SAS veteran seeking VC for fallen comrade

AN SAS veteran is leading a campaign for a comrade to receive a posthumous Victoria Cross nearly 40 years after he died in one of the special forces regiment's most celebrated victories.

Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba was killed in the 1972 Battle of Mirbat in Oman, in which nine British SAS soldiers defied overwhelming odds to hold off 400 communist rebels.

For over an hour, the Fijian single-handedly manned a 25-pounder field gun, which normally required a crew of four, and he continued to fire it even after being wounded.

Sgt Labalaba, known to his friends as "Laba", received only a Mention in Dispatches - the lowest honour possible - for his incredible bravery.

Now former SAS soldier Roger Cole, who himself fought in the Battle of Mirbat, has written a book which aims to redress the injustice of the "shabby" treatment meted out to the heroes of the day.

He said: "For 39 years I've been thinking about this - it's been a thorn in my side. I actually witnessed what that guy did. At the time everyone knew it was a secret war and they couldn't give him a VC.

"But three years after the event they started giving some awards and honours. At the time you could only get a Mention in Dispatches or a VC posthumously - and he got a Mention in Dispatches."

He hopes his book, SAS Operation Storm, the first full-length account of the Battle of Mirbat, will boost the campaign to have Sgt Labalaba awarded a posthumous VC.

"I think the book is going to be the springboard for it. We can then start getting politicians on board," he said.

Sgt Labalaba is now commemorated with a statue at the SAS headquarters in Hereford which was unveiled in 2009.