the Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Despite the impact of economic and diplomatic sanctions, Rhodesia was able to develop and maintain a potent and professional military capability.
The 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, commonly the Rhodesian Light Infantry, served in the Rhodesian Bush War as part of the Rhodesian Security Forces between 1964 and 1979, under the unrecognised government of Rhodesia after its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain on 11 November 1965. Latterly, during the second half of 1979, it fought for Zimbabwe Rhodesia, a reorganised version of Rhodesia under a black majority government which still went unrecognised. After an interim period under British control from December 1979 to April 1980, the RLI briefly remained active within the armed forces of the internationally recognised Republic of Zimbabwe, but did not see action under this government. It laid up its colours on 17 October 1980 and disbanded two weeks later.
Southern Rhodesia, then a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom, sent two military units to fight with the Commonwealth armed forces in the Malayan Emergency of 1948–60, which pitted the Commonwealth against the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party. For two years, starting in March 1951, white Southern Rhodesian volunteers made up "C" Squadron of the Special Air Service (SAS). The Rhodesian African Rifles, in which black rank-and-filers and warrant officers were led by white officers, then served in Malaya from 1956 to 1958.
Although many other countries have possessed chemical and biological weapons programs, Rhodesia was one of the few countries known to have used chemical and biological agents. Rhodesian CBW use took place toward the end of Rhodesia's protracted struggle against a growing African nationalist insurgency in the late 1970s. The genesis of the Rhodesian CBW effort emerged as a result of a deteriorating security situation that developed following Mozambique's independence from Portuguese colonial rule. In April 1980, the former colony became the independent country of Zimbabwe.
Captain Chris F. Schulenburg is a South-African born former Rhodesian Army soldier. He is one of only two recipients of the Grand Cross of Valour, Rhodesia's highest military honour and also received the Silver Cross of Rhodesia. Schulenburg received the Grand Cross of Valour in 1978 for an action in which he penetrated an enemy position before returning to his unit and leading a successful assault.
The special forces of Rhodesia were elite units that formed part of the Rhodesian Army during the Rhodesian Bush War. From 1977 they reported directly to the Commander, Combined Operations Lieutenant General Peter Walls.