Voices of the Long Range Desert Group: the brains behind the S.A.S. “Rogue Heroes”

In World War II, a new British military unit was formed for raiding and reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines in the desert regions of North Africa.  It was made up of men who were independent, self-reliant, physically and mentally tough. They had to be able to survive in the desert, without support, enduring extreme conditions with few resources.

Viewers of the 2022 BBC drama series “Rogue Heroes” (seen below), might be thinking of the Special Air Service or S.A.S.  The television series charts the regiment’s formation in North Africa, and covers several of their actual raids on German and Italian installations and airfields (all set to an AC/DC rock and roll soundtrack.) But the subject of this blog is another military unit that pre-dated the “Rogue Heroes” by 18 months.  It was the Long Range Desert Group (above), which formed in June 1940. With a close connection to the New Zealand Division, the Group worked alongside the ‘rogues’ on occasion and has been called ‘the brains behind the S.A.S. brawn.’¹

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The L.R.D.G. appear in the television series, in the real-life character of navigator Mike Sadler, who helps the S.A.S. find their way over the vast, unmapped Libyan desert, as his unit did in real life. Sadler was from Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and while the L.R.D.G. drew members from various Empire forces, initially the majority of its men were New Zealanders. As such, they were a natural target for the New Zealand Broadcasting Unit’s radio microphones and the surviving sound archives held by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision contain a collection of fascinating wartime recordings of the voices of these hardy and resourceful men. (The links to listen to all the recordings mentioned here can be found at the end of this blog. ) Military author Gavin Mortimer drew on this rare audio archive several years ago for research when writing his books ‘The Men who Made the S.A.S.’ (Constable, 2016) and ‘The Long Range Desert Group in World War II ‘ (Osprey, 2017)

We are also fortunate in New Zealand to have a collection of photographs of the unit on desert patrol. Personal cameras were forbidden in the Division as a security risk, but some of the L.R.D.G. men carried unauthorised cameras with them, and amazingly, one even had a film camera. The majority of images used here are from the collection held by the Alexander Turnbull Library, many taken by men themselves.

The L.R.D.G. was the brainchild of Royal Signals officer Major Ralph Bagnold, a Briton who had spent a decade between 1925 and 1935 exploring the geology of the Libyan Desert, including the vast interior region known as the Great Sand Sea.  He pioneered many techniques for navigating the impassable wastes, such as a ‘sun compass’ that was unaffected by iron ore deposits in the soil or metal motor vehicles, and learned to reduce tyre pressure to help drivers negotiate loose sand dunes.

When war broke out these became useful skills for gathering tactical intelligence in the North African theatre of war, and Bagnold suggested to British military chiefs that he establish a mobile scouting force for desert operations. Bagnold felt New Zealand farmers would have the necessary mental and physical resilience to cope with the remote, desert conditions, as well as familiarity with repairing motor vehicles and driving in rough terrain. He approached the First Echelon of the New Zealand Division for volunteers and was overwhelmed with the response – it has been said half the Division in Egypt at the time offered to join him.² Later, men from British, Indian and Rhodesian regiments also joined the L.R.D.G., but it remained a small unit, never numbering more than 350 men.

The L.R.D.G. captured public imagination in New Zealand once news of its exploits began to reach home. After raiding and patrolling through Libya in the second half of 1940, their successes were made public by the military with a report by official war correspondent Robin Miller, published throughout New Zealand in February 1941. Somewhat breathless headlines (such as these from the Northern Advocate newspaper) announced: “N.Z. Troops rove Sahara. Become heroic modern outlaws in Long Range Desert Group.” Miller (who also recorded several radio reports with the Broadcasting Unit) likened the L.R.D.G. to ‘desert pirates… swooping and darting in swift trucks throughout the length and breadth of Libya like modern outlaws.’ ³

The swash-buckling image was reinforced when photographs were published of the men swathed against the desert sun and sand in traditional Arab head dress. Many also grew beards when out on patrol, which was unconventional at the time, except amongst men of the Royal Navy.

The New Zealand Broadcasting Unit made its first recordings with the L.R.D.G. in February 1941. As this was the same time as the first newspaper articles were published, it was probably part of a coordinated publicity campaign by the newly-formed Public Relations Service of the 2N.Z.E.F. (The broadcasters came under this office’s purview, together with press war correspondents, official photographers and the government film unit cinematographers.) In the first recordings, commentator Doug Laurenson introduces the L.R.D.G. and describes the harsh terrain in which they operate, including areas ‘as lifeless as the moon where it rains only once or twice every 25 years.’ Unusually, he then hands the microphone over to one of the men, ‘Tony’ (Lawrence Hamilton) Browne of Wellington (military service number 4444) who carries out the series of short interviews with his comrades, speaking to a further 10 L.R.D.G. men.

Tommy McNeill of Hawkes Bay (1253) and Cyril Eyre of Te Awamutu (1305) talk about techniques for driving in soft sand and explain how the New Zealand patrols’ vehicles are given Māori names. Roy Kitney (3863) a cook with the unit, talks about rations and how they cook when out on long range patrols, while Eric Smith of Hamilton (1065) recalls receiving rations from the Free French troops and confusion amongst the New Zealanders over how to prepare coffee beans. Second Lieutenant Dick Croucher (8803) is interviewed about navigating in the unmapped desert using sun compasses and star observations at night. Sergeant Ian McInnes of Whangārei (1052) recalls a nine-day patrol in the Libyan desert in which they attacked and destroyed an enemy fort. (This was at Murzuk and McInnes was later awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during this action.)

Len Hawkins of Christchurch (7377)  a fitter and gunner with the Long Range Desert Group talks about how vehicles are maintained in the desert, with few supplies or spares available. Next to speak is Peter Garland of Auckland (1366) who tells New Zealand radio listeners about the incredible heat the men endure in the Libyan desert. Edgar ‘Sandy” Sanders (598) of Christchurch outlines his work as a member of the gun crew and finally Frank Jopling (1314) describes meat provided by local tribesmen who killed goats and bullocks for them, when they were travelling with the French forces in the Tibesti Mountains. These were the Senussi, a Libyan clan who had long fought against Italian occupation of their lands and allied themselves during World War II with the L.R.D.G. and Free French.

From late 1940, the L.R.D.G. and the Free French forces from Chad, south of Libya, carried out raids against Italian garrisons in the Fezzan region. The broadcasting unit recorded a second group of L.R.D.G. men, who describe this campaign and the toll it had taken on their unit. Captain Leonard Ballantyne of Pongaroa, Hawkes Bay (1398)  explains how the New Zealand men were selected for the L.R.D.G., and then describes the recent loss in action of two men,  Corporal Rex Beech (1093) who engaged Italian machine guns (at Kufra) and saved many lives, and Sergeant Cyril Hewson (1030) who led his troop into action at Murzuk and was killed in action there. He also mentions the decorations recently awarded to Lieutenant James Sutherland  (1013) who gained the Military Cross and Trooper Leslie Willcox (1290) of Hawera who was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry.

Next, one of the L.R.D.G.’s medical officers is interviewed. Captain Francis Edmundson of Napier (993, seen in the photos here with the Senussi and Free French) describes the health issues the men face in the desert, and Sergeant Jack Shepherd of Hamilton (1328) talks about radio and signals, and how code is used to communicate between patrols.

Something of a “scoop” for the New Zealand broadcasters came two days later, in the form of an interview with the L.R.D.G. founder, Major Ralph Bagnold. Due to wartime censorship, his name and rank could not be mentioned at the time of the recording, but Bagnold opens the 20 minute recording by noting how pleased he is to speak via radio to the families and friends of the men he commands.  He credits their upbringing in New Zealand for the self-reliance which has allowed them to quickly adjust to the difficult life in the open desert. Bagnold then gives a report on their activities over the past few months in the Fezzan, harassing Italian forces, capturing forts, blowing up aircraft and fuel dumps.

In letters to family and to their employer back in Wellington, the New Zealand broadcasters expressed their delight with making these extensive recordings of the L.R.D.G.’s exploits. Young assistant engineer Norman ‘Johnny’ Johnston wrote to his parents on 19 February 1941, “Last Friday one of the most amazing stories of the war in the Middle East was released, that of the Long Range Desert Group….their adventures have been far more exciting than fiction and no praise could be too great for these men of ours.” ⁴

The National Broadcasting Service and the Long Range Desert Group men themselves were also pleased with the radio listener response in New Zealand to the recordings, when they were broadcast. In April, Johnston writes again: “Recording more stories from two L.R.D.G. men – glad you enjoyed the previous ones. The men were very pleased and nearly all have had letters from their people about it. One was Moore who walked 210 miles across the desert” ⁵. This was Trooper Ronald Joseph Moore of Taihape (1248), who was injured in the action at Kufra and believed to be a prisoner of war. 

However, he had avoided capture, and incredibly, walked some 200 miles through the desert with minimal supplies of food or water, until he met up with a Free French patrol some 10 days later.  (He was later awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. )The broadcasting unit recorded Moore telling his own amazing story, and finally, made an extensive series of recordings with Trooper Frank Jopling of Okoroire in Waikato (1314) who reads from the diary he kept during patrol missions between September 1940 and January 1941, including the raids in the Fezzan region.

It appears a good relationship developed between the broadcasters and the men of the L.R.D.G. Later in April 1941, when the broadcasting unit tried unsuccessfully to get permission to accompany the New Zealand Division to Greece,  Johnny Johnston wrote home; “ We were trying to get away to Greece last week but G.O.C [General Officer Commanding] has flatly refused…We are very fed up. L.R.D.G. chaps are very kind – we have grown very fond of them and they drop in to see us whenever they come in from patrol”^6.

General Wavell, the Allied Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, made special mention of the L.R.D.G. in his official dispatch covering Feb–Jul 1941: “Operating in small independent columns, the group has penetrated into nearly every part of desert Libya, an area comparable in size with that of India. Not only have patrols brought back much information, but they have attacked enemy forts, captured personnel, transport and grounded aircraft as far as 800 miles inside hostile territory… Their journeys across vast regions of unexplored desert have entailed the crossing of physical obstacles and the endurance of extreme summer temperatures, both of which would a year ago have been deemed impossible. Their exploits have been achieved only by careful organisation, and a very high standard of enterprise, discipline, mechanical maintenance and desert navigation. The personnel of these patrols was originally drawn almost entirely from the New Zealand forces; later officers and men of British units and from Southern Rhodesia joined the Group.”⁷

The New Zealand Division’s Public Relations Service war diary notes that in November 1941, all further news of the L.R.D.G. activities was blocked by military censors. This was the start of the Crusader Offensive, when the Allies began pushing the German and Italian forces back across Libya, in an attempt to liberate Tobruk. It was at this time that the Group began supporting the newly formed Special Air Service, under Captain David Stirling, as depicted in the “Rogue Heroes” TV series. No further recordings of them survive in the New Zealand sound archives, although the P.R.S. diary noted in May 1943 that broadcasting unit member Noel Palmer was setting out in the recording van to record ‘messages home’ by the L.R.D.G. (This was one of the New Zealand Broadcasting Unit’s key roles – supplying recorded greetings for the weekly radio programme “With the Boys Overseas”. ) Sadly, many of the discs of ‘messages home’ appear to have been lost due to wartime shortages. Recording discs were in short supply so many were reused after being broadcast and the original messages on them recorded over. The L.R.D.G. messages from May 1943 may well have been among them.

Military historian Gavin Mortimer, who has written extensively about both the L.R.D.G. and the S.A.S. believes the former was of greater value in the Allied North African campaign: “They were the brains of the operation in the desert while the SAS were the brawn. It was their role to navigate them to their targets… They would drop deep behind enemy lines and their surveillance was crucial as they reported back to General Montgomery the strength of the Germans and where to attack them. They were the eyes and ears of the offensive. What they did was painstaking – they would spend days hidden just yards from the main coastal road which the Germans would use. They would take notes of how many vehicles passed, how many soldiers there were and even the mood of the soldiers – if they were singing or depressed – and this information would be radioed back.”⁸

Recordings and film footage of the Long Range Desert Group

The recordings written about here have been digitised by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision and can be listened to online on their website via these links. [Note the length of the original recordings mean they sometimes had to be recorded over multiple discs, which is why each is split into many ‘parts’. These divisions have been maintained in the archival record, although when the interviews were broadcast on air, they would have been edited back together to form one item.]

U-series. Long Range Desert Group. [Parts 1-8] Tony Browne interviews 10 members of the L.R.D.G.

U-series. Further talks on the Long Range Desert Group [parts 1-6] Captains Ballantyne, Edmundson and Sgt Shepherd of the L.R.D.G.

U-series. A talk by the LRDG commander parts 1-6 Major Ralph Bagnold

U-series. A soldier’s 200-mile desert walk [Parts 1-3] Trooper Ronald Moore describes his gruelling desert trek

U-series. Diary of a member of the Long Range Desert Group [Parts 1-12] Trooper Frank Jopling reads from his diary.

U-series. Further readings from the diary of a member of the LRDG [Parts 1-9] Further readings by Trooper Frank Jopling

Also held in the archives at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision are three short pieces of silent film footage shot in the Fezzan campaign, by this man , Walter “Wink” Adams, [military service number 1074] another New Zealand member of the L.R.D.G.

Incredibly he had a film camera with him on desert patrol and captured not only day to day life in the group, but also the meeting at Kayugi in the Tibesti Mountains, with the Free French unit from Chad. They arrive on camels, lead by the striking figure of their commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Claude d’Ornano, who is swathed in full Arab desert robes. He was tragically killed in action at Murzuk, only a few days after this film was shot.

A full account of the Fezzan raids and more photographs of the L.R.D.G. in action can be found in the Official War History volume, Long Range Desert Group in Libya, 1940–41 by R.L. Kay which is available online.

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References:

1. Military historian Gavin Mortimer quoted in ‘The little-known story of a crack Kiwi World War II unit, the Long Range Desert Group’, The Daily Mail, 14 April 2017. Reprinted in The New Zealand Herald.

2. Doyle, Peter and Bennett, Matthew R., Fields of Battle: Terrain in Military History. New York: Springer Publications, 2002, p.316

3. ‘N.Z. troops rove Sahara’, Northern Advocate, 15 February 1941, p.3

4. Johnston, Norman Balfour. Personal correspondence,  19 February 1941.

5. Johnston, Norman Balfour. Personal correspondence,  4 April 1941.

6. Johnston, Norman Balfour. Personal correspondence,  19 April 1941.

7. Wavell, Archibald Percival, Official Despatch for 7 Feb- 15 July 1941, cited in Documents relating to New Zealand’s participation in the Second World War 1939-1945 vol. 1 Long Range Desert Group

8. Gavin Mortimer quoted in ‘The little-known story of a crack Kiwi World War II unit, the Long Range Desert Group’, The Daily Mail, 14 April 2017. Reprinted in the New Zealand Herald